Seraphim Biblical Meaning: Seraphim In The Bible

The prophet Isaiah tells us that the seraphim are six-winged “fiery” angels who surround God as He sits on His exalted throne and who worship God continually (Isaiah 6). The seraphim also serve the Lord and serve as agents of purification, as demonstrated by their cleansing of Isaiah’s sins before he began his prophetic ministry.

Before you continue reading about the origin and meaning of the Seraphim, we would like to invite you to take a deeper look at our news site which offers plenty of Christian articles. You can also find Christian prayers to recite in the morning, evening, etc. Here is an example article that you can discover in our blog about Christian angels .

And without further ado, let's start reading the article right now! 🙏

What are the Seraphim?

In Christian, Islamic, and Jewish writings, seraphim are celestial beings depicted as having two or three pairs of wings and serving as guardians of God's throne.

The prophet Isaiah tells us that the seraphim are six-winged “fiery” angels who surround God as He sits on His exalted throne and continually worship God (Isaiah 6). The seraphim also minister to the Lord and serve as agents of purification, as demonstrated by their cleansing of Isaiah’s sins before he began his prophetic ministry.

Isaiah's Vision of the Lord

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim . Each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

And I said, “Woe is me! for I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged.” ( Isaiah 6:1-7 )

Seraphim Angels in the Bible: 4 Things to Know

1. The word "seraph" in the Bible only appears in Isaiah chapter 6

Isaiah 6 is the only passage in the Bible that specifically mentions the word “seraph,” meaning “ the fiery ones .” In this 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 “seraph” is the plural form of the Hebrew root word “saraph,” which means “ to burn .” The implication here is that these helping angels burn with love for God. Seraphim appear to have a resemblance to humans, for Isaiah describes them as having faces, feet, hands, and voices (Isaiah 6:2-7).

2. The seraphim are fiery angels who worship God and proclaim his supreme glory.

The seraphim repeatedly proclaim God’s supreme holiness and glory in Isaiah’s vision. ( Isaiah 6:3 ). The seraphim do not address God directly, but address each other in his presence: “And they called one to 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 regarded as sacred. This threefold invocation of the word “holy” to describe God’s sacred nature occurs only twice in the Bible, and both times angels are speaking to someone transported in a vision to the throne of God.

(The other passage containing this threefold invocation of God's holiness is found in Revelation 4:8 , which also refers to the six-winged angels surrounding God's heavenly throne and constantly declaring the glory of God.)

3. The Trisagion – the threefold invocation of “holy” – in the worship of God by the seraphim is significant

The fact that the seraphim in Isaiah's vision use a threefold repetition of God's holiness—called the trihagion —is significant. In ancient Judaism, the number "three" signified fullness and stability , here evoking God's fullness as the beginning, middle, and end. Announcing God's holiness three times also means:

• The eternal nature of God , which is the same yesterday, today, and forever ( Hebrews 13:8 );
• The divine perfection of God seen in the Holy Trinity : the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and
• The complete and supreme holiness of God is 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 angels’ voices declaring God’s magnificence, “the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke” ( Isaiah 6:4 ). In Bible times, earthquakes and smoke were signs of God’s divine presence. ( Exodus 19:18 ; Psalm 104:32 ).

4. The seraphim also serve God and serve as his agents of purification

When Isaiah noticed that the heavenly seraphim were covering 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 moment, one of the seraphim picked up a live coal “with tongs from the altar,” brought the live coal to Isaiah, and placed it on Isaiah’s lips. ( Isaiah 6:6–7 ) This act purified Isaiah’s sins with fire, for the seraphim assured Isaiah that now his “guilt is taken away, and [his] sin is atoned for.” ( Isaiah 6:7 ).

With his sins washed away, Isaiah could now speak directly to God. When God called a prophet, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” – the “purified” Isaiah was able to accept this prophetic commission to the people of Israel by responding, “Here I am. Send me!” ( Isaiah 6:8 ).

Seraph Wings: Their Meaning and Significance

Each seraph is described as having six wings: two wings used to cover their face, two used to cover their feet, and the other two used for flying.

Two wings to cover the face

One reason why the seraphim can use four of their six wings to cover themselves is to express their humility before God. In particular, these fiery angels can use a pair of wings to cover their faces to show their reverence toward God, considering themselves unworthy to look upon God’s face and also in obedience to the Lord’s warning that no one can see His face and live ( Exodus 33:20 ).

Two wings to cover the feet

The fact that the seraphim also use a second pair of wings to cover their feet may show further reverence for God in that the angels can refuse to reveal any impure aspect of their being before the Lord.

Two wings to fly

The seraphim use their two remaining wings to fly and wait on God. This detail that Isaiah gives us of the seraphim using the majority of their six wings to worship God and the remaining two wings to serve God may mean that we, as worshipers, serve God best when we make worship our top priority.