
In particular, these burning angels may use a pair of wings to cover their faces to show God reverence, considering themselves unworthy to look upon the face of God and also in obedience to the Lord’s admonition that no one may see His face and live ( Exodus 33:20).

One reason the seraphim may use four of their six wings to cover themselves is to express their humility before God.

Seraphim Wings: Their Meaning and SignificanceĮach of the seraphim is described as having six wings: two wings used to cover their face, two wings used to cover their feet, and the remaining two used to fly. When God called out for a prophet- “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”-the “purified” Isaiah was able to accept this prophetic comission to the people of Israel by responding- “Here am I. With his sins cleansed, Isaiah could now speak directly to God. This act purified Isaiah’s sins by fire, as the seraph assured Isaiah that now his “guilt is taken away and sin atoned for.” ( Isaiah 6:7). At that point, one of the seraphim picked up a burning coal “with tongs from the altar,” brought the live coal to Isaiah, and touched it to Isaiah’s lips. When Isaiah noticed that the heavenly seraphim covered themselves before God to acknowledge their unworthiness before the Lord, the prophet became aware of his own mortal sinfulness and feared for his life. The seraphim also minister to God and serve as His agents of purification. In Biblical times, earthquakes and smoke were signs of God’s divine presence. Isaiah goes on to describe the effect of the seraphim’s proclamation, telling us that at the sound of the angel’s voices asserting God’s magnificence, “the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke” ( Isaiah 6:4). God’s complete and supreme holiness, unmatched by anything or anyone else. God’s divine perfection as seen in the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and God’s eternal nature, which is the same yesterday, today, and forever ( Hebrews 13:8)

Announcing God’s holiness three times also connotes: In ancient Judaism, the number “three” signified completeness and stability, here connoting God’s wholeness as the beginning, the middle, and the end. The fact that the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision use a three-fold repetition of God’s holiness-called the trihagion-is significant. The trihagion-the thrice invocation of “holy”-in the seraphim’s worship of God is significant.
#SECOND LIFE SERAPHIM FULL#
The seraphim do not address God directly but call out to each other in God’s presence: “And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory.’” ( Isaiah 6:3).ģ. In Isaiah’s vision, the seraphim repeatedly proclaim God’s supreme holiness and glory. The seraphim are fiery angels who revere God and proclaim His supreme glory. The seraphim seem to bear a resemblance to humans, as Isaiah describes them as having faces, feet, hands, and voices ( Isaiah 6:2-7).Ģ. The word “seraphim” is the plural form of the Hebrew root word “saraph,” which means, “ to burn.” The implication here is that these attendant angels burn with love for God. Namely, the prophet saw God seated on an exalted throne surrounded by flying angels called the “seraphim” ( Isaiah 6:1-2). Isaiah 6 is the only passage in the Bible that specifically mentions the word “seraphim,” meaning “ the fiery ones.” In that Biblical chapter, Isaiah describes his intense vision of God’s heavenly court. The word “seraphim” in the Bible appears only in Isaiah chapter 6. Seraphim Angels in the Bible: 4 Things to Knowġ.

The seraphim also minister to the Lord and serve as His agents of purification, as demonstrated by their cleansing of Isaiah’s sins before he began his prophetic ministry. The prophet Isaiah tells us that the seraphim are six-winged “fiery” angels who surround God as He sits upon His exalted throne and who worship God continually ( Isaiah 6).
