Isaiah 6:1–5
Isaiah sees Adonai on the throne, and the seraphim cry "Holy, holy, holy"
Study it word by word1In the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw Adonai sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and his skirts filled the temple.
2Seraphim were standing above him; six wings, six wings to each one; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3And one called to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is YHWH Tsevaot; the fullness of all the earth is his glory.”
4And the pivots of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the house was filling with smoke.
5And I said, “Woe to me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and in the midst of a people of unclean lips I dwell; for the King, YHWH Tsevaot, my eyes have seen.”
In its context
…
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from on the altar.
7And he touched my mouth and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is expiated.”
Its words in the original
- שְׁנַתshenat· year
Year.
- מוֹתmot· death
Death; also the realm of the dead, or a deadly plague.
- מֶּלֶךְmelech· king
King: the ruler of a city, a people or a kingdom.
- עֻזִּיָּהוּuziyahu· Uzziah
Uzziah: a name meaning "my strength is YHWH." Another name of King Azariah of Judah (2 Kings 15:13, 30, 32; Isaiah 6:1); other men also bear it (1 Chronicles 6:24; Ezra 10:21).
- אֶרְאֶהere· see
See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".
- אֲדֹנָadona· Adonai, Lord
"Adonai": "my Lord", said only to God. It is a title of respect that acknowledges his authority. It is not another god besides YHWH: often it goes with his name, "Adonai YHWH", Lord YHWH.
- יֹשֵׁבyoshev· sit, dwell
Sit, sit down; from there stay in a place, live, dwell. In the causative form, settle someone, make to dwell. Also sit as judge or as king.
- כִּסֵּאkise· throne
Throne: the king's seat, sign of his authority.
- רָםram· be high, lift up
Be high, rise; in the causative form, lift up, raise, exalt.
- נִשָּׂאnisa· lift, carry, bear
Lift up, carry, bear. "Bear sin" is to suffer its consequences; said of God, "taking away" sin is forgiving it. "Lift up the eyes" is to look.
- שׁוּלָיshulay· hem, skirts
The lower edge, the skirts of a garment; also the train of a robe (Isaiah 6:1).
- מְלֵאִיםmeleim· fill, be full
Fill or be full; also fulfill or complete (a time, a word given).
- הֵיכָלhechal· temple, palace
Temple or palace: a large building, the house of a king or the house of God. It also names the main hall of the temple, in front of the inner sanctuary, and the sanctuary at Shiloh in Samuel's time.
- שְׂרָפִיםserafim· fiery serpent, seraph
Fiery: a serpent whose bite burns; it comes from the root "burn." In Isaiah 6 the same word names the seraphim.
- עֹמְדִיםomdim· stand
Stand; stay, remain, endure. "Stand before" someone is to serve him or be in his presence. In another form of the verb, set up, place, appoint.
- מַּעַלmaal· above, upward
Above, on top; upward.
- שֵׁשׁshesh· six
Six; also "sixth".
- כְּנָפַיִםkenafayim· wing
Wing of a bird. Also the edge or corner of something (of a cloak, of the earth).
- אֶחָדechad· one
One; only, the same. Also "first" in a series.
- שְׁתַּיִםshetayim· two
Two.
- יְכַסֶּהyechase· cover
Cover, hide; also cover over (sin), conceal.
- פָנָיfanay· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- רַגְלָיraglay· foot
Foot; the foot of an animal; also a step.
- יְעוֹפֵףyeofef· fly
Fly; also flutter, dart.
- קָרָאkara· call, proclaim
Call: speak out to someone, summon, invite, give a name, proclaim; also read aloud. "Call on the name of YHWH" is to pray to him and worship him.
- אָמַרamar· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- קָדוֹשׁkadosh· holy, Holy One
Holy: set apart for God, different from what is common. As a noun, "the Holy One" (God) or holy ones.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- צְבָאוֹתtsevaot· host, army
A great ordered company, like an army. "All their host" is everything that fills the heavens and the earth: the stars and the created beings. From this word comes the title "YHWH of hosts" (YHWH Tsevaot).
- מְלֹאmelo· fullness
Fullness, all that fills something: what is in the earth or the sea; also a multitude.
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- כְּבוֹדkevod· glory, honor
Weight, importance; from there glory, honor, splendor. Sometimes wealth: what makes someone "weigh".
- יָּנֻעוּyanuu· wander, stagger
Move to and fro, stagger, wander; shake.
- אַמּוֹתamot· cubit
Cubit: a measure of length, from the elbow to the tip of the fingers; about 45 centimeters.
- סִּפִּיםsipim· basin; threshold
Vessel, bowl; also the threshold of a door.
- קּוֹלkol· voice, sound
Voice or sound: what is heard, from a person, an animal or a thing (thunder, steps).
- בַּיִתbayit· house, household
House. Also the family that lives in it ("the house of Noah") and someone's descendants ("the house of David"); also a temple, "the house of God".
- עָשָׁןashan· smoke
Smoke.
- אוֹיoy· woe, alas
Woe! A cry of lament or a warning of disaster.
- נִדְמֵיתִיnidmeti· be silent, perish
To be silent, to cease; hence, to perish, to be destroyed or cut off. In the active form, to destroy.
- אִישׁish· man, husband, each
Man, male; with a possessive, husband. Also "each one", "anyone". It is "ish", distinct from "adam" (human being); it is used for the man in contrast with the woman ("ishah").
- טְמֵאteme· unclean
Unclean: in a state that keeps a person from coming near the sanctuary or touching what is holy. It does not mean "dirty" or "sinful": many causes of uncleanness are natural (childbirth, a disease, touching a dead body) and pass with time and washing. Jesus taught that what really makes a person unclean comes from the heart (Mark 7:18-23).
- שְׂפָתַיִםsefatayim· lip, language, edge
Lip. From there, the way of speaking: speech or language. Also the shore or edge of something.
- תוֹךְtoch· midst
The middle, the center of something; "in the midst of", "among".
- עַםam· people
People: a human group joined by kinship, history and destiny. "My people", said by God, is Israel. Also the people as a crowd, or troops.
- עֵינָena· eye
Eye. "In someone's eyes" means "in his opinion"; "find favor in the eyes of" is to please him. Also a spring of water.