I. Name

The word ‘Seraphim’ is the name given to the beings singing the trishagion to Yahweh as king in Isa. 6.2–3 and carrying out an act of purification in vv 6–7. The Seraphim are now generally conceived as winged serpents with certain human attributes. The word śārāp has three occurrences in the Pentateuch (Num. 21.6, Num. 8; Deut. 8.15) and four in Isa (Deut. 6.2, Deut. 6; Deut. 14.29; Deut. 30.6). It is generally taken as a derivative of the verb śārap, to “burn”, “incinerate”, “destroy”. Since th…