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And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.”
Isaiah 6:3 · Berean Standard Bible · underlined terms are tappable
Parallel translations
  • WEB One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”
  • KJV And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
  • NKJV And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
  • NASB And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory.”
  • NLT They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

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

The seraphim cry, 'Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies,' declaring the whole earth full of His glory. It is the supreme biblical proclamation of God's holiness.

Overview

The threefold 'holy' is the strongest form of emphasis in Hebrew, exalting God's holiness above all His attributes. The cry that the whole earth is full of His glory affirms that His majesty fills all creation despite human sin. The historic church has heard in this threefold acclamation a foreshadowing of the triune God, and it shapes Christian worship to this day (Revelation 4:8).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 16

  • Rev 4:8–9And 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!”
  • Ps 72:19And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.
  • Ezra 3:11And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD: “For He is good; for His loving devotion to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid.
  • Num 14:21“Yet as surely as I live and as surely as the whole earth is filled with the glory of the LORD,
  • Exod 15:11Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
  • Ps 57:11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.
  • Isa 40:5And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
  • Exod 15:20–21Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.
  • Isa 11:9–10They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.
  • Zech 14:9On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.
  • Hab 2:14For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
  • Ps 24:7–10Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!
  • Isa 24:16From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.
  • Ps 19:1–3For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
  • Rev 15:3–4and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!
  • Eph 1:18I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 6:3YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 6:3 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.