Isaiah 6:4

4 The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke. 1

Isaiah 6:4 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 6:4

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that
cried
That is, the posts of the door of the temple, as the Targum adds, where this vision was seen, as represented to the prophet. Some think this respects the earthquake in Uzziah's time, mentioned in ( Zechariah 14:5 ) ( Amos 1:1 ) and which they suppose was at the time he attempted to offer incense, and was smitten with leprosy; but, as Kimchi observes, this moving of the door posts was only in the vision of prophecy, and not in reality; this shaking therefore may denote either the shaking and removing of the temple service and worship, at the death of Christ, and through the preaching of the Gospel; or rather the shaking of the consciences of men by the word, which made them cry out, what shall we do to be saved? And the house was filled with smoke;
this was a token either of the burning of the temple, or of the anger of God against the Jews, ( Psalms 18:8 ) or of their superstition and will worship, the cause of it, ( Revelation 9:1 ) or of the judicial blindness and darkness they were given up unto, ( Isaiah 6:9 Isaiah 6:10 ) or rather of the presence of God in his church, and with his ministers, ( Exodus 40:3 Exodus 40:4 ) ( 1 Kings 8:10 ) the allusion may be to the cloud of incense that covered the mercy seat, on the day of atonement, ( Leviticus 16:13 ) the passage is cited on this account in the Talmud F14.


FOOTNOTES:

F14 T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 53. 1.

Isaiah 6:4 In-Context

2 Around him flaming creatures were standing, each of which had six wings. Each creature covered its face with two wings, and its body with two, and used the other two for flying.
3 They were calling out to each other: "Holy, holy, holy! The Lord Almighty is holy! His glory fills the world."
4 The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke.
5 I said, "There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."
6 Then one of the creatures flew down to me, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.

Cross References 1

  • 1. 6.4Revelation 15.8.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.