Isaiah 6:2-7 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. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then 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. 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: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
The header image comes from this informative article: The Seraphim Mosaic in Hagia Sophia.
These Byzantine representations of the seraphim will influence my next tattoo.
This is the only place that the seraphims are mentioned in Scripture. However, the Hebrew word, “śārāp̄” is translated as “fiery serpent” in several other Old Testament books.
Many sources refer to the seraphims as the “burning ones.” Their inoculation against the live coal, Isaiah’s initial fear, and their ability to cleanse sin all point toward carrying out a similar function as the serpents of Scripture.
A messenger’s importance is in direct relationship to the danger it poses.
