Isaiah — Chapter 6

Loading ESV text...

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

2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

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

7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

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

11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

12And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

13But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

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

2Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts.

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

7and he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven.

8And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me.

9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

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

11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until cities be waste without inhabitant, and houses without man, and the land become utterly waste,

12and Jehovah have removed men far away, and the forsaken places be many in the midst of the land.

13And if there be yet a tenth in it, it also shall in turn be eaten up: as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stock remaineth, when they are felled; so the holy seed is the stock thereof.

1In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple.

2Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly.

3They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”

4The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke.

5I said, “Woe to me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

6But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs.

7He touched my mouth with it and said, “Look, this coal has touched your lips. Your evil is removed; your sin is forgiven.”

8I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” I answered, “Here I am, send me!”

9He said, “Go and tell these people: “‘Listen continually, but don’t understand. Look continually, but don’t perceive.’

10Make the hearts of these people calloused; make their ears deaf and their eyes blind. Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed.”

11I replied, “How long, Lord?” He said, “Until cities are in ruins and unpopulated, and houses are uninhabited, and the land is ruined and devastated,

12and the Lord has sent the people off to a distant place, and the very heart of the land is completely abandoned.

13Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be destroyed, like one of the large sacred trees or an Asherah pole, when a sacred pillar on a high place is thrown down. That sacred pillar symbolizes the special chosen family.”

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; and 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, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.”

11Then I said, “Lord, how long?” He answered, “Until cities are waste without inhabitant, and houses without man, and 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 stock remains when they are felled; so the holy seed is its stock.”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

In the year King Uzziah dies, Isaiah sees the LORD high and lifted up in the temple, seraphim crying "Holy, holy, holy," is undone by his own sinfulness, cleansed by a coal from the altar, and commissioned to preach to a people who will hear but not understand.

Authorship & Background

Author: Isaiah son of Amoz (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Prophetic Call Narrative — The Throne Room Vision Key Themes: The holiness of God, human sinfulness exposed by divine glory, cleansing through substitutionary atonement (the coal from the altar), prophetic commissioning, judicial hardening
Historical Context: King Uzziah reigned 52 years (790-739 BC) — a prosperous, stable era. His death marks the end of security and the beginning of the Assyrian crisis. In this moment of national uncertainty, Isaiah sees the TRUE King — the LORD on His throne, unchanged by earthly political transitions. This is Isaiah's call narrative (though placed in chapter 6 rather than chapter 1, suggesting he prophesied before this formal commissioning). The vision shapes everything that follows: Isaiah has SEEN the Holy One of Israel, and that vision drives his entire ministry.
The commission itself is devastating: preach, but the people will NOT understand. Their hearts will grow fat, ears heavy, eyes shut — UNTIL cities are wasted and the land desolate (vv.11-12). Jesus quotes this passage to explain why He speaks in parables (Matthew 13:14-15), and Paul uses it as his final word to unbelieving Jews (Acts 28:26-27).
Structure:
  • The Vision: The LORD on His Throne (v.1)
  • The Seraphim and the Trisagion (vv.2-4)
  • Isaiah's Response: "Woe Is Me!" (v.5)
  • The Cleansing Coal (vv.6-7)
  • The Commission: "Whom Shall I Send?" (v.8)
  • The Hardening Message (vv.9-10)
  • "How Long, O Lord?" (vv.11-13)

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik provides rich exposition of the throne vision, Isaiah's undoing, the coal of cleansing, and the difficult commission to preach to unhearing ears.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The Heavenly Vision" (MTP Vol. 16, No. 961) "When you see God, you see yourself. Isaiah never knew he was a man of unclean lips until he saw the King. The pure light of divine holiness reveals stains invisible in any lesser illumination." Sermon: "Here Am I, Send Me" (MTP Vol. 16, No. 915) "Note the order: first the vision of God, then the conviction of sin, then the cleansing by grace, THEN the willing offer of service. You cannot reverse this order and have genuine ministry."

Videos

The Bible Project — Isaiah Overview (Video)

Animated overview of the book of Isaiah showing the literary structure, key themes, and how this book fits into the larger biblical narrative. Excellent visual introduction.

Reflection

  • 1. Isaiah saw God AFTER Uzziah died (v.1). Sometimes God reveals Himself most clearly when earthly securities are removed. What "Uzziah" in your life needs to die before you can see the true King on His throne?
  • 2. The seraphim cover their FACES before God (v.2). If sinless angels cannot look directly at God's holiness, how casually do you approach Him? Has familiarity bred contempt in your worship? When was the last time God's holiness genuinely terrified you?
  • 3. Isaiah's first response to holiness was self-condemnation, not self-improvement (v.5). He didn't say "I'll try harder" — he said "I'm destroyed." The gospel begins with the end of self-help. Have you reached that point, or are you still trying to clean yourself up before approaching God?
  • 4. The cleansing came TO Isaiah — he didn't go get it (vv.6-7). The seraphim BROUGHT the coal. Grace comes to the helpless, not to the self-sufficient. Stop trying to cleanse yourself and let God apply His altar-fire to your lips.
  • 5. Commission follows cleansing (v.8). "Here am I, send me" only makes sense AFTER "your sin is purged." You cannot serve God effectively from a place of unresolved guilt. Get clean first, then go. What has God cleansed you from that qualifies you to speak to others who struggle with the same thing?