Seraphim are a type of angel mentioned in the Bible. The word “seraphim” comes from the Hebrew word “saraph” which means “to burn.” This refers to their appearance as described in Isaiah 6:2 – “Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.” Seraphim are part of the highest rank in the angelic hierarchy and serve as the caretakers of God’s throne. Their key characteristics include:
- They have six wings (Isaiah 6:2)
- They surround God’s throne, singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isaiah 6:3)
- They are associated with fire and burning due to their name meaning “to burn” (Isaiah 6:6-7)
- They serve as the caretakers of God’s throne (Isaiah 6:1-7)
The Bible contains several important passages about the seraphim:
Isaiah’s Vision of Seraphim
The most detailed Biblical account of seraphim comes from Isaiah 6:1-7 which describes Isaiah’s vision of the seraphim surrounding God’s throne: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.””
This passage provides rich detail about the appearance and activities of the seraphim. We see that they had six wings, constantly surrounded God’s throne singing praises, shook the foundations with their voices, and handled hot coals from the heavenly altar. One of them purified Isaiah by touching his lips with a hot coal. This passage emphasizes the seraphim’s ceaseless worship of God and their intermediary role between heaven and earth.
Seraphim in Ezekiel’s Vision
The prophet Ezekiel also had a vision involving seraphim in Ezekiel 1:4-14:
“I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.”
While Ezekiel does not directly name these beings as seraphim, their description of having human and animal faces with multiple wings matches that of the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision. They serve a similar function surrounding God’s throne and carrying out His will. Many scholars believe these “four living creatures” are in fact a class of seraphim.
The Seraphim’s Role in Heaven
Though the seraphim are only directly mentioned by name in Isaiah chapter 6, we can glean details about their role and purpose from this and other passages:
- They perpetually stand above God’s throne in worship and service (Isaiah 6:2, Revelation 4:8)
- They lead praise and worship around God’s throne singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8)
- They mediate between heaven and earth as seen when a seraphim purified Isaiah’s lips (Isaiah 6:6-7)
- They carry out God’s judgments (Numbers 21:6-8, Deuteronomy 8:15)
- They convey God’s glory and presence (Ezekiel 1:4-14, 28)
From these roles, we see that the seraphim were created for ceaseless worship and to serve as high-ranking intermediaries between God and man. Their purity and perfection before God’s throne stand in stark contrast to man’s sinfulness, hence why Isaiah immediately felt unworthy and unclean when seeing the seraphim in their glory (Isaiah 6:5).
Origins and Meaning of “Seraphim”
The name “seraphim” comes from the Hebrew root word “saraph” which is translated as “to burn.” It refers to their fiery, radiant appearance in Isaiah’s vision as they surround God on His throne (Isaiah 6:1-3). Saraph is the same word used for the fiery serpents that bit and afflicted the Israelites in the wilderness because of their sin and rebellion against God (Numbers 21:6, Deuteronomy 8:15). Just as those serpents burned and stung the Israelites, the seraphim near God’s throne burn brilliantly with righteousness and purity. Two other theories of their name origin include:
- From the verb “to separate” – Seraphim are separated from the rest of creation in their service to God. They are set apart in their holiness.
- From the adjective “noble” – The seraphim hold privileged positions as angels who perpetually stand in God’s presence. They serve noble purposes in praising God and ministering to mankind.
Regardless of their exact etymology, the seraphim represent righteous beings of fire and light who carry out sacred duties in the heavenly throne room.
Hierarchy and Physical Description
Seraphim belong to the highest rank of angels who serve God directly surrounding his throne. The traditional rankings are:
- Seraphim
- Cherubim
- Thrones
- Dominions
- Virtues
- Powers
- Principalities
- Archangels
- Angels
As the highest rank, seraphim serve God in the closest proximity. Their physical description in Isaiah 6 includes:
- Six wings – two covering their faces, two covering their feet, two for flying
- Fiery or radiant appearance
- Human-like features (faces, hands, etc)
- Loud, thunderous voices that shake doorposts and foundations
Their six wings convey reverence and humility before God’s throne as well as readiness to carry out His commands. Their fiery appearance matches their name (“burning ones”) and conveys the righteous zeal with which they serve and worship. Ezekiel’s vision described similar features with four faces – human, ox, lion, and eagle. This emphasizes their divinely appointed wisdom, strength, courage, and swiftness.
Symbolic Significance
Beyond their literal descriptions and roles, seraphim also carry symbolic significance:
- Holiness – Their unceasing praise of God’s holiness represents purity and blamelessness.
- Reverence – Their covered feet and faces show reverence in God’s presence.
- Zeal and Quickness – Their swift wings convey zeal and readiness to serve God.
- Purification – Their handling of hot coal from the altar symbolizes how they purify people from sin.
- Mediation – Their interaction between heaven and earth represents intercession between the divine and human.
When Isaiah encountered the seraphim, it revealed his own sinfulness before God’s perfect holiness. The seraphim showed reverence in God’s presence and played an intermediary role to cleanse Isaiah’s sin. In this way, they represent the gulf between fallen man and the perfect divine creator.
Parallels to Other Ancient Traditions
The concept of seraphim bears some similarities to angelic beings in other ancient near eastern traditions:
- In Islam, the hayyot are four angelic beings upholding God’s throne and regulating the cosmos.
- Zoroastrianism describes the amesha spentas (“bounteous immortals”) as the highest spiritual powers created by Ahura Mazda to support the cosmic and moral order.
- Ancient Canaanite texts mention goddesses called the seraphtu who were wise, immortal messengers.
Like the biblical seraphim, these ancient traditions depicted powerful, celestial beings who upheld divine authority and mediated between gods and mankind. The seraphim uniquely express themes of holiness, purification, and zealous worship which are integral to the biblical worldview.
Seraphim in the Book of Revelation
The apostle John’s vision in the book of Revelation also contains references to seraphim-like beings:
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’who was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8)
Then I saw a mighty angel picking up a boulder the size of a large millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.” (Revelation 18:21)
Their six wings, mission of praise, and conveying God’s judgment parallel the seraphim described by Isaiah. While Revelation doesn’t directly name them seraphim, it continues the biblical theme of powerful angelic mediators carrying out the Creator’s cosmic plans.
Conclusion on Seraphim
To summarize key facts on the seraphim:
- They form the highest angelic rank surrounding God’s throne.
- They have six wings, human-like features, and fiery/radiant appearances.
- Their name means “the burning ones”, referring to their zeal and brilliance.
- They serve ceaseless praise and worship before God’s throne.
- They act as intermediaries, conveying God’s purification and judgment.
- Beyond their literal roles, they symbolize reverence and mediation between God and mankind.
The seraphim represent perfect righteousness and burning zeal for God’s glory. Their limitless worship contrasts humanity’s finite praise. They carry out sacred duties maintaining cosmic order and facilitating atonement. Ultimately, these angelic beings exalt God’s preeminence through obedient service and devoted worship every moment of eternity.
