{
  "id": "dict_005190",
  "term": "seraphim",
  "slug": "seraphim",
  "letter": "S",
  "entry_type": "theological_term",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Seraphim are heavenly beings seen in Isaiah’s vision of the Lord’s throne. They attend God’s holiness, worship him, and serve in his presence.",
  "simple_one_line": "",
  "tooltip_text": "",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [],
  "see_also": [],
  "lede_intro": "",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [],
  "description_academic_short": "Seraphim are heavenly beings mentioned most clearly in Isaiah 6, where they stand above the Lord’s throne, proclaim his holiness, and carry out his command. Scripture gives only limited detail about them, so they should be described carefully as exalted servants in God’s heavenly court rather than with speculative detail.",
  "description_academic_full": "Seraphim are heavenly beings described in Isaiah’s temple vision (Isa. 6:1–7). In that passage they stand in attendance before the Lord, call out \"Holy, holy, holy,\" and one of them is sent to touch Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal as part of his cleansing for prophetic service. The Bible does not provide a full systematic description of seraphim, so interpreters should avoid saying more than the text warrants. At minimum, Scripture presents them as holy heavenly attendants who worship God, magnify his holiness, and serve his purposes in his presence. Their exact relation to other angelic beings is not explained in detail, so the safest conclusion is that they belong to the class of heavenly servants in God’s court.",
  "background_biblical_context": "",
  "background_historical_context": "",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "",
  "key_texts_primary": [],
  "key_texts_secondary": [],
  "original_language_note": "",
  "theological_significance": "",
  "philosophical_explanation": "",
  "interpretive_cautions": "",
  "major_views_note": "",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "",
  "practical_significance": "",
  "meta_description": "Seraphim are heavenly beings seen in Isaiah’s vision of the Lord’s throne. They attend God’s holiness, worship him, and serve in his presence.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/seraphim/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/seraphim.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}