Commentaire sur Isaïe 6:3

And one called to the other They would take permission from one another so that one would not commence before [his fellows] and be guilty of [a sin punishable by] burning, unless they all commenced simultaneously. This is what was established in [the blessing commencing:] “...Who formed light,” “the declaration of holiness, they all respond as one...” This is a Midrash Aggadah of the account of the Merkavah. And so did Jonathan render this.

And one cried unto another. The number of the seraphim is not mentioned; some believe they were two, but I am of opinion that there were many.

Holy, holy, holy Three times, as the Targum renders.

Holy, holy, holy. Repeated thrice, to express the continuity of the declaration. Comp. Jer. 7:4, Jer. 22:29.

Holy. An adjective. Holiness is an essential attribute of the Lord; it is therefore the same in every place. God showed Isaiah this vision, that he might purify himself from the uncleanness of the lips; for the Lord is holy, and so also should be His servants and messengers.

Hosts. Angels that are above.

The whole earth, etc. Although He is holy above, still His glory filleth the earth below. He who explains מלא כל הארץ that which filleth the whole earth, that is, its inhabitants, and compares it with וּמְלאׇׁהּ and the fulness thereof (Ps. 24), is mistaken.⁹Ibn Ezra does not show why this explanation is wrong; nor does he give any opinion of his own as to what form מְלאׁ is; the quotation, Num. 14:21, only shows that a phrase like the glory of the Lord filleth the whole earth, is correct; but he fails to prove the identity of this quotation with הארץ כבודו מלא כל. In his commentary on Num. 22:18, however, he explains בֵּיתוֹ מָלֵא כסף ═ מְלאׁ ביתו כסף and quotes מלא כל הארץ as a parallel. Comp. ה׳ את כל הארץ וימלא כבוד And the whole earth will be full of the glory of the Lord. (Num. 14:21)