.....................................................................................................................................
Who Are the
Seraphim?
The Seraphim in
the Bible
Dolores Smyth
The prophet
Isaiah tells us that the seraphim are six-winged “fiery” angels who surround
God as He sits upon His exalted throne and who worship God continually (Isaiah
6).
The seraphim
also minister to the Lord and serve as His agents of purification, as
demonstrated by their cleansing of Isaiah’s sins before he began his prophetic
ministry.
Seraphim Angels in the Bible: 4 Things to Know
1. The word “seraphim” in the Bible appears only in Isaiah
chapter 6.
Isaiah 6 is
the only passage in the Bible that specifically mentions the word “seraphim,”
meaning “the
fiery ones.”
In that
Biblical chapter, Isaiah describes his intense vision of God’s heavenly court.
Namely,
the prophet saw God seated on an exalted throne surrounded by flying angels
called the “seraphim” (Isaiah
6:1-2).
The word “seraphim”
is the plural form of the Hebrew root word “saraph,” which means, “to burn.”
The
implication here is that these attendant angels burn with love for God.
The
seraphim seem to bear a resemblance to humans, as Isaiah describes them as
having faces, feet, hands, and voices (Isaiah
6:2-7).
2. The seraphim are fiery angels who revere God and proclaim His
supreme glory.
In
Isaiah’s vision, the seraphim repeatedly proclaim God’s supreme holiness and
glory. (Isaiah
6:3).
The
seraphim do not address God directly but call out to each other in God’s
presence: “And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the
LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” (Isaiah
6:3).
To be “holy”
means to be set apart and seen as sacred.
This
thrice invocation of the word “holy” to describe God’s sacred nature
appears only two times in the Bible, and both times is spoken by angels to
someone transported in a vision to the throne of God.
(The other
passage containing this thrice invocation of God’s holiness is found in Revelation
4:8, which also refers to six-winged angels surrounding God’s heavenly
throne and constantly declaring God’s glory.)
3. The trihagion — the thrice invocation of “holy” — in
the seraphim’s worship of God is significant.
The fact that the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision use a three-fold
repetition of God’s holiness — called the trihagion — is
significant.
In
ancient Judaism, the number “three” signified completeness
and stability, here connoting God’s wholeness as the beginning, the middle,
and the end.
Announcing
God’s holiness
three times also connotes:
· God’s eternal nature, which is the same yesterday, today, and
forever (Hebrews 13:8);
· God’s divine perfection as seen in the Holy Trinity: the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and
· God’s complete and supreme holiness, unmatched by anything or
anyone else.
Isaiah
goes on to describe the effect of the seraphim’s proclamation, telling us that
at the sound of the angel’s voices asserting God’s magnificence, “the
doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke” (Isaiah
6:4).
In
Biblical times, earthquakes and smoke were signs of God’s divine presence. (Exodus
19:18; Psalm
104:32).
4. The seraphim also minister to God and serve as His agents of
purification.
When
Isaiah noticed that the heavenly seraphim covered themselves before God to
acknowledge their unworthiness before the Lord, the prophet became aware of his
own mortal sinfulness and feared for his life.
At that
point, one of the seraphim picked up a burning coal “with tongs from the
altar,” brought the live coal to Isaiah, and touched it to Isaiah’s lips. (Isaiah
6:6-7).
This act
purified Isaiah’s sins by fire, as the seraph assured Isaiah that now his “guilt
is taken away and [his] sin atoned for.” (Isaiah
6:7).
With his
sins cleansed, Isaiah could now speak directly to God.
When God
called out for a prophet — “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” —
the “purified” Isaiah was able to accept this prophetic comission to the people
of Israel by responding— “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah
6:8).
Seraphim Wings: Their Meaning and Significance
Each of
the seraphim is described as having six wings: two wings used to cover their
face, two wings used to cover their feet, and the remaining two used to fly.
Two Wings
to Cover Their Faces
One
reason the seraphim may use four of their six wings to cover themselves is to
express their humility before God.
In
particular, these burning angels may use a pair of wings to cover their faces
to show God reverence, considering themselves unworthy to look upon the face of
God and also in obedience to the Lord’s admonition that no one may see His face
and live (Exodus
33:20).
Two Wings
to Cover Their Feet
The fact
that the seraphim also use a second pair of wings to cover their feet may
further display reverence for God in that the angels may be refusing to reveal
any unclean aspects of their being before the Lord.
Two Wings
to Fly
The
seraphim use their remaining two wings to fly and wait upon God.
This
detail Isaiah gives us of the seraphim using the majority of their six wings to
venerate God and the remaining two wings to serve God may signify that we, as
the faithful, serve God best when we make veneration of Him our top priority.
Dolores
Smyth’s work
has appeared in numerous parenting and faith publications. A perfect day for
her includes running, reading, and spending time with her husband and three
kids. You can find her on Twitter @LolaWordSmyth.
No comments:
Post a Comment