In Hebrew, the wordsaraph means "burning", and is used seven times throughout the text of theHebrew Bible as a noun, usually to denote "serpent",[4] twice in theBook of Numbers,[5][6] once in theBook of Deuteronomy,[7] and four times in theBook of Isaiah.[8][9][10][11] The reason why the word for "burning" was also used to denote a serpent is not universally agreed upon; it may be due to a certain snake species' fiery colors, or perhaps the burning sensation left by its venomous bite. Regardless, its plural form,seraphim, occurs in both Numbers and Isaiah, but only in Isaiah is it used to denote an angelic being; likewise, these angels are referred toonly as the pluralseraphim – Isaiah later uses the singularsaraph to describe a "fiery flyingserpent", in line with the other uses of the term throughout the Hebrew Bible.
There is emerging consensus that the motifs used to display seraphs inHyksos-eraCanaan had their original sources in Egyptianuraeus iconography.[12] In Egyptian iconography, the uraeus was used as a symbol ofsovereignty,royalty,divinity anddivine authority, and later iconography often showed uraei with wings. In the early monarchic period ofIsrael andJudah, Egyptian motifs were evidently borrowed by the Israelitesen masse, as a plethora of personalseals belonging to classes ranging from commonfolk to royalty have been discovered, which incorporate several pieces of ancient Egyptian iconography, including thewinged sun,ankh, thehedjet anddeshret crowns ofUpper andLower Egypt,scarabs, and the uraeus cobra. These uraei often had four wings, as opposed to the Egyptian standard which only gave them two.[13] These images have been connected with theseraphim angels associated with Isaiah's visions, or perhaps more directly to the aforementioned "fiery flying serpent", but this continues to be debated – and an image of serpentineseraphim clashes with Isaiah's own vision, which clearly envisionedseraphim with heads, legs, and arms – although, on the second matter, some scholars have proposed that the covered "feet" of the seraphim should be identified as genitals, as "feet" are often used in the Hebrew Bible as a euphemism for thepenis.[14][15]
The vision inIsaiah Chapter 6 of seraphim in an idealized version ofSolomon's Temple represents the sole instance in the Hebrew Bible of this word being used to describe celestial beings.[16] "... I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly." (Isaiah 6:1–3)[17] And one cried to another, "Holy, holy, holy, is YHWH of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory." (verses 2–3)[18] One seraph carries out an act ofritual purification for the prophet by touching his lips with a live coal from the altar (verses 6–7)[19] "And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged."
The text describes the "seraphim" as winged celestial beings with a fiery passion for doing God's good work.[20] Notwithstanding the wording of the text itself, at least one Hebrew scholar claims that in the Hebrew Bible the seraphim do not have the status ofangels, and that it is only in later sources (likeDe Coelesti Hierarchia orSumma Theologiae) that they are considered to be a division of the divine messengers.[21]
Seraphim appear in the 2nd-century BCBook of Enoch,[22] where they are mentioned, in conjunction withcherubim, as the heavenly creatures standing nearest to thethrone of God. In non-biblical sources they are sometimes called theAkyəst (Ge'ez:አክይስት "serpents", "dragons"; an alternate term forHell).[23][24][25]
In theSecond Book of Enoch, two classes of celestial beings are mentioned alongside the seraphim and cherubim, known as thephoenixes and thechalkydri (Ancient Greek:χαλκύδραιkhalkýdrai, compound ofχαλκόςkhalkós "brass, copper" +ὕδραhýdra "hydra", "water-serpent"—lit. "brazen hydras", "copper serpents"). Both are described as "flying elements of the sun" that reside in either the 4th or 7th heaven, who have twelve wings and burst into song at sunrise.[26][27]
In theBook of Revelation (4:4–8), the beasts are described as being forever in God's presence and praising him: "[A]nd they rest not day and night, saying, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.'" This account differs slightly from the account of Isaiah, stating in the eighth verse, "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within". They appear also in theGnostic text,On the Origin of the World.[28]
The 12th-century scholarMaimonides placed the seraphim in the fifth of ten ranks of angels in his exposition of theJewish angelic hierarchy. InKabbalah, the seraphim are the higher angels of the World ofBeriah ("Creation", first created realm, divine understanding),[29] whose understanding of their distance from the absolute divinity ofAtziluth causes their continual "burning up" inself-nullification. Through this they ascend to God, and return to their place. Below them in the World ofYetzirah ("Formation", archetypal creation, divine emotions) are theHayot angels ofEzekiel's vision, who serve God with self-aware instinctive emotions ("face of a lion, ox, eagle"). Seraphim are part of the angelarchy of modernOrthodox Judaism. Isaiah's vision is repeated several times in dailyJewish services, including atKedushah prayer as part of the repetition of theAmidah, and in several other prayers as well.Conservative Judaism retains the traditional doctrines regarding angels and includes references to them in the liturgy, although a literal belief in angels is by no means universal among adherents.[citation needed] Adherents ofReform Judaism andReconstructionist Judaism generally take images of angels as symbolic.[citation needed]
A Judean seal from the 8th century BCE depicts them as flyingasp (snake), yet having human characteristics, as encountered by Isaiah in his commissioning as a prophet.[30]
Medieval Christiantheology places seraphim in the highest choir of the angelic hierarchy. They are the caretakers ofGod's throne, continuously singing "holy, holy, holy".Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in hisCelestial Hierarchy (vii), drew upon theBook of Isaiah in fixing the fiery nature of seraphim in the medieval imagination. Seraphim in his view helped God maintain perfect order and are not limited to chanting thetrisagion. Taking his cue as well from writings in the Rabbinic tradition, the author gave an etymology for theSeraphim as "those who kindle or make hot"
The name seraphim clearly indicates their ceaseless and eternal revolution about Divine Principles, their heat and keenness, the exuberance of their intense, perpetual, tireless activity, and their elevative and energetic assimilation of those below, kindling them and firing them to their own heat, and wholly purifying them by a burning and all-consuming flame; and by the unhidden, unquenchable, changeless, radiant and enlightening power, dispelling and destroying the shadows of darkness[31]
Origen wrote inOn First Principles that the Seraphim, in theBook of Isaiah, are the physical representation of theChrist and theHoly Spirit. His rationale comes from the idea that nothing "can wholly know the beginnings of all things and the ends of the universe" aside fromGod. Origen concludes this section in writing about the Seraphim as beings that have the knowledge of God revealed to them which elevates the role of the Seraphim to divine levels:
Nevertheless whatever it is that these powers may have learned through the revelation of the Son of God and of the Holy Spirit-and they will certainly be able to acquire a great deal of knowledge, and the higher ones much more than the lower-still it is impossible for them to comprehend everything; for it is written, 'The more part of God's works are secret.[32]
This quote suggests that Origen believed the Seraphim are revealed this knowledge because of their anointed status as Son of God and the Holy Spirit. He was later criticized for making such claims and labeled a heretic by the Christian church. However, his theory about the Seraphim, as referred to inIsaiah, would be reflected in other early Christian literature, as well as early Christian belief through the second century.
The name "Seraphim" does not come from charity only, but from the excess of charity, expressed by the wordardor orfire. Hence Dionysius (Coel. Hier. vii) expounds the name "Seraphim" according to the properties of fire, containing an excess of heat. Now in fire we may consider three things.
First, the movement which is upwards and continuous. This signifies that they are borne inflexibly towards God.
Secondly, the active force which is "heat", which is not found in fire simply, but exists with a certain sharpness, as being of most penetrating action, and reaching even to the smallest things, and as it were, with superabundant fervor; whereby is signified the action of these angels, exercised powerfully upon those who are subject to them, rousing them to a like fervor, and cleansing them wholly by their heat.
Thirdly we consider in fire the quality of clarity, or brightness; which signifies that these angels have in themselves an inextinguishable light, and that they also perfectly enlighten others.
The seraphim took on a mystic role inGiovanni Pico della Mirandola'sOration on the Dignity of Man (1487), the epitome ofRenaissance humanism. Pico took the fiery Seraphim—"they burn with the fire of charity"—as the highest models of human aspiration: "impatient of any second place, let us emulate dignity and glory. And, if we will it, we shall be inferior to them in nothing", the young Pico announced, in the first flush of optimistic confidence in the human capacity that is the coinage of the Renaissance. "In the light of intelligence, meditating upon the Creator in His work, and the work in its Creator, we shall be resplendent with the light of the Cherubim. If we burn with love for the Creator only, his consuming fire will quickly transform us into the flaming likeness of the Seraphim."
Bonaventure, aFranciscan theologian who was a contemporary of Aquinas, uses the six wings of the seraph as an important analogical construct in his mystical workThe Journey of the Mind to God.
Christian theology developed an idea of seraphim as beings of pure light who enjoy direct communication with God.[33][34]
The plural form of the word,seraphim, was given toSeraphim of Sarov upon his reception into theSarov monastery. This later inspiredEugene Dennis Rose, a former student ofAlan Watts, to adopt the name when he also enteredOrthodox monasticism, later becoming known as Fr Seraphim Rose.
The four supporters (angels) of the celestial throne
In Islamic writings, seraphim are spelled assarāfiyun (سرافيون).[35][36] Seraphim are mentioned in ahadith fromAl-Tirmidhi about a conversation betweenMuhammad andGod, during theNight Journey, concerning what is between the Heavens and the Earth, often interpreted as a reference to the "Exalted assembly" disputing the creation ofAdam inSurahṢād38:69.[37]
TheBearers of the Throne (ḥamlat al-arsh) are also comparable to seraphim,[38] described with six wings and four faces according to tradition.[39] No description of their features is given in the Quran, only that their number is eight in69:17. In Islamic traditions, they are often portrayed inzoomorphic forms. They are described as resembling different creatures: An eagle, a bull, a lion and a human.[citation needed] Other hadiths describes them with six wings and four faces,[40] while according to a hadith transmitted fromAt-Targhib wat-Tarhib authored by ʻAbd al-ʻAẓīm ibn ʻAbd al-Qawī al-Mundhirī, the bearers of the throne were angels who were shaped like arooster, with their feet on the earth and their nape supporting theThrone of God in the highest sky.[b] A number of modern Islamic scholars fromImam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, and other institutes of Yemen and Mauritania also agreed on the soundness of this hadith by quoting the commentary fromIbn Abi al-Izz who supported this narrative.[41]
Their affiliation is not always clear and sometimes their role is swapped with the cherubim.[42] In a book calledBook of the Wonders of Creation and the peculiarities of Existing Things, these angels rank the highest, followed bythe spirit, the archangels and then the cherubim.[43] The Bearers of the Throne are entrusted with continuously worshipping God. Unlike the messenger angels, they remain in the heavenly realm and do not enter the world.[42]
Al-Razi identifies the seraphim with the angels around God's throne, next to the cherubim. They circulate the throne and keep praising God.[44]Ibn Kathir, on the other hand, identifies the seraphim with those who carry the throne, the highest order of angels.[45]
Multiocular O (ꙮ) is an exoticglyph variant of theCyrillic letterO, containing 10 eyes (though certain fonts may incorrectly load the formerly-prescribed 7 eyes). This glyph variant can be found in a single manuscript in theOld Church Slavonic phrase "серафими многоꙮчитїи" (serafimi mnogoočitii, "many-eyed seraphim").[46]
In the real time strategy gameSupreme Commander, Seraphim is the name given to a faction of aliens who represent the first contact of aliens to human civilization. After the first Seraphim are killed by human colonists, they launch a massive assault on humanity, which is the premise of the expansion,Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance.
In the tower defense strategy gameThe Battle Cats, the Divine Cyclone and Mini Angel Cyclone appear to have designs inspired by Seraphs, with the latter having an ability resembling that of a flame.
The manga and anime seriesSeraph of the End (2012), written by Takaya Kagami, contains several Seraphs.
In the strategy gameMonster Train, the primary villain, Seraph the Traitor, is a transcended, six-winged being and the de facto ruler of Heaven. In a bid to bring peace and stability to the collective Realm of Heaven, Hell, and Humans, Seraph helps forge a mutual covenant between Heaven and Hell. He later betrays this agreement and invades Hell, massacring the Hellborne and imposing his moral absolutism upon the survivors.
In the MMORPGWizard101, a prominent character Lady Oriel is a seraph, and a spell titled "Seraph" may be cast by the player in which a seraph is summoned to attack the enemy.[47]
Galeem, from theSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate single-player campaign "World of Light", resembles a seraph, in that it is an ethereal being of light with six wings. Galeem is the campaign's antagonist, who attempted to destroy everything in existence and turn everyone (except the fighters) into spirits.
In the voxel-based video gameVintage Story, the species of the main character are called Seraphs.
InFinal Fantasy VII there is a major boss named "Safer Sephiroth", which some believe is mistranslation of "Seraph Sephiroth".
In video gameDoom (2016), it is mentioned that a Seraph uses the Divinity Machine on the Doom Slayer, a device meant to bless him with great strength and speed in his fight against the Titan on Taras Nabad. In the sequelDoom Eternal, it is confirmed that the character Samuel Hayden is in fact the Seraphim who blessed the Doom Slayer.
InThe Bastard Executioner, the Order of Seraphim are charged with preserving and protecting Jesus Christ's nine-volume, handwrittenLibro Nazareni (New Testament) from the Church, which, asAnnora and Ventrishire's manor priest,Father Ruskin, discuss inepisodes 7 ("Behold the Lamb / Gweled yr Oen") and 8 ("Broken Things / Pethau Toredig"), and 9 ("The Bernadette Maneuver / Cynllwyn Bernadette"),[48][49] could be toppled by the book's release to the public. For that reason, the Church's leaders, such asRobinus, the Archdeacon of Windsor, and their Knights of the Rosebud/Rosula, have targeted both the book and its protectors to be hunted and destroyed.[50] Inepisode 3, some young Welsh people who want to earn credibility with the rebels against the government unwisely masquerade as members of the Order of Seraphim, by adorning themselves with seraphim face paint and attack the Baroness' wagon and its knights,[51] which causes repercussions throughout the season for those captured, for their village, and for those affected by escalated hunts for rebels and for members of the Order of Seraphim.[52]
Seraphim are the name of a species within video gameTales of Zestiria. The main character, Sorey, is heavily implied to become one by the end.
The second phase of Dogma, from video gameThe Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, resembles a seraph, being a being with many wings that also uses light attacks. "Seraphim" is also the name of one of the attainable transformations in the game (gained by gathering a certain quantity of specific items), although it does not resemble a seraph aesthetically.
Seraphs also appear in theCW TV showSupernatural (American TV series). They are shown as more powerfulangels, but still weaker than anArchangel. When the angelCastiel (originated from "Cassiel") dies, he is brought back as a Seraph, although he still does not possess the power to go up against the archangel who killed him,Raphael.
Seraph is a supporting character in the second and third films of The Matrix Trilogy. Seraph is an exile program who is seen acting as a "guardian angel" of the Oracle, and is described as the personification of a sophisticated challenge-handshake authentication protocol which guards the Oracle.
InMega Man Zero, an action-platform video game,Copy X transforms into a Seraph-like appearance in his second form.
In theArmored Core video game series, the villain Nine-Ball is featured as a recurring antagonist. Its second and most powerful form, debuting inArmored Core: Master of Arena, is known as Nine-Ball Seraph.
In theStreet Fighter series of video games, the characterGill uses a move called Seraphic Wing, in which he reveals six wings and unleashes godly energy that does several hits. InStreet Fighter III, it is the strongest move in the game and can one-hit KO an opponent if they are not blocking. InStreet Fighter V, it is his critical art. While it cannot instantly defeat an opponent like before, it deals a lot of damage.
Seraph is also the name of the first Jewish superhero who debuted inSuper Friends # 7 by E. Nelson Bridwell, Ramona Fradon, and Bob Smith in 1977.[53]
LE SSERAFIM is the five-memberK-pop girl group fromHYBE andSource Music that debuted in 2022 whose name is partly inspired by the Seraphim.
In the mangaOne Piece, the elite models of the antagonistic Pacifista cyborgs are called, and are loosely based on, Seraphim.
In the video gameDestiny 2, the 19th season is titledSeason of the Seraph,[54] named after a team of human operatives, the Seraphs, who worked closely with central character Rasputin, an AI "Warmind", to ensure the safety of humanity.
In the mangaSeraphim 266613336Wings, "Seraphim" is the name of a disease that is decimating the population of the world.
In season one, episode six ("Welcome to Heaven") ofHazbin Hotel, two Seraphim, Sera, the head Seraph, and Emily, a junior Seraph, hold a meeting withCharlie Morningstar over her plan to redeem souls that are inHell.
In the video gamesLeague of Legends andLegends of Runeterra, there is a champion named Seraphine,[55][56] whose name is likely derived from Seraphim. During her release campaign, Seraphine had an online presence through Twitter,[57] Instagram,[58] SoundCloud,[59] and Spotify,[60] and became a guest member ofK/DA on their 2020 singleMore. In addition,League of Legends also includes an item named Seraph's Embrace.
In theFire Emblem video game series, there is a damaging spell in several titles called Seraphim that is especially effective against monsters. It is often portrayed as being made up of light and, sometimes, feathers.
^In theKing James Version also pluralseraphims. FromHebrew:שָׂרָף (śārāf[saːraːf]), pluralשְׂרָפִים (śərāfîm[səraːfim]);Latin:seraphim, pluralseraphin (alsoseraphus (-i, m.));[1]Greek:σεραφείμ (serapheím); cf.Arabic:مشرفين (musharifin).[2] The singular "seraph" is aback-formation from the Hebrew plural-form'seraphim', whereas in Hebrew the singular is'saraph'.[3]
^The hadith were: "...Allah, the most exalted, has permitted me to speak of a rooster whose legs have separated the earth, and its neck is bent under the throne..." through the narration ofAbu Hurairah by Abd al-Qawi al-Mundhiri throughAl-Qadi Abu Ya'la. The Hadith were judged as authentic and sound by numerous hadith scholars such as byNur al-Din al-Haythami in his work,Majma al-Zawa'id,Al-Tabarani in his work,Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, Mustafa al-Adawi inSahih Al-Ahadith Al-Qudsi and also byMuhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani in his workSilsalat al-Hadith as-Sahihah[41] It also commented as safe as it is also supported by other Hadith from another chain fromJabir ibn Abd Allah in theSunan Abu Dawood.[41]
^G. H. Lünemann:Imm. Joh. Gerh. Schellers lateinisch-deutsches und deutsch-lateinisches Handlexicon vornehmlich für Schulen. Zweyter oder deutsch-lateinischer Teil. Vierte verbesserte und vermehrte Auflage., Leipzig, 1820, p. 722: "Seraph, Seraphus, i, m."
^Jerrold Seigel.Between Cultures: Europe and Its Others in Five Exemplary Lives. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015.ISBN978-0-812-29193-3.
^Mettinger, T. N. D. (1999). "Seraphim". In van Der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; W. Van Der Horst, Pieter (eds.).Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible.Brill Publishers andW.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. p. 743....there is now an emerging consensus that the Egyptian uraeus serpent is the original source of the seraphim motif.
^Berlin, Adele; Brettler, Marc Zvi; Jewish Publication Society (2014).The Jewish Study Bible Jewish Publication Society Tanakh translation. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. p. 779.ISBN9780199978465..
^Quick, Laura (6 March 2022). "Behemoth's Penis, Yahweh's Might: Competing Bodies in the Book of Job".Journal for the Study of the Old Testament.46 (3).doi:10.1177/0309089221104053 (inactive 1 July 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
^Sola, David Aaron (1852).Signification of the Proper Names, Etc., Occurring in the Book of Enoch: From the Hebrew and Chaldee Languages. London, England.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Rev. X.Y.Z. (1894).The Story of a Conversion. Merry England. Vol. 22. p. 151.
^Angels 2: Wings on Fire, kabbalaonline.org: "These creatures of the world of Beriya, are the higher angels, called serafim, from the Hebrew word for burn, saraf."
^Berlin, Adele; Brettler, Marc Zvi; and Jewish Publication Society. (2014).The Jewish Study Bible Jewish Publication Society Tanakh translation. New York, New York : Oxford University Press. p. 779.ISBN9780199978465.
^Hammer-Purgstall, Joseph von. "Die Geisterlehre der Moslimen:(vorgelegt in der Sitzung der philosophisch-historischen Klasse vom 7. Jänner 1852)." Zwei Abhandlungen zur Mystik und Magie des Islams 2 (1974).
^Jerrold Seigel,Between Cultures: Europe and Its Others in Five Exemplary Lives, University of Pennsylvania Press 2015ISBN978-0-812-29193-3
^Mir Valiuddin (1987).The Quranic Sufism. Motilal Banarsidass Publ.ISBN978-8-120-80320-6. p. 69.
^Becchio, Bruno; Schadé, Johannes P. (2016). "Hierarchy of angels".Encyclopedia of World Religions. Foreign Media Group.ISBN9781601360007.
^Burge, Stephen (2015).Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi Akhbar al-malik. Routledge. p. 265.ISBN978-1-136-50473-0.
^Burge, Stephen (2015).Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi Akhbar al-malik. Routledge. p. 265.ISBN978-1-136-50473-0.
^abcAbdullaah Al-Faqeeh; Fatwa centers & Islamic educational institutes in Yemen and Mauritania (2013)."رتبة حديث: أذن لي أن أحدث عن ملك من ملائكة الله من حملة العرش..." [The rank of hadith: Permit me to narrate on the authority of one of the angels of God from among the bearers of the Throne... Fatwa Number: 205000].Islamweb (in Arabic). Saudi Arabia: Al-Imaam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University. Retrieved3 March 2022.
^abSchöck, Cornelia (1996). "Die Träger des Gottesthrones in Koranauslegung und islamischer Überlieferung".Die Welt des Orients (in German).27:104–132.JSTOR25683589.
^Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, New York, Komaroff, L., Carboni, S. (2002). The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-1353. Vereinigtes Königreich: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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