"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.""
— Isaiah 6:1-7 (NIV)
People who search bible verses about seraphim want Scripture on the saraph — the throne-seraphim of Isaiah 6 who cry "Holy, holy, holy" — not only the cherubim keruvim over the ark alone, the angels general messenger inventory alone, or heaven and worship alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about cherubim, Bible verses about angels, Bible verses about heaven, Bible verses about worship, Bible verses about holiness, Bible verses about faith, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about living God, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about Christ, Bible verses about the fiery furnace, Bible verses about the lions' den, and Bible verse of the day. Seraphim here means the six-winged throne attendants of Isaiah 6 — distinct from Ex 25 cherubim-over-the-cover speech and general angel lists alone.
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What are seraphim?
Seraphim comes from the Hebrew word saraph, "burning ones." In Isaiah 6 they are the attendants at the throne, not a general name for every angel.
Isaiah 6:1-7 says he 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." They called to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." One of the seraphim flew to him with a live coal from the altar, touched his mouth, and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
They are not the same as cherubim. Cherubim are the winged guardians over the ark. Seraphim are the six-winged burning ones of Isaiah 6. Their cry and the coal teach that God is holy, and that the person who sees him needs atonement.
Word study (lead theme). In Hebrew, שָׂרָף saraph (Strong's H8314; Bible Hub H8314) — seraph / burning one (plural seraphim). In Isaiah 6 the prophet sees the Lord high and exalted; above him are seraphim with six wings who cover face and feet, fly, and call to one another "Holy, holy, holy." One seraph takes a live coal from the altar and touches Isaiah's lips. This list tracks that throne-seraphim inventory — not the Ex 25 keruvim twelve alone, and not the general angel messenger twelve alone.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 6 presses the seraphim as attendants of the holy throne who both hide and proclaim glory (Bible Hub MHC Isaiah 6; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Isaiah 6). (Cherubim, angels, and heaven pages live elsewhere; this list centers the Isaiah 6 seraphim.)
12 Bible verses about seraphim
Isaiah 6:1-3. "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."" The classic throne-seraphim vision — six wings; Holy, holy, holy. See Bible verses about worship.
Isaiah 6:4. "At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke." Seraphim voices shake the thresholds. See Bible verses about heaven.
Isaiah 6:5. ""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."" Unclean lips before the King — after seeing the seraphim. See Bible verses about holiness.
Isaiah 6:6-7. "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."" Seraph with the coal — guilt taken away. See Bible verses about faith.
Isaiah 6:8. "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"" After seraph-cleansing — send me. See Bible verses about living God.
Revelation 4:8. "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."" Six-winged cry of Holy — throne room echo of Isaiah 6. See Bible verses about heaven.
Revelation 4:2. "At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it." Throne in heaven — the setting the seraphim attend. See Bible verses about angels.
Psalm 99:3. "Let them praise your great and awesome name— he is holy." He is holy — the thrice-holy Name the seraphim proclaim. See Bible verses about worship.
Psalm 47:8. "God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne." Holy throne — where seraphim attend. See Bible verses about hope.
Hebrews 12:28-29. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."" Reverence before the consuming Fire — throne-room posture. See Bible verses about holiness.
Revelation 15:4. "Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." You alone are holy — the seraphim's theme. See Bible verses about Jesus.
Isaiah 6:9-10. "He said, "Go and tell this people: "'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."" Commission after the seraph coal — go and tell. See Bible verses about Christ.
How to use these verses
Pick one verse when you need the seraphim — not twelve as a grind. If you need the classic six-winged "Holy, holy, holy," start at Isaiah 6:1–3. If you need the live coal on unclean lips, open Isaiah 6:6–7. If you need the heavenly echo of that thrice-holy cry, open Revelation 4:8. For keruvim over the ark, open Bible verses about cherubim. For general angels, open Bible verses about angels. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.
Questions people ask
How many times are seraphim mentioned in the Bible?
Isaiah 6 is the only place the word seraphim names angels. This list's other passages, including the six-winged cry in Revelation 4:8, do not use that word for them.
What is the difference between seraphim and cherubim?
Seraphim are the six-winged burning ones of Isaiah 6 who cry Holy, holy, holy and touch Isaiah's lips with a coal. Cherubim are the winged guardians over the ark.
What is a good Bible verse about seraphim?
Isaiah 6:1–3 is the clear starting place; Isaiah 6:6–7 and Revelation 4:8 press the coal of atonement and the thrice-holy cry.
How do Bible verses about seraphim differ from cherubim alone?
Cherubim pages gather the keruvim over the ark and throne imagery of Exodus 25. This list centers the Isaiah 6 saraph throne-seraphim who cry Holy.
What Hebrew word sits under seraphim?
Saraph (H8314) — seraph / burning one; plural seraphim.
Why isn't Exodus 25:18-22 on this page?
That exclusive cherubim-over-the-cover lead stays on the cherubim hub so the lists stay distinct (this page owns the Isaiah 6 seraphim inventory above).
How are seraphim different from angels alone?
Angels pages gather the wider messenger inventory. This list centers the six-winged throne attendants of Isaiah 6.
How many wings do seraphim have?
Isaiah 6:2 says each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. Revelation 4:8 also describes six wings on the living creatures who cry holy day and night.
What does "holy, holy, holy" mean?
Isaiah 6:3 records their call: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." The cry names the Lord as holy and says the whole earth is full of his glory. Revelation 4:8 echoes it: "'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,' who was, and is, and is to come."
