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Commentary on Isaiah 6 verses 1–4
The vision which Isaiah saw when he was, as is said of Samuel, established to be a prophet of the Lord (Sa1 3:20), was intended, 1. To confirm his faith, that he might himself be abundantly satisfied of the truth of those things which should afterwards be made known to him. This God opened the communications of himself to him; but such visions needed not to be afterwards repeated upon every revelation. Thus God appeared at first as a God of glory to Abraham (Act 7:2), and to Moses, Exo 3:2. Ezekiel's prophecies and St. John's, begin with visions of the divine glory. 2. To work upon his affections, that he might be possessed with such a reverence of God as would both quicken him and fix him to his service. Those who are to teach others the knowledge of God ought to be well acquainted with him themselves.
The vision is dated, for the greater certainty of it. It was in the year that king Uzziah died, who had reigned, for the most part, as prosperously and well as any of the kings of Judah, and reigned very long, above fifty years. About the time that he died, Isaiah saw this vision of God upon a throne; for when the breath of princes goes forth, and they return to their earth, this is our comfort, that the Lord shall reign for ever, Psa 146:3, Psa 146:4, Psa 146:10. Israel's king dies, but Israel's God still lives. From the mortality of great and good men we should take occasion to look up with an eye of faith to the King eternal, immortal. King Uzziah died under a cloud, for he was shut up as a leper till the day of his death. As the lives of princes have their periods, so their glory is often eclipsed; but, as God is everliving, so his glory is everlasting. King Uzziah dies in an hospital, but the King of kings still sits upon his throne.
What the prophet here saw is revealed to us, that we, mixing faith with that revelation, may in it, as in a glass, behold the glory of the Lord; let us turn aside therefore, and see this great sight with humble reverence.
I. See God upon his throne, and that throne high and lifted up, not only above other thrones, as it transcends them, but over other thrones, as it rules and commands them. Isaiah saw not Jehovah - the essence of God (no man has seen that, or can see it), but Adonai - his dominion. He saw the Lord Jesus; so this vision is explained Joh 12:41, that Isaiah now saw Christ's glory and spoke of him, which is an incontestable proof of the divinity of our Saviour. He it is who when, after his resurrection, he sat down on the right hand of God, did but sit down where he was before, Joh 17:5. See the rest of the Eternal Mind: Isaiah saw the Lord sitting, Psa 29:10. See the sovereignty of the Eternal Monarch: he sits upon a throne - a throne of glory, before which we must worship, - a throne of government, under which we must be subject, - and a throne of grace, to which we may come boldly. This throne is high, and lifted up above all competition and contradiction.
II. See his temple, his church on earth, filled with the manifestations of his glory. His throne being erected at the door of the temple (as princes sat in judgment at the gates), his train, the skirts of his robes, filled the temple, the whole world (for it is all God's temple, and, as the heaven is his throne, so the earth is his footstool), or rather the church, which is filled enriched, and beautified with the tokens of God's special presence.
III. See the bright and blessed attendants on his throne, in and by whom his glory is celebrated and his government served (Isa 6:2): Above the throne, as it were hovering about it, or nigh to the throne, bowing before it, with an eye to it, the seraphim stood, the holy angels, who are called seraphim-burners; for he makes his ministers a flaming fire, Psa 104:4. They burn in love to God, and zeal for his glory and against sin, and he makes use of them as instruments of his wrath when he is a consuming fire to his enemies. Whether they were only two or four, or (as I rather think) an innumerable company of angels, that Isaiah saw, is uncertain; see Dan 7:10. Note, It is the glory of the angels that they are seraphim, have heat proportionable to their light, have abundance, not only of divine knowledge, but of holy love. Special notice is taken of their wings (and of no other part of their appearance), because of the use they made of them, which is designed for instruction to us. They had each of them six wings, not stretched upwards (as those whom Ezekiel saw, Eze 1:11), but, 1. Four were made use of for a covering, as the wings of a fowl, sitting, are; with the two upper wings, next to the head, they covered their faces, and with the two lowest wings they covered their feet, or lower parts. This bespeaks their great humility and reverence in their attendance upon God, for he is greatly feared in the assembly of those saints, Psa 89:7. They not only cover their feet, those members of the body which are less honourable (Co1 12:23), but even their faces. Though angel's faces, doubtless, are much fairer than those of the children of men (Act 6:15), yet in the presence of God, they cover them, because they cannot bear the dazzling lustre of the divine glory, and because, being conscious of an infinite distance from the divine perfection, they are ashamed to show their faces before the holy God, who charges even his angels with folly if they should offer to vie with him, Job 4:18. If angels be thus reverent in their attendance on God, with what godly fear should we approach his throne! Else we do not the will of God as the angels do it. Yet Moses, when he went into the mount with God, took the veil from off his face. See Co2 3:18. 2. Two were made use of for flight; when they are sent on God's errands they fly swiftly (Dan 9:21), more swiftly with their own wings than if they flew on the wings of the wind. This teaches us to do the work of God with cheerfulness and expedition. Do angels come upon the wing from heaven to earth, to minister for our good, and shall not we soar upon the wing from earth to heaven, to share with them in their glory? Luk 20:36.
IV. Hear the anthem, or song of praise, which the angels sing to the honour of him that sits on the throne, Isa 6:3. Observe,
1.How this song was sung. With zeal and fervency - they cried aloud; and with unanimity - they cried to another, or one with another; they sang alternately, but in concert, and without the least jarring voice to interrupt the harmony.
2.What the song was; it is the same with that which is sung by the four living creatures, Rev 4:8. Note, Praising God always was, and will be to eternity, the work of heaven, and the constant employment of blessed spirits above, Psa 84:4. Note further, The church above is the same in its praises; there is no change of times or notes there. Two things the seraphim here give God the praise of: -
(1.)His infinite perfections in himself. Here is one of his most glorious titles praised: he is the Lord of hosts, of their hosts, of all hosts; and one of his most glorious attributes, his holiness, without which his being the Lord of hosts (or, as it is in the parallel place, Rev 4:8, the Lord God Almighty) could not be so much as it is the matter of our joy and praise; for power, without purity to guide it, would be a terror to mankind. None of all the divine attributes is so celebrated in scripture as this is. God's power was spoken twice (Psa 62:11), but his holiness thrice, Holy, holy, holy. This bespeaks, [1.] The zeal and fervency of the angels in praising God; they even want words to express themselves, and therefore repeat the same again. [2.] The particular pleasure they take in contemplating the holiness of God; this is a subject they love to dwell upon, to harp upon, and are loth to leave. [3.] The superlative excellency of God's holiness, above that of the purest creatures. He is holy, thrice holy, infinitely holy, originally, perfectly, and eternally so. [4.] It may refer to the three person in the Godhead, Holy Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit (for it follows, Isa 6:8, Who will go for us?) or perhaps to that which was, and is, and is to come; for that title of God's honour is added to this song, Rev 4:8. Some make the angels here to applaud the equity of that sentence which God was now about to pronounce upon the Jewish nation. Herein he was, and is, and will be, holy; his ways are equal.
(2.)The manifestation of these to the children of men: The earth is full of his glory, the glory of his power and purity; for he is holy in all his works, Psa 145:17. The Jews thought the glory of God should be confined to their land; but it is here intimated that in the gospel times (which are pointed to in this chapter) the glory of God should fill all the earth, the glory of his holiness, which is indeed the glory of all his other attributes; this then filled the temple (Isa 6:1), but, in the latter days, the earth shall be full of it.
V. Observe the marks and tokens of terror with which the temple was filled, upon this vision of the divine glory, Isa 6:4. 1. The house was shaken; not only the door, but even the posts of the door, which were firmly fixed, moved at the voice of him that cried, at the voice of God, who called to judgment (Psa 50:4), at the voice of the angel, who praised him. There are voices in heaven sufficient to drown all the noises of the many waters in this lower world, Psa 93:3, Psa 93:4. This violent concussion of the temple was an indication of God's wrath and displeasure against the people for their sins; it was an earnest of the destruction of it and the city by the Babylonians first, and afterwards by the Romans; and it was designed to strike an awe upon us. Shall walls and posts tremble before God, and shall we not tremble? 2. The house was darkened; it was filled with smoke, which was as a cloud spread upon the face of his throne (Job 26:9); we cannot take a full view of it, nor order our speech concerning it, by reason of darkness. In the temple above there will be no smoke, but everything will be seen clearly. There God dwells in light; here he makes darkness his pavilion, 2 Chron, Rom 6:1.
The prophet had seen Christ and the glory of Christ in the vision in which he said, “I saw the Lord of hosts sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,” and what follows.
Why does God appear to be sitting on a throne with seraphim, when God does not sit? He is accommodating himself to the ways of human beings.
It is obvious from the very words of Isaiah that he saw God because of God’s condescension. He said, “I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne.” But God is not sitting down. Beings with bodies sit. Isaiah also said, “on a throne.” But God is not encompassed by a throne, because divinity cannot be contained within boundaries. That said, the seraphim could not endure the condescension of God although they were nearby.… He said, “And the seraphim stood around him,” because he wanted to make it clear that although the seraphim are closer to the essence of God than human beings are, they cannot look upon his essence simply because they are closer to it. He is not referring to place in a localized sense. When he speaks of nearness, he is demonstrating that the seraphim are closer to God than we human beings are.
(Chapter 6, Verse 1) In the year when King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne. Isaiah prophesied under the reign of four kings over Judah and Jerusalem, as indicated in the introduction to the first vision: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. After Uzziah died, under whom all the things we have mentioned above were spoken, his son Jotham succeeded him. Jotham reigned for sixteen years and did what was right in the sight of the Lord. He also built a high gate for the temple. When he saw this, Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne, to show the appearance of a ruler.
And those things which were under him, filled the Temple, whether as Theodotius and Symmachus carried it over: And those things which were under his feet, filled the Temple. For which reason the Seventy interpreted. And the house was full of his glory. About thirty years ago, when I was in Constantinople, with the most eloquent man Gregory Nazianzen, then bishop of the same city, I recall having dictated a brief and sudden treatise on this vision, in order to test my little talent and to obey my friends' advice. Therefore, I send this little book to the reader, and pray that he may be satisfied with a brief explanation of this time. It tells the sacred story of Aziah, who claimed for himself an illicit priesthood and was struck with leprosy; and when he died, the Lord appeared in the Temple that he had defiled (2 Chronicles 26). From this, we understand that while we have a leprous king ruling within us, we cannot see the Lord reigning in His majesty, nor understand the mysteries of the Holy Trinity. And in Exodus, after Pharaoh, who oppressed Israel with mud and bricks, and later with straw, died, the people cried out to the Lord, who they could not cry out to while he was still alive. And when Phaltia son of Bananiah, a wicked ruler, died, Ezekiel fell on his face and with a loud voice cried out to the Lord. And it is beautifully said in the Hebrew: the Lord does not fill the Temple, whose heaven is his throne and the earth is his footstool; and as we read elsewhere: The Lord is in his holy Temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven (Psalm 11:5); but the things under his feet filled the Temple (Isaiah 66). But who is this Lord that is seen, as we learn more fully in the Gospel of John and in the Acts of the Apostles. Of whom John says: These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spoke of him (John 12:41), undoubtedly referring to Christ. Again, Paul in the Acts of the Apostles, where he speaks to the Jews in Rome, says: Well said the Holy Spirit through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying: Go to this people, and say: Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the heart of this people has grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn, so that I should heal them (Acts 28:26-27). However, the Son appeared in the form of one who reigns, and the Holy Spirit spoke because of the sharing of majesty and the unity of substance. Someone may ask, how can the Prophet say that he saw the Lord now, and not just the Lord, but the Lord of hosts, as he himself testifies in the following text; since the evangelist John said: No one has ever seen God (John 1:20). And God speaks to Moses: You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live (Exodus 33:20). To this we will respond, not only regarding the divinity of the Father, but also of the Son and the Holy Spirit, because there is one nature in the Trinity, that is able to see with the eyes of the flesh; but with the eyes of the mind, as the Savior himself says: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). We read that Abraham saw the Lord in the form of a man, and that Jacob wrestled with him as a man, who was God. Therefore, that place itself was called Peniel, which means 'face of God': For I have seen the Lord face to face, and my soul has been saved (Genesis 32). Ezechiel also saw the Lord in the form of a man sitting upon Cherubim, from his loins downwards he was like fire, and the upper parts had the appearance of electricity. Therefore, the nature of God is not seen, but appears to humans as he chooses.
We have talked about standing; we have talked about walking; let us talk about sitting. Whenever God is represented as seated, the portrayal takes one of two forms: either he appears as the ruler or as the judge. If he is like a king, one sees him as Isaiah does: “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne.” There he is presented as the sovereign king.
No one can deny that the prophet saw the Son in the glory of God the Father, as John said: “Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him [Christ].” Look and see the great honor that is due to God, and see the authority he has over all creation. God is high and lifted up on a throne, crowned with the splendor of his reign.… In my view we should not think of the throne of God as lifted up in a physical way. That would be foolish and absurd. Rather, that the throne is said to be lifted up means that the reign of God transcends all things. That God is sitting refers to his immovability and that his blessings are everlasting and unchanging.
Isaiah has revealed the Father’s existence but not his essence (WHICH CANNOT BE SEEN). In other places God reveals himself in ways that also demonstrate that no one has seen his essence. Abraham saw him in one way, Moses in another, Micah saw him in yet another way, which was different from the way Daniel saw him. Ezekiel saw God in yet another way. God’s essence, however, does not have many different forms, because God is incorporeal, indivisible, simple, invisible and inaccessible.
By speaking of Uzziah’s death, the prophet informs us that it was Uzziah’s sin that had brought an end to prophetic activity. At the beginning of his reign Uzziah had God’s favor and was victorious over the Allophyles [foreigners]and other neighboring enemies. But he became blinded by pride because of his victory. His pride caused him to usurp the honor of the priesthood. He took it on himself to trespass into the sanctuary of the temple and offer incense, though even the priests were not allowed to do this, as only the high priest had the right to enter the Holy of Holies. Azarias and other priests tried to stop him from doing this, but he ignored their warning.… It was not until after the death of the king that God granted this vision to the prophet, who had angered God by not identifying the culpability of the king.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 6:1 serves as the profound opening to the prophet Isaiah's commissioning vision, a pivotal moment that grounds his entire prophetic ministry. It masterfully establishes a stark contrast between the transient nature of earthly kingship, symbolized by King Uzziah's death, and the eternal, unshakeable sovereignty of the Lord. In a moment of national uncertainty and leadership vacuum, Isaiah is granted a breathtaking glimpse into the divine throne room, revealing God's transcendent majesty, supreme authority, and overwhelming holiness, whose glorious presence fills the very temple. This vision not only validates Isaiah's call to prophetic ministry but also sets the theological tone for the entire book, emphasizing God's ultimate control and unwavering presence amidst human turmoil and national crisis.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 6:1 is exceptionally rich in Symbolism, particularly with the "throne" representing God's ultimate and unchallengeable authority, and the "train" of His robe symbolizing His boundless glory, immeasurable majesty, and overwhelming presence that cannot be contained. The phrase "high and lifted up" employs Hyperbole to powerfully emphasize the extreme exaltation and unparalleled majesty of God, transcending any earthly comparison or human comprehension. The entire verse functions as a profound Theophany, a visible and tangible manifestation of God's presence and nature, intended to reveal His character and purpose directly to Isaiah. Furthermore, a profound Contrast is established between the death of King Uzziah, signifying human mortality, the transient nature of earthly power, and the end of an era, and the eternal, unchanging reign of the Lord, who is perpetually "sitting upon a throne," thereby highlighting the absolute and enduring nature of divine sovereignty over all temporal human affairs.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 6:1 is a foundational text for understanding the very nature of God and His relationship with humanity. It unequivocally declares God's absolute and unwavering sovereignty, serving as a powerful reminder that even amidst political upheaval, national crisis, or profound personal loss, the Lord remains eternally enthroned, "high and lifted up." This breathtaking vision of God's transcendent majesty and overwhelming holiness is not merely an abstract theological truth but a living, transformative reality that profoundly impacts Isaiah and, by extension, all who genuinely encounter it. It underscores that God's reign is not contingent on human events, the stability of governments, or the rise and fall of earthly powers. His glory is so immense that it completely fills the temple, signifying His omnipresence and the unapproachable sacredness of His being, which demands profound reverence, awe, and a humble recognition of human unworthiness. This intimate and overwhelming encounter with God's holiness is the necessary precursor to Isaiah's commissioning, demonstrating that true prophetic service and genuine worship flow from a profound apprehension of who God truly is.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 6:1 offers both profound comfort and a powerful challenge for believers navigating the complexities of life today. In a world often characterized by uncertainty, political instability, economic volatility, and the relentless rise and fall of leaders and ideologies, this verse powerfully reminds us that our ultimate hope, security, and anchor rest not in human institutions, transient earthly powers, or fleeting circumstances, but in the unchanging, eternal reign of God. Just as Isaiah was called to look beyond the death of a revered king to the living, reigning God, we too are invited to lift our eyes above our immediate circumstances, anxieties, and perceived limitations and fix them on the transcendent majesty of the Lord. He is always "high and lifted up," always in control, and His glory truly fills all things. This vision calls us to cultivate a deeper and more unwavering trust in His absolute sovereignty, to find profound peace in the unshakeable stability of His throne, and to respond with genuine humility, reverent worship, and obedient service in the face of His overwhelming holiness. It encourages us to critically re-evaluate where we place our ultimate allegiance and trust, shifting our focus from the temporal and perishable to the eternal and divine.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is Uzziah's death explicitly mentioned at the beginning of Isaiah's vision?
Answer: The explicit mention of King Uzziah's death is crucial for several interconnected reasons. Historically, it marks a precise chronological point (c. 740 BC) for Isaiah's prophetic commissioning, anchoring the vision in a specific moment in Judah's history. Theologically, it establishes a stark and powerful contrast between the mortality and eventual demise of even a powerful and long-reigning earthly king and the eternal, unchanging reign of the divine King whom Isaiah sees. Uzziah's reign had been remarkably long and prosperous, but it ended tragically with him being afflicted by leprosy due to his prideful act of usurping priestly duties in the temple (2 Chronicles 26:16-21). His death would have created a significant sense of national instability, vulnerability, and a leadership vacuum. It is precisely at this moment of earthly transition and potential anxiety that God chooses to reveal Himself as the true, eternal Sovereign, demonstrating unequivocally that His kingdom and authority are not affected by the rise and fall of human leaders or the shifting tides of political power.
What does "his train filled the temple" signify about God?
Answer: The phrase "his train filled the temple" is a profoundly powerful symbolic image conveying the overwhelming, boundless glory, immeasurable majesty, and absolute holiness of God. The "train" refers to the flowing hem or skirt of a royal robe, and its filling the entire temple signifies that God's presence and glory are so immense and pervasive that they cannot be contained or confined by any physical structure, no matter how sacred. It speaks simultaneously to His transcendence (He is utterly beyond earthly limits and human comprehension) and His immanence (His pervasive presence saturates the sacred space and, by extension, all creation). This imagery evokes an immediate sense of profound awe, reverence, and the unapproachable purity of God, similar to other biblical accounts where God's glory fills the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34) or Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11), indicating a divine presence that is both overwhelming and sanctifying.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah's magnificent vision in Isaiah 6:1 finds its ultimate and most profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The "Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up" is revealed by the Apostle John to be none other than the pre-incarnate Christ. John explicitly states in John 12:41 that "Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke of Him." This means that the glorious, sovereign figure on the throne, whose train filled the temple, was indeed Jesus, exercising His divine authority and displaying His inherent glory before His earthly advent. Christ is the true and eternal King, whose reign is everlasting and whose authority transcends all earthly powers, just as the vision contrasts with King Uzziah's temporal death. Furthermore, the "high and lifted up" status of the Lord profoundly foreshadows Christ's ultimate exaltation after His crucifixion and resurrection, where God "highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name" (Philippians 2:9). The temple filled with His glory points powerfully to Jesus as the true temple, the ultimate dwelling place of God among humanity, as He Himself declared, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19-21). Ultimately, the overwhelming glory of God that filled the temple in Isaiah's vision is fully and perfectly manifested in Christ, who is "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature" (Hebrews 1:3), and whose glorious presence will eternally fill the new heavens and new earth, where there will be no need for a physical temple because "the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple" (Revelation 21:22-23).