Above it
stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face,
and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. (Isa 6:1 | KJV; cf. 2 Nephi 16:1)
Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six
wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet,
and with two they flew. (Isa 6:1 | NRSV)
The following may shed light on whether ל֔וֹ in Isa 6:2 refers to Yahweh or his robe/garment (cf. v. 1).
Source: Joel M. LeMon
and Richard A. Purcell, “The Garments of God: Iconographic Case Studies from
Isaiah 6:1; 59:17; and 63:1-6,” in Clothing and Nudity in the Hebrew Bible,
ed. Christoph Berner, Manuel Schäfer, Martin Schott, Sarah Schulz, and Martina
Weingärtner (London: T&T Clark, 2019), 270-74
Isaiah 6:1—The Hem of a Royal Robe in the
Temple
The theophany of Isaiah 6 begins with a description of Yahweh’s royal
garments. As Yahweh sits upon his throne, the hem ( שׁולים ) of his robe fills
the temple (v. 1). Many scholars have interpreted this textual detail as a
means to convey the sheer size of Yahweh and Isaiah’s inability to comprehend
the larger form of the deity. Yet commentators have not typically considered
what the hem of the garment might signify in terms of Yahweh’s identity.
Iconographical data confirms that the hems of elite, and especially royal,
figures were often doubled back and thickened to indicate the figure’s status,
power, and wealth Garments with rolled or doubled hems frequently appear in the
context of presentation scenes in ANE iconography.8 A seal featuring an
enthroned Mesopotamian deity from the Early Dynastic period (Figure 12.1)
demonstrates the fundamental elements of this scene. Two adorants, a male and a
female, are shown approaching an enthroned male deity, marked as a deity by his
beard and the horned crown upon his head. Though we could explore many details
of this scene, it suffices for now to note how the deity wears a wrapped robe
or skirt similar to those of the two approaching adorants. The primary
distinction between the deity’s garment and the garments of the worshippers are
the hems. The deity’s hem is thick and doubled back, while the adorants have
simple hems. The hem is thus one of several signs of the deity’s status and
power, including the deity sitting on a higher plane than the adorants. Like
this deity, Yahweh appears “high” ( רם ) and “exalted” ( ונשׂא ) vis-à-vis
Isaiah, whom we can understand in the role of the adorant in such scenes. The encounter
between Isaiah and Yahweh in Isa. 6 corresponds to that of the adorant and
deity in the commonly attested presentation scene.
In another early example of this type of scene from Nippur (Figure
12.2), we find a marked contrast between the enthroned deity and the
approaching adorant. Here, the adorant is naked, while the enthroned deity is
clothed in a robe with thick doubled hems on both its vertical seams and its
horizontal lower seams. Again the deity’s garment, along with the throne
covered in cloth, portrays status and power. Moreover, the finery of the deity,
indicated by the doubled hems, indicates the deity’s high status in relation to
the worshipper.
A stele from Ras Shamra (Figure 12.3) comes from a region and time
period that is closer to the geographical and historical contexts of ancient
Israel. Like Figures 12.1 and 12.2, it presents a constellation of images:
enthroned deities with elaborate garments seated on high before approaching
adorants. In this stele, an adorant approaches a larger deity with a rod
featuring an animal’s head and a vase, presumably for a libation offering. The
deity (possibly El) is enthroned upon a raised and decorated lion-footed throne
with his feet upon a carved footstool. Unlike the depictions of adorants and
their garments from the earlier Mesopotamian examples, here the adorant is
clothed in a garment with a doubled hem and with a uraeus crown. Yet, the
enthroned deity is dressed in far more elaborate clothing, with an intricately
detailed high horned crown and garments with thick and decorated hems at the
neck, arms, waist, and pleated fringes at the lower edge of the garment. The
hems on the worshipper’s garments suggest his elite status, but the decorated
hems of the deity’s garment place the deity at an even higher status. That is,
the hems of the deity’s garments index the deity’s power, majesty, and
significance.
One other presentation scene deserves mention, namely, a royal image
of the Aramean king Barrakib (Figure 12.4) dated to the eighth century,
cotemporaneous with Isaiah of Jerusalem. Barrakib is enthroned in the style
similar to that of Assyrian kings. His size is such that, even when seated, his
head is higher than the approaching supplicant, whose right hand is raised in a
sign of submission and adoration. Though the official is dressed in a robe with
a doubled hem and tassels, his garments pale in comparison to the king’s. The
king’s position, raised and enthroned, as well as the richly decorated hems of
his garment, indicates the king’s status. The hems of these two figures index
the difference in their social standing.
These images appear across a wide span of ANE art and contain a
similar constellation of motifs, especially hemmed garments and raised
platforms for the king. As such, the pictorial imagery sheds light on the
particular literary imagery in Isa. 6:1. Yahweh’s hem filling the temple
conveys both Yahweh’s elevation and his status as a royal figure adorned with
intricate garments. Recourse to ANE iconography helps the modern reader to
picture Yahweh as an enthroned deity or royal figure, seated above the prophet
who appears as an approaching adorant. Yahweh’s hemmed garments here are those
of a divine and royal figure, and his clothing in this pericope serves to
underline the deity’s place as ruler of the cosmos.
Here are the
relevant figures referenced above:
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