Bibelkommentare

Isaiah 6:1. In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw, &c.— We have in this chapter the fourth sermon, containing an account of a wonderful and august vision wherewith the prophet was favoured by the Lord: The design of which is two-fold; to exhibit a figure of the kingdom of the Son of God, hereafter to be manifested in the world, and to foretel the future blindness and hardness of heart of the greatest part of the Jewish nation. There are three parts of this discourse. The first contains a symbolical manifestation of the glorious Majesty of the God of Israel, Isaiah 6:1-4.; the second, the sanctification of Isaiah to the performance of an important prophetic office, Isaiah 6:5-7.; the third, a peculiar command which the prophet received from God, concerning the future and unhappy state of the Jews, 8-13. There seems to be no doubt that this vision is to be immediately referred to the times of the gospel, though it is possible that it has some reference also to the men of Isaiah's own time. See Vitringa.

I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up— In this first part of the vision, we have the species of revelation which happened to the prophet, which he calls a vision, but in which the prophet seems to have been rather passive than active;—and the object of the vision, which consists of various parts: first, the appearance of Jehovah, sitting on a lofty throne, clothed as it were with a royal robe, the skirts of which filled the temple: Secondly, of the seraphim next to the throne, celebrating the majesty and greatness of God; Isaiah 6:2-3. And, thirdly, the consequences of this glorious appearance; the commotion of the posts of the temple, and its repletion with smoke, Isaiah 6:4. The place of this vision is supposed to be in the temple. We are not to imagine that Isaiah saw the Godhead itself, but some symbolical representation of it, most likely the appearance of Christ in the human form in glory. See John 12:41. For there seems to be no doubt, from the description, that the appearance was human. See Vitringa, and Waterland's sixth sermon on the Trinity.

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Isaiah 6:2. Above it stood— The state, figure, and actions of the Seraphim are here described: The word שׂופים seraphim, says Vitringa, signifies fiery and shining bodies, from ףּשׂר seraph, to burn; (see Numbers 21:6.) and is in this place to be understood of persons of a bright and splendid appearance, covered with wings, and in a human form. This part of the vision seems manifestly to be taken from the representation of the Divine Glory, as it was exhibited in the Holy of Holies; where was the mercy-seat, and the cherubim representing the Divine Majesty, attended with the angelic host; and thus also the fourth verse refers to the temple, and the priest offering up the incense, more especially when he entered into the Holy of Holies. This passage, mystically understood, represents the future dominion of Christ as Mediator, and the diffusion of his gospel through the world by his messengers and ministers; the filling the earth with his glory, and spreading throughout the world the merits of his divine intercession. For a large and learned application of each particular the reader is referred to Vitringa.

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Isaiah 6:8. Also I heard the voice of the Lord— We have here the third part of this vision, comprehending, first, a trial of the disposition of the prophet, now sanctified, with his reply to the Lord, in the present verse; secondly, the command delivered to him concerning the execution of the divine judgment upon the Jews, of blindness and hardness of heart, Isa 6:9-10 thirdly, a more full and explicit declaration of a most grievous temporal judgment, which should be joined with this spiritual one; Isaiah 6:11-13. The present verse is to be understood humano more, (after the manner of men) and as principally designed to call forth the zeal and activity of the prophet to his office.

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