Isaiah 6:8-11

Isaiah's Commission

8 Then I heard the ¹voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then ²I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

9 He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on ³listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.'

10 "⁴Render the hearts of this people ⁵insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, ⁶Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed."

11 Then I said, "Lord, ⁷how long *?" And He answered, "Until * * ⁸cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate,

Isaiah 6:8-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 6

This chapter contains a vision of the glory and majesty of Christ, the mission and commission of the prophet, and the destruction of the Jews. In the vision may be observed the time of it, and the object seen; who is described by the throne on which he sat, Isa 6:1 and by his ministers about him; and these, by their name, by their situation, by their wings and the use of them, and by their employment, Isa 6:2,3 and by the effects their crying to one another had upon the place where they were, Isa 6:4 and next follows the effect the whole vision had on the prophet, which threw him into great distress of mind; and the relief he had by one of the seraphim, and the manner of it, Isa 6:6,7 upon which a question being put, concerning sending some person, the prophet makes answer, expressing his readiness to go, Isa 6:8 when a commission is given him, and the message he is sent with is declared, Isa 6:9,10 whereupon he asks how long it would be the case of the Jews mentioned in the message he was sent with; and he is told it would continue until the utter destruction of them, Isa 6:11,12 and yet, for the comfort of him and other saints, it is intimated that there would be a remnant among them, according to the election of grace, Isa 6:13.

Cross References

• 1. Ezekiel 10:5; Acts 9:4
• 2. Acts 26:19
• 3. Isaiah 43:8; Matthew 13:14; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40; Acts 28:26; Romans 11:8
• 4. Matthew 13:15
• 5. Deuteronomy 31:20; Deuteronomy 32:15
• 6. Jeremiah 5:21
• 7. Psalms 79:5
• 8. Leviticus 26:31; Isaiah 1:7; Isaiah 3:8, 26

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "fat"
• [b]. Lit "heavy"
• [c]. Lit "besmeared"