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Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6 Summary, Context, and Full Chapter

Isaiah 6 records the prophet's vision of the Lord in the temple and his response of fear and confession. It also shows God's cleansing of Isaiah and his call to carry a serious message to the people.

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What happens in Isaiah 6?

In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord exalted on his throne, with heavenly beings crying out to His holiness. The scene shook the temple and left Isaiah overwhelmed by his own sin and the sin of his people. A seraph touched his lips with a coal from the altar, and his guilt was taken away. Then the Lord asked who would go as His messenger. Isaiah volunteered, but the message would not be easy: the people would hear without understanding and see without perceiving, leading to judgment and national ruin. Yet the chapter ends with hope in a surviving holy stump.

This chapter comes after Isaiah's warnings in chapter 5 and before the sign and message given in chapter 7. It marks a turning point where Isaiah is called and prepared for the ministry that will shape the rest of the book.

Themes to notice

  • God's holinessIsaiah's vision centers on the Lord's unmatched majesty and the worship of heaven.
  • Confession and cleansingThe prophet's awareness of sin leads to cleansing, showing that God prepares those He sends.
  • Judgment and hopeThe call includes hardening and ruin, but the final image leaves room for a faithful remnant.

Questions for Isaiah 6

  • What stands out to you about Isaiah's response when he sees the Lord?
  • Why do you think cleansing comes before Isaiah's commissioning?
  • How does the ending of the chapter hold both warning and hope?

Read the full text of Isaiah 6 below, then open it in the reader to highlight, take notes, or ask follow-up Bible questions. No account is required to read.

Isaiah 6

Isaiah’s Commission

1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple.2Above 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.

3And they were calling out to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts;

all the earth is full of His glory.”

4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.

5Then I said:

“Woe is me,

for I am ruined,

because I am a man of unclean lips

dwelling among a people of unclean lips;

for my eyes have seen the King,

the LORD of Hosts.”

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

7And with it he touched my mouth and said:

“Now that this has touched your lips,

your iniquity is removed

and your sin is atoned for.”

8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:

“Whom shall I send?

Who will go for Us?”

And I said:

“Here am I. Send me!”

9And He replied:

“Go and tell this people,

‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;

be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

10Make the hearts of this people calloused;

deafen their ears and close their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.”

11Then I asked:

“How long, O Lord?”

And He replied:

“Until the cities lie ruined

and without inhabitant,

until the houses are left unoccupied

and the land is desolate and ravaged,

12until the LORD has driven men far away

and the land is utterly forsaken.

13And though a tenth remains in the land,

it will be burned again.

As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled,

so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”

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