Isaiah 6:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

“And the house was filled with incense.” This, I believe, signifies the impending ruin, the fiery devastation from outsiders, and the most dreadful conflagration.

Incredible indeed! Rather than an increase in glory from the glorification, the former glory diminished, resulting in smoke. Smoke is a poignant representation of forsakenness. What does this imply? The Holy Spirit foresaw that the realm of the world and apostolic preaching would declare “holy, holy, holy,” yet the Jewish temple would be excluded from it. Thus, He states that after the proclamation of the gospel, the synagogue will be left desolate, enveloped in smoke. However, it is the over-door that is taken, not the door itself. Be attentive. Each door has a threshold at its base and an over-door resting atop the pillars; just as the pillars cannot stand without a threshold, they also cannot remain stable without an over-door. Consequently, the upper portion of the synagogue is removed; while the synagogue itself is not entirely destroyed, it retains doors but lacks an over-door. The over-door symbolizes the sustaining authority. When the upper door is taken away, the synagogue loses grace, rendering it susceptible to upheaval, allowing every hand to disturb the pillars. This is why every hand shakes the Jewish institutions as well. For which reason, a prophet declared, “I will make Jerusalem like an altar room that moves” (Zech. 12:2). “And the house," he proclaims, "was filled with incense.” Where has the glory departed? Please listen closely. Isaiah declares, “and fill the house of his glory”; then he recounts that it was “filled with incense.” Thus, when the smoke filled the place, the glory relocated. Where did it go? Not to a single house, but to fill the churches throughout the universe. The cherubim, wishing to reveal the new dwelling of the glory once in the temple, proclaim, “The whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3).

Prior to the Incarnation and the arrival of our Savior, during the time when Israel lived freely according to the law, the renowned temple in Jerusalem, constructed by Solomon, was rich in the glory of God, as sacrifices were offered there in accordance with the law. However, when the Israelites rejected Him, who came from heaven in the form of a man and was proclaimed in the law and the prophets, indeed even put to death the Author of Life (Acts 3:15), He departed from His house and abandoned His inheritance. He turned to the Gentiles, and the entirety of the earth was illuminated by His glory. Meanwhile, the land of Judah fell into desolation, and the very temple was consumed by fire. Thus, when, in accordance with prophecy or the pronouncement of the holy Seraphim, the whole earth was filled with His glory, the temple's door was removed, and it was engulfed in smoke. Therefore, the phrase "from the voice that cried out" refers more to the timing and not to the cause or effect of the worship. Furthermore, "The door is taken up" suggests, in my view, the destruction of the temple, and the mention of smoke indicates that it was set ablaze. Should anyone wish to interpret it differently, considering its fulfillment over all the people of Judea, they would not stray from the correct understanding. For when the entire realm of the Gentiles, called through faith, was filled with the glory of our Savior, the spiritual firmness in the minds of the Jews was shattered, and they, unfortunate as smoke, absorbed into themselves the darkness of ignorance, becoming spiritually blind. This is why the Savior calls out to them, saying: "Wherefore ye have light, walk in the light, lest the darkness overtake you" (John 12:35). And how can anyone accustomed to sound reasoning question that the minds of the Jews are easily unsettled and captivated by all matters of passion when they are deprived of divine assistance?

This smoke signifies either the destruction of the temple or is interpreted by some as the incense, embodying the infusion of Divine glory. Initially, the gospel of the Savior was proclaimed to all nations, and then, forty-two years after the Lord's sufferings, Jerusalem was besieged, and the temple was set ablaze.

We should note that where the Seventy Interpreters refer to 'Lord of hosts' and 'Lord Almighty,' the Hebrew expression translates as 'Lord of hosts' according to Aquila's version. The term 'Lord' itself is comprised of four letters—specifically two 'ia'—for in God’s essence, it appears as 'iod ge, iod ge,' which when repeated manifests this ineffable and glorious name of God. 'Fill the entire earth with His glory.' The seraphim foretold the coming of the Lord Savior, indicating how His message would reach the ends of the earth and how the voices of the apostles would resonate throughout the world. Furthermore, it was the voice that cried out, elevating the door (Isaiah 6:4). In the Old Testament, the Lord consistently communicated with Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the Tabernacle (Lev. 1:1, 4:1; Num. 10), suggesting the time before the Gospel, as they were not permitted to enter the Holy of Holies, until the Church of God was welcomed in, as articulated: 'The king hath brought me into his fold' (Song of Songs 1:3). Thus, when our Lord descended to earth, this threshold, which served as an obstacle to those desiring to enter, was lifted, and the entire world was filled with smoke, representing God's glory. In the Latin, this is rendered as elevatum, while the Greek term is ἐπήρθη (sublatum). Yet, since the latter word can be understood in both contexts, our translation employs elevatum, suggesting either 'elevated' or 'removed.' And the house was filled with smoke. As mentioned previously, God is akin to fire; when He descended to Moses on Mount Sinai, there were blazing torches in His procession, and the mountain was enveloped in smoke. It is said in the Psalms, 'Touching the mountains, and they smoke' (Psalms 103:32). Therefore, while we may struggle to fully grasp the essence of this divine fire, a certain light, akin to smoke, spreads over the world, leading us to say, 'We understand in part, and prophesy in part' (1 Cor. 13:9). Additionally, 'we now see indistinctly, as in a mirror' (Ibid., v. 12).