Isaiah 6:3

Context
6:3 They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy¹ is the Lord who commands armies!² His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”

Isaiah 6:1

Context

Isaiah’s Commission

6:1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death,³ I saw the sovereign master⁴ seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple.

[6:3] ¹tn Some have seen a reference to the Trinity in the seraphs’ threefold declaration, “holy, holy, holy.” This proposal has no linguistic or contextual basis and should be dismissed as allegorical. Hebrew sometimes uses repetition for emphasis. (See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a; and GKC 431-32 §133.k.) By repeating the word “holy,” the seraphs emphasize the degree of the Lord’s holiness. For another example of threefold repetition for emphasis, see Ezek 21:27 (Heb. v. 32). (Perhaps Jer 22:29 provides another example.)

[6:3] ²tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

[6:1] ³sn That is, approximately 740 b.c.

[6:1] ⁴tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 11 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).