6:1 At the time of King Uzziah’s death, the Assyrians had begun to reassert their dominance in the ancient Near East. It marked the beginning of an era dominated by major world powers—Assyria, then Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome. • I saw the Lord: “Lord” (Hebrew ’adonay) is used to describe human rulers as well as God. God is the supreme King. • on a lofty throne: The apostle John also had a vision of God’s heavenly throne (see Rev 4:2; 7:10; 21:5). • If just the train of the Lord’s robe filled the Temple, how great and majestic must have been the robe itself and the one wearing it.

6:1-13 Isaiah’s marvelous vision of God as King on his throne served as a pivotal event in the life of the prophet. The historical circumstances surrounding this event can be interpreted in two ways: (1) Some see ch 6 as Isaiah’s original call to ministry, meaning that chs 1–5 and 7–12 fit into the reign of Ahaz, who came to rule after the death of Uzziah (6:1). If this were so, why was Isaiah’s call not at the beginning of the book? Perhaps his call was put in ch 6 for literary reasons, serving as a conclusion to chs 1–5 and an introduction to chs 7–12. The prophet’s own transformation and commissioning symbolizes the entire nation’s need for conversion if it wants to fulfill its mandate to be God’s light to the world. (2) Others understand chs 1–12 as chronological; Isaiah’s call in ch 6 would then serve as a recommissioning of the prophet to minister in a new way in a different period (the time of Ahaz) when his words would be rejected. Those who hold this interpretation point to 2:7-9; 3:16-24; and 5:8-14, contending that these passages reflect a time of prosperity, military strength, pride, and splendor; these conditions existed during Uzziah’s reign but not during Ahaz’s reig...