Isaiah 6:5
New International Version
“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.”

New Living Translation
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”

English Standard Version
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!”

Berean Standard Bible
Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.”

King James Bible
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 King James Version
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.”

New American Standard Bible
Then I said, “Woe to me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of armies.”

NASB 1995
Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

NASB 1977
Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts.”

Amplified Bible
Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am ruined, Because I am a man of [ceremonially] unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

Christian Standard Bible
Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Armies.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.

American Standard Version
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, Jehovah of hosts.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And I said “Woe to me, for I am overcome with astonishment, because I am a man of defiled lips and I dwell among a people whose lips are defiled, and my eyes have seen The King, LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts!”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I said, Woe is me, for I am pricked to the heart; for being a man, and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people having unclean lips; and I have seen with mine eyes the King, the Lord of hosts.

Contemporary English Version
Then I cried out, "I'm doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD All-Powerful."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said: Woe is me, because I have held my peace; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the King the Lord of hosts.

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
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!"

Good News Translation
I said, "There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

International Standard Version
"How terrible it will be for me!" I cried, "because I am ruined! I'm a man with unclean lips, and I live among a people with unclean lips! And my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of the Heavenly Armies!"

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.

Literal Standard Version
And I say, “Woe to me, for I have been silent, | For I [am] a man of unclean lips, | And I am dwelling in [the] midst of a people of unclean lips, | Because the King, YHWH of Hosts, my eyes have seen.”

Majority Standard Bible
Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.”

New American Bible
Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

NET Bible
I said, "Too bad for me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the LORD who commands armies."

New Revised Standard Version
And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

New Heart English Bible
Then 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."

Webster's Bible Translation
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 my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

World English Bible
Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Armies!”

Young's Literal Translation
And I say, 'Woe to me, for I have been silent, For a man -- unclean of lips am I, And in midst of a people unclean of lips I am dwelling, Because the King, Jehovah of Hosts, have my eyes seen.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Isaiah's Vision of the Lord in His Glory
4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. 5Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.…

Cross References
Luke 5:8
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees. "Go away from me, Lord," he said, "for I am a sinful man."

Exodus 6:12
But in the LORD's presence Moses replied, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, then why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I am unskilled in speech?"

Exodus 6:30
But in the LORD's presence Moses replied, "Since I am unskilled in speech, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"

Exodus 24:10
and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.

Exodus 33:20
But He added, "You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live."

Numbers 17:12
Then the Israelites declared to Moses, "Look, we are perishing! We are lost; we are all lost!

Job 42:5
My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You.


Treasury of Scripture

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the middle of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

said I

Exodus 33:20
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Judges 6:22
And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

Judges 13:22
And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

undone.

Exodus 4:10
And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

Exodus 6:12,30
And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? …

Jeremiah 1:6
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

I dwell

Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Jeremiah 9:3-8
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD…

Ezekiel 2:6-8
And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house…

mine eyes

Isaiah 33:17
Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

Revelation 1:5-7
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, …

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Almighty Armies Cried Curse Destruction Dwell Eyes Fate Hosts Lips Midst Ruined Silent Unclean Undone Wo Woe
Isaiah 6
1. Isaiah, in a vision of the Lord in his glory
5. Being terrified, has apprehensions removed
8. He offers himself, and is sent to show the obstinacy of the people
13. A remnant shall be saved














(5) Then said I, Woe is me.--The cry of the prophet expresses the normal result of man's consciousness of contact with God. So Moses "hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God" (Exodus 3:6). So Job "abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6). So Peter fell down at his Lord's feet, and cried, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8). Man at such a time feels his nothingness in the presence of the Eternal, his guilt in the presence of the All-holy. No man can see God and live. (Comp. also 1Samuel 6:20.)

I am a man of unclean lips.--The prophet's words present at once a parallel and a contrast to those of Moses in Exodus 4:10. The Lawgiver feels only, or chiefly, his want of the gift of utterance which was needed for his work. With Isaiah the dominant thought is that his lips have been defiled by past sins of speech. How can he join in the praises of the seraphim with those lips from which have so often come bitter and hasty words, formal and ceremonial prayers? (Comp. James 3:2; James 3:9). His lips are "unclean" like those of one stricken, as Uzziah had been, by leprosy (Leviticus 13:45). He finds no comfort in the thought that others are as bad as he is, that he "dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips." Were it otherwise, there might be some hope that influence from without might work his purification. As it is, he and his people seem certain to sink into the abyss. To "have seen the King, the Lord of hosts," was in such a case simply overwhelming (Exodus 33:20). . . .

Verses 5-7. - THE SEQUEL OF THE VISION - THE PROPHET'S SENSE OF UNWORTHINESS. The vision of God in this life, whether natural or ecstatic, cannot but produce in the beholder a deep feeling of his unworthiness. God "is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity;" even "the heavens are not clean in his sight" (Job 15:15). Man, being never wholly purged from sin while on earth, cannot but shrink from contact with the absolutely Holy. Hence Isaiah's cry (ver. 5); and hence, to comfort him, the symbolic action of the seraph (ver. 6) and his encouraging words (ver. 7). Verse 5. - I am undone; literally, cut off, destroyed (comp. Isaiah 15:1; Jeremiah 47:5; Hosea 4:5, 6, etc.). God once said himself, "There shall no man see me and live" (Exodus 33:20). Men expected to die even when they had seen angels of God (Genesis 32:30; Judges 6:22, 23; Judges 13:22). How we are to reconcile Exodus 33:20 with this passage, Job 42:5, and Ezekiel 1:26-28, is uncertain. Perhaps the ecstatic sight was not included in the "seeing" of which God spoke to Moses. I am a man of unclean lips. A man must be indeed" perfect" never to offend in word (James 3:2). Isaiah felt that he had often so offended. His lips were not "clean" in God's sight, and if not his lips, then not his heart; for "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34). I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. Men catch up the phraseology of their time, and use wrong forms of speech, because they hear them daily. "Evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then I said,
וָאֹמַ֞ר (wā·’ō·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Woe
אֽוֹי־ (’ō·w-)
Interjection
Strong's 188: Lamentation, Oh!

is me,
לִ֣י (lî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew

for
כִֽי־ (ḵî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I am ruined,
נִדְמֵ֗יתִי (niḏ·mê·ṯî)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1820: To be dumb, silent, to fail, perish, trans, to destroy

because
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I
אָנֹ֔כִי (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

am a man
אִ֤ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

of unclean
טְמֵֽא־ (ṭə·mê-)
Adjective - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2931: Unclean

lips
שְׂפָתַ֙יִם֙ (śə·p̄ā·ṯa·yim)
Noun - fd
Strong's 8193: The lip, language, a margin

dwelling
יוֹשֵׁ֑ב (yō·wō·šêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

among
וּבְתוֹךְ֙ (ū·ḇə·ṯō·wḵ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre

a people
עַם־ (‘am-)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

of unclean
טְמֵ֣א (ṭə·mê)
Adjective - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2931: Unclean

lips,
שְׂפָתַ֔יִם (śə·p̄ā·ṯa·yim)
Noun - fd
Strong's 8193: The lip, language, a margin

[and]
כִּ֗י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

my eyes
עֵינָֽי׃ (‘ê·nāy)
Noun - cdc | first person common singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

have seen
רָא֥וּ (rā·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7200: To see

the King,
הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

the LORD
יְהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

of Hosts.”
צְבָא֖וֹת (ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 6:5 Then I said Woe is me! (Isa Isi Is)
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