Isaiah 6 · Verse 2

Isaiah 6:2

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.
Isaiah 6:2, King James Version

Isaiah 6:2 in other translations

BSBAbove 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.
WEBAbove 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.
ASVAbove 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.
YLTSeraphs are standing above it: six wings hath each one; with two each covereth its face, and with two each covereth its feet, and with two each flieth.
DARBYSeraphim were standing above him: each had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he flew.
BBEOver him were the winged ones: every one had six wings; two for covering his face, two for covering his feed, and two for flight.
WebsterAbove it stood seraphim: each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

What does Isaiah 6:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. stood--not necessarily the posture of standing; rather, were in attendance on Him [Maurer], hovering on expanded wings. the--not in the Hebrew. seraphim--nowhere else applied to God's attendant angels; but to the fiery flying (not winged, but rapidly moving) serpents, which bit the Israelites (Nu 21:6), called so from the poisonous inflammation caused by their bites. Seraph is to burn; implying the burning zeal, dazzling brightness (2Ki 2:11; 6:17; Eze 1:13; Mt 28:3) and serpent-like rapidity of the seraphim in God's service. Perhaps Satan's form as a serpent (nachash) in his appearance to man has some connection with his original form as a seraph of light. The head of the serpent was the symbol of wisdom in Egypt (compare Nu 21:8; 2Ki 18:4). The seraphim, with six wings and one face, can hardly be identified with the cherubim, which had four wings (in the temple only two) and four faces (Eze 1:5-12). (But compare Re 4:8). The "face" and "feet" imply a human form; something of a serpentine form (perhaps a basilisk's head, as in the temples of Thebes) may have been mixed with it: so the cherub was compounded of various animal forms. However, seraph may come from a root meaning "princely," applied in Da 10:13 to Michael [Maurer]; just as cherub comes from a root (changing m into b), meaning "noble." twain--Two wings alone of the six were kept ready for instant flight in God's service; two veiled their faces as unworthy to look on the holy God, or pry into His secret counsels which they fulfilled (Ex 3:6; Job 4:18; 15:15); two covered their feet, or rather the whole of the lower parts of their persons--a practice usual in the presence of Eastern monarchs, in token of reverence (compare Eze 1:11, their bodies). Man's service a fortiori consists in reverent waiting on, still more than in active service for, God.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Above it stood the seraphim - שרפים seraphim, from שרף seraph, to burn. He saw says Kimchi, the angels as flames of fire, that the depravity of that generation might be exhibited, which was worthy of being totally burnt up. He covered his feet "He covereth his feet" - By the feet the Hebrews mean all the lower parts of the body. But the people of the East generally wearing long robes, reaching to the ground, and covering the lower parts of the body down to the feet, it may hence have been thought want of respect and decency to appear in public and on solemn occasions with even the feet themselves uncovered. Kempfer, speaking of the king of Persia giving audience, says, Rex in medio supremi atrii cruribus more patrio inflexis sedebat: corpus tunica investiebat flava, ad suras cum staret protensa; discumbentis vero pedes discalceatos pro urbanitate patria operiens. - Amoen. Exot. p. 227. "The king sat on the floor cross-legged, as is the custom of the country. He was covered with a yellow garment, which reached down to the feet when standing, but covered the feet for decency when sitting with his slippers off." Sir John Chardin's MS. note on this place of Isaiah is as follows: Grande marque de respect en orient de se cacher les pieds, quand on est assis, et de baisser le visage. Quand le souvrain se monstre en Chine et a Japon, chacun se jette le visage contre terre, et il n'est pas permis de regarder le roi; "It is a great mark of respect in the East to cover the feet, and to bow down the head in the presence of the king."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 6:1-8

The vision which Isaiah beheld in the temple. (Is. 6:1-8) The Lord declares the blindness to come upon the Jewish nation, and the destruction which would follow. (Is. 6:9-13) Verses 1-8 In this figurative vision, the temple is thrown open to view, even to the most holy place. The prophet, standing outside the temple, sees the Divine Presence seated on the mercy-seat, raised over the ark of the covenant, between the…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 6:1-8 →

Isaiah 6:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

שְׂרָפִ֨יםse.ra.FimseraphimH8314
עֹמְדִ֤ים\׀'o.me.Dim[were] standingH5975
מִמַּ֙עַל֙mi.Ma.'alfrom aboveH4605
ל֔וֹlo<to> <the> him
שֵׁ֧שׁsheshsixH8337
כְּנָפַ֛יִםke.na.Fa.yimwingsH3671
שֵׁ֥שׁsheshsixH8337
כְּנָפַ֖יִםke.na.Fa.yimwingsH3671
לְאֶחָ֑דle.'e.Chad[belonged] to oneH259
בִּשְׁתַּ֣יִם\׀bish.Ta.yimwith two [wings]H8147
יְכַסֶּ֣הye.kha.Sehhe coveredH3680
פָנָ֗יוfa.Navface hisH6440
וּבִשְׁתַּ֛יִםu.vish.Ta.yimand with two [wings]H8147
יְכַסֶּ֥הye.kha.Sehhe coveredH3680
רַגְלָ֖יוrag.Lavfeet hisH7272
וּבִשְׁתַּ֥יִםu.vish.Ta.yimand with two [wings]H8147
יְעוֹפֵֽף\׃ye.'o.Fefhe flewH5774

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 6:2

  • Revelation 4:8

    And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

  • Ezekiel 1:11

    Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

  • Psalms 103:20

    Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

  • Psalms 104:4

    Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

  • Isaiah 6:6

    Then 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:

  • 1 Kings 6:24

    And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.

  • Zechariah 3:4

    And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

  • Psalms 18:10

    And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

  • Job 15:15

    Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

  • Ezekiel 10:21

    Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

  • Ezekiel 1:6

    And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

  • 1 Kings 22:19

    And he said, Hear thou therefore 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 hand and on his left.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
stood.
1Ki 22:19; Job 1:6; Da 7:10; Zec 3:4; Lu 1:10; Re 7:11
seraphims.
Ps 104:4; Eze 1:4; Heb 1:7
wings.
Ex 25:20; 37:9; 1Ki 6:24,27; 8:7; Eze 1:6,9,24; 10:21; Re 4:8
covered his face.
Ge 17:3; Ex 3:6; 1Ki 19:13; Ps 89:7
his feet.
Job 4:18; 15:15; Eze 1:11
did fly.
6; Ps 18:10; 103:20; Eze 10:16; Da 9:21; Re 8:13; 14:6

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 6:1

    In 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.

  • Isaiah 6:2

    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.

  • Isaiah 6:3

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

Read all of Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y encima de él estaban serafines: cada uno tenía seis alas; con dos cubrían sus rostros, y con dos cubrían sus pies, y con dos volaban.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Des séraphins se tenaient au-dessus de lui; ils avaient chacun six ailes: de deux ils se couvraient la face, et de deux ils se couvraient les pieds, et de deux ils volaient.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Seraphim standen über ihm; ein jeder von ihnen hatte sechs Flügel: mit zweien bedeckte er sein Angesicht, und mit zweien bedeckte er seine Füße, und mit zweien flog er.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Seraphim stabant super illud: sex alæ uni, et sex alæ alteri; duabus velabant faciem ejus, et duabus velabant pedes ejus, et duabus volabant.