God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 6:5
5So I said, “Oh, no! I’m doomed. Every word that passes through my lips is sinful. I live among people with sinful lips. I have seen the king, the Lord of Armies!”
Isaiah 6:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
- New International Version (NIV)“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.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"
- New King James Version (NKJV)So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”
Context of Isaiah 6:5
3They called to each other and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory.” 4Their voices shook the foundations of the doorposts, and the temple filled with smoke. So I said, “Oh, no! I’m doomed. Every word that passes through my lips is sinful. I live among people with sinful lips. I have seen the king, the Lord of Armies!” 6Then one of the angels flew to me. In his hand was a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7He touched my mouth with it and said, “This has touched your lips. Your guilt has been taken away, and your sin has been forgiven.”
Read all of Isaiah 6Isaiah 6:5 word by word
וָאֹמַ֞ר אֽוֹי־לִ֣י כִֽי־נִדְמֵ֗יתִי כִּ֣י אִ֤ישׁ טְמֵֽא־שְׂפָתַ֙יִם֙ אָנֹ֔כִי וּבְתוֹךְ֙ עַם־טְמֵ֣א שְׂפָתַ֔יִם אָנֹכִ֖י יוֹשֵׁ֑ב כִּ֗י אֶת־הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת רָא֥וּ עֵינָֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- I, Woeאוֹי'ôy · woe!H188
- me! for I am undoneדָּמָהdâmâh · to ceaseH1820
- a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- of uncleanטָמֵאţâmê' · uncleanH2931
- lipsשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lipsH8193
- and I dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- of a peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- for mine eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- have seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- the Kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
Cross-references for Isaiah 6:5
- Exodus 33:20But you can’t see my face, because no one may see me and live.”
- Judges 6:22That’s when Gideon realized that this had been the Messenger of the Lord. So he said, “Lord God! I have seen the Messenger of the Lord face to face.”
- Judges 13:22So Manoah said to his wife, “We will certainly die because we have seen God.”
- Job 42:5I had heard about you with my own ears, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
- Daniel 10:6His body was like beryl. His face looked like lightning. His eyes were like flaming torches. His arms and legs looked like polished bronze. When he spoke, his voice sounded like the roar of a crowd.
- Habakkuk 3:16I have heard, so there’s trembling within me. At the report my lips quivered. A rotten feeling has entered me. I tremble where I stand. I wait for the day of trouble to come to the people who will attack us.
- Luke 5:8When Simon Peter saw this, he knelt in front of Jesus and said, “Leave me, Lord! I’m a sinful person!”
- Revelation 1:16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His face was like the sun when it shines in all its brightness.
- Exodus 4:10Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I’m not a good speaker. I’ve never been a good speaker, and I’m not now, even though you’ve spoken to me. I speak slowly, and I become tongue-tied easily.”
- Exodus 6:12But Moses protested to the Lord, “The Israelites wouldn’t listen to me. Why would Pharaoh listen to me? I’m such a poor speaker.”
- Jeremiah 1:6I, Jeremiah, said, “Almighty Lord, I do not know how to speak. I am only a boy!”
- Zechariah 3:1Then he showed me Joshua, the chief priest, standing in front of the Messenger of the Lord. Satan the Accuser was standing at Joshua’s right side to accuse him.
- Matthew 12:34You poisonous snakes! How can you evil people say anything good? Your mouth says what comes from inside you.
- James 3:1Brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers. You know that we who teach will be judged more severely.
- Isaiah 29:13The Lord says, “These people worship me with their mouths and honor me with their lips. But their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is ⌞based on⌟ rules made by humans.
- Jeremiah 9:3They use their tongues like bows that shoot arrows. Lies and dishonesty rule the land. They go from one evil thing to another, and they don’t know me,” declares the Lord.
Commentaries on Isaiah 6:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Wo is me! for I am undone - נדמיתי nidmeythi, I am become dumb. There is something exceedingly affecting in this complaint. I am a man of unclean lips; I cannot say, Holy, holy, holy! which the seraphs exclaim. They are holy; I am not so: they see God, and live; I have seen him, and must die, because I am unholy. Only the pure in heart shall see God; and they only can live in his presence for ever, Reader, lay this to heart; and instead of boasting of thy…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Wo is me! - That is, I am filled with overwhelming convictions of my own unworthiness, with alarm that I have seen Yahweh. For I am undone - Margin, Cut off.‘ Chaldee, I have sinned.‘ Septuagint, I am miserable, I am pierced through.‘ Syriac, I am struck dumb.‘ The Hebrew word may sometimes have this meaning, but it also means “to be destroyed, to be ruined, to perish;” see Hosea 10:15; Zephaniah 1:2; Hosea 4:6; Isaiah 15:1. This is probably the meaning…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Woe is me, for I am ruined: The prophet felt unworthy of the vision. He was painfully aware of his personal uncleanness (unclean lips) when compared to the holiness of God. Isaiah knew that he was unworthy to speak the pure word of God, as were his people.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. undone--(Ex 33:20). The same effect was produced on others by the presence of God (Jud 6:22; 13:22; Job 42:5, 6; Lu 5:8; Re 1:17). lips--appropriate to the context which describes the praises of the lips, sung in alternate responses (Ex 15:20, 21; Is 6:3) by the seraphim: also appropriate to the office of speaking as the prophet of God, about to be committed to Isaiah (Is 6:9). seen--not strictly Jehovah Himself (Joh 1:18; 1Ti 6:16), but the symbol of…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 6:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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