Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
Parallel translations
- WEB Above 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.
- KJV Above 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.
- NKJV Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
- NASB Seraphim were standing above Him, each having six wings: with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew.
- NLT Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Seraphim with six wings attend the Lord, covering their faces and feet and using two wings to fly. It shows that even the holy angels veil themselves before God's surpassing holiness.
Overview
The seraphim, whose name means 'burning ones,' cover their faces in reverence and their feet in humility before the Holy One. Their posture teaches that the highest creatures cannot gaze directly upon God's glory. This heavenly worship frames the holiness that will overwhelm Isaiah and convict him of sin.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 33
- Rev 4:8And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
- Ezek 1:11Such were their faces. Their wings were spread upward; each had two wings touching the wings of the creature on either side, and two wings covering its body.
- Ps 104:4He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.
- Ps 103:20Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.
- 1 Kgs 6:24One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing was five cubits long as well. So the full wingspan was ten cubits.
- Zech 3:4So the angel said to those standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have removed your iniquity, and I will clothe you with splendid robes.”
- Isa 6:6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
- Ps 18:10He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
- Rev 14:6Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.
- Rev 7:11And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God,
- 1 Kgs 6:27And he placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple. Since their wings were spread out, the wing of the first cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the second cherub touched the other wall, and in the middle of the room their wingtips touched.
- Ezek 10:21Each had four faces and four wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings.
- Exod 25:20And the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat.
- Ezek 1:9and their wings were touching one another. They did not turn as they moved; each one went straight ahead.
- Ezek 1:24When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
- Job 15:15If God puts no trust in His holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes,
- 1 Kgs 8:7For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its poles.
- Rev 8:13And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”
- Dan 7:10A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
- Ezek 1:6but each had four faces and four wings.
- 1 Kgs 22:19Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.
- Job 1:6One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.
- Exod 37:9And the cherubim had wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the mercy seat.
- Dan 9:21while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
- Job 4:18If God puts no trust in His servants, and He charges His angels with error,
- Ps 89:7In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.
- Gen 17:3Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
- 1 Kgs 19:13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
- Exod 3:6Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
- Luke 1:10And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
- Heb 1:7Now about the angels He says: “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.”
- Ezek 10:16When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and even when they spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not veer away from their side.
- Ezek 1:4I looked and saw a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire was a gleam like amber,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 6:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.