Seraphim: Dragons in Heaven

Saraph: (from Strong's Concordance, #08314)

AV (how it's translated in the King James Version and how many times): fiery serpent 3, fiery 2, seraphim 2

1) serpent, fiery serpent; 1a) poisonous serpent (fiery from burning effect of poison)

2)seraph, seraphim: majestic beings with 6 wings, human hands or voices in attendance upon God

Dragons in Heaven?

If this is a seraph, it's a fallen one!

Boy, was I surprised when I finally decided to look up those heavenly beings from Isaiah 6:2-6. They're snakes!

In fact, they're serpents with wings and feet. I'm pretty sure that qualifies them as dragons!

Wouldn't you agree?

The (ahem, hmm) Scholarship Behind This Translation

I had always wondered about these strange creatures. Isaiah 6 says they have six wings. They fly with two, they cover their feet with two, and they cover their faces with two.

When Isaiah saw them, they were shouting, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; the whole earth is full of his glory." They were shouting this to one another.

I've heard it said that this is all they do (shout this 24/7), but that's not true. When Isaiah was stricken with conviction from being in the presence of the Lord, it was one of the Seraphim who touched his lips and said, "Lo, this has touched your lips. Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is atoned for."

A Helpful Reader Expounds on Seraphim

I think this qualifies as at least a small defense of modern translators. This comment by a reader on Seraphim is useful.

I appreciate your interest in Seraphim. I too have been studying this recently to discover if there are links to Gen. 3. So far they are only "inferences" that Satan may have been a Seraphim, who appeared as a serpent. Nothing concrete.

On Isaiah though, I think one of the reasons translators have "hidden" the definition as 'serpent' for "Seraphim" is because there is a variant issue. Jewish and Christan translators alike struggle with knowing for certain if the 'serpent' root is accurate or the root for 'fiery' is accurate. Rather than box us into a moot theological point—they may have chosen to simply leave it up to those who really want to dig to discover.

But to your point, it would be nice to have a note that says, "root uncertain—could be translated fiery or serpent—either way heavenly beings that surround the throne of God in worship and service," or something to that effect. :-)

Blessings,

Nate

Email used with permission.

I finally decided to look these beings up. Here's the simple facts …

The Hebrew word saraph is used 7 times in the Hebrew Scriptures (Num. 21:6,8; Deut. 8:15; Is. 14:29; 30:6; and here twice)
Every time—except in Isaiah 6—it is translated "fiery serpent" or something very close to that.
In Isaiah 6, it is simply left untranslated. Seraphim is just the plural of seraph or saraph.
The first three times it's used, the seraphim are poisonous snakes that God used to punish the Israelites.
The last two times it's used in Isaiah—14:29 and 30:6—those "fiery serpents" are said to fly, too!

Dragons in Heaven!

Now I have no way of knowing what you think about dragons in heaven, but that's one of the neatest things I've ever found out.

Tell me you don't like dragons! Admit it; you know you do!

It doesn't fit our theology very well, but why not? Do dragons have anything at all to do with Christian theology? Why can't we have dragons in heaven? Why should that be offensive to us?

It shouldn't. You ought to relax and enjoy it.

That's my take on it, anyway.