King James Version

What Does Isaiah 6:4 Mean?

“And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. door: Heb. thresholds”

Context

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. one: Heb. this cried to this the whole: Heb. his glory is the fulness of the whole earth

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. door: Heb. thresholds

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. undone: Heb. cut off

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: having: Heb. and in his hand a live coal

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Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **The posts of the door.**—Better, *the foundations of the threshold. *The words seem to point to the prophet’s position as in front of the Holy of holies. **The house was filled with smoke.**—The vision had its prototype in “the smoke as of a furnace” on Sinai (Exodus 19:18), in the glory-cloud of 1Kings 8:10, and possibly in its lurid fire-lit darkness represented the wrath of Jehovah, as the clear brightness of the throne did His love. So in Revelation 15:8, the “smoke from the glory of God” precedes the outpouring of the seven vials of wrath’. The parallelism of the clouds of incense-smoke as the symbol of adoring prayer (Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:4) suggests an alternative interpretation as possible; but in that case mention would probably have been made of the censers from which it rose. The incense-clouds of the Temple may in either case have been the starting-point of the mystic vision.

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Isaiah. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Isaiah 6:4 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.