The Bible — World English Bible

Isaiah 6

In brief

Isaiah 6 tells the story of the prophet's call in the year King Uzziah died. Isaiah sees the Lord on a high throne, surrounded by seraphim who proclaim his holiness, and he becomes aware of his own uncleanness. A seraph touches his lips with a live coal from the altar, and his guilt is taken away. Only then does he hear God's question, “Whom shall I send?”, and offer himself. His mission is demanding, however: he must speak to a people who will not listen and announce judgment, with the promise that a holy seed will remain, like the stump of a felled tree.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-4The vision: the King on his throne, thrice holy
  2. v. 5-7Confession and forgiveness: the live coal from the altar
  3. v. 8-10The call and the sending: “Here I am. Send me!”
  4. v. 11-13How long? Judgment, and the stump that remains

1In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.

2Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew.

3One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”

4The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

5Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Armies!”

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.

7He touched my mouth with it, and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven.”

8I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”

9He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, but don’t understand. You see indeed, but don’t perceive.’

10Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.”

11Then I said, “Lord, how long?” He answered, “Until cities are waste without inhabitant, houses without man, the land becomes utterly waste,

12and Yahweh has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many within the land.

13If there is a tenth left in it, that also will in turn be consumed, as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stump remains when they are cut down; so the holy seed is its stock.”

Key verses

Verse 3
One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”

The seraphim cry out the word “holy” three times, the Hebrew way of stressing something to the highest degree. God is introduced first by what sets him apart from everything else, before he is introduced by what he asks.

Verse 5
Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Armies!”

Before the holiness of God, Isaiah compares himself to no one: he sees himself as he is, with lips, and so words, marked by sin. A true encounter with God often begins with this clear sight, not with a feeling of greatness.

Verse 7
He touched my mouth with it, and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven.”

Isaiah does not cleanse himself: the initiative comes from God, through something taken from the altar. Christians see here a pointer to the sacrifice of Jesus, who takes away iniquity and atones for sin.

Verse 8
I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”

God forces no one: he asks an open question. Isaiah answers freely, after being forgiven. Service is born from forgiveness received, not from an effort to earn it.

Verse 13
If there is a tenth left in it, that also will in turn be consumed, as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stump remains when they are cut down; so the holy seed is its stock.”

Even in judgment, God keeps a hope alive: as the stump of the terebinth or the oak remains after the felling, a holy seed will rise again from the people.

Bible verses to meditate on

Characters in this chapter

What the sermons say

Frequently asked questions about Isaiah 6

What does Isaiah 6 mean?

Isaiah 6 tells how the prophet is called by God. He sees the Lord in his glory, recognizes that he is unclean, receives forgiveness, and then offers himself to God for a difficult mission. The chapter teaches that God's holiness comes before forgiveness, and that forgiveness comes before service.

Why do the seraphim say “holy, holy, holy”?

In Hebrew, repeating a word expresses the highest degree. Saying “holy” three times stresses that God is completely set apart, pure, and different from everything that exists. Christians also often see a reflection of the Trinity here, but the text itself first insists on the holiness of God.

What does “Here I am. Send me!” mean?

It is Isaiah's answer to God's question in verse 8. It expresses unconditional availability: Isaiah does not first ask what the mission will be. Many believers use this sentence to say they want to serve God wherever he places them.

Why does God ask Isaiah to make the people's heart dull?

Verses 9 and 10 are difficult. Many understand them as describing the effect of preaching on a people who are already hardened: the more they refuse to hear, the more they close up. Jesus and the New Testament authors quote this passage about those who do not welcome the word. Christian traditions discuss its exact meaning.

Articles quoting Isaiah 6

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World English Bible translation — public domain.