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.
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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 4:8The four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within. They have no rest day and night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!”
- Ezek 1:11Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above. Two wings of each one touched another, and two covered their bodies.
- Ps 104:4He makes his messengers winds; his servants flames of fire.
- Ps 103:20Praise Yahweh, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.
- 1 Kgs 6:24Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub. From the tip of one wing to the tip of the other was ten cubits.
- Zech 3:4He answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, “Take the filthy garments off of him.” To him he said, “Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich clothing.”
- Isa 6:6Then 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.
- Ps 18:10He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
- Rev 14:6I saw an angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal Good News to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
- Rev 7:11All the angels were standing around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before his throne, and worshiped God,
- 1 Kgs 6:27He set the cherubim within the inner house. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the middle of the house.
- Ezek 10:21Every one had four faces, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
- Exod 25:20The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
- Ezek 1:9their wings were joined to one another; they didn’t turn when they went; each one went straight forward.
- Ezek 1:24When they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of an army: when they stood, they let down their wings.
- Job 15:15Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
- 1 Kgs 8:7For the cherubim spread their wings out over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles above.
- Rev 8:13I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe for those who dwell on the earth, because of the other voices of the trumpets of the three angels, who are yet to sound!”
- Dan 7:10A fiery stream issued and came out from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
- Ezek 1:6Everyone had four faces, and each one of them had four wings.
- 1 Kgs 22:19Micaiah said, “Therefore hear Yahweh’s word. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
- Job 1:6Now on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before Yahweh, Satan also came among them.
- Exod 37:9The cherubim spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.
- Dan 9:21yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening offering.
- Job 4:18Behold, he puts no trust in his servants. He charges his angels with error.
- Ps 89:7a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him?
- Gen 17:3Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,
- 1 Kgs 19:13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
- Exod 3:6Moreover he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God.
- Luke 1:10The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
- Heb 1:7Of the angels he says, “Who makes his angels winds, and his servants a flame of fire.”
- Ezek 10:16When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels also didn’t turn from beside them.
- Ezek 1:4I looked, and behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with flashing lightning, and a brightness around it, and out of the middle of it as it were glowing metal, out of the middle of the fire.
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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.