The Meaning of Isaiah 6:8 Explained

Isaiah 6:8

KJV: Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

YLT: And I hear the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom do I send? and who doth go for Us?' And I say, 'Here am I, send me.'

Darby: And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I said, Here am I; send me.

ASV: And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Also I heard  the voice  of the Lord,  saying,  Whom shall I send,  and who will go  for us? Then said  I, Here [am] I; send  me. 

What does Isaiah 6:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

God then asked for a volunteer to serve Him, evidently among any present in the throne room (cf. 1 Kings 22:19-20). "Us" is a plural, and the plural in Hebrew (but in no other Semitic languages) adds intensification (cf. Genesis 1:26; Genesis 11:7; 1 Kings 22:19-23). It only hints at plurality within the Godhead, but the New Testament makes that plurality clear (cf. John 12:41; Acts 28:25). This may be a plural of majesty, or the Lord may have meant Himself, the seraphim, and the heavenly host.
Note the balance of divine sovereignty and human choice in His words: He would send someone, but that someone needed to be willing to go. God"s grace to him in not consuming him, but rather cleansing him, motivated Isaiah to volunteer to be God"s servant.
This section is a major revelation of the grace of God and the condition for spiritual cleansing. It is one of the premier salvation passages in the Old Testament. God"s grace on this occasion so impacted Isaiah that his ministry bore this hallmark, as we observe in this book.
"Here in this matchless passage we find the reason why so few are willing to serve God. They need above all the conviction of sin. Only when a man has been convicted of sin and has understood that the Redeemer has borne the guilt of his sin is he willing and ready joyfully to serve God, to go wherever God may call him." [1]
Many preachers of this passage have pointed out that the order of events is very significant. First, after gaining a greater appreciation for God"s holiness and his own sinfulness, Isaiah said "woe," acknowledging his own uncleanness. Second, the seraphim said "lo" ("behold" in the NASB), pointing to God"s provision for cleansing. Third, God said "go" ( Isaiah 6:9), giving the prophet a mission to fulfill.

Context Summary

Isaiah 6:1-13 - A Call To Heroic Service
Kings die; Jesus lives. See John 12:41. We are here reminded of Acts 22:17-18. How great the contrast between the worship of these seraphim in the Unseen-Holy and man's perfunctory rites! Six wings-two for meditation, two for humility, and two for service. Service should take only a third of our energy. One cried unto another-one inspired spirit will awaken others. The threefold repetition of the word holy, implies the Trinity. If door-posts tremble, much more should the hearts of sinful men! Isaiah, in the previous chapter, had uttered six woes against others, but his seventh and sorest woe is against himself. The sinner, like the leper, cries, Unclean! Leviticus 13:45. The seraph did not wait to be told; he knew that there was only one cure for such need as the prophet's, Isaiah 6:9-13. When men refuse God's offered grace, every refusal hardens. It is either "the savour of death unto death" or of "life unto life," 2 Corinthians 2:16. The life of the oak and the terebinth only seems to become extinct in winter; there is revival in the spring. Is it winter with you? Pray for the springtime! [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Isaiah 6:8 mean?

And I heard - the voice of the Lord saying Whom shall I send and who will go for Us and I said Here [am] I Send me
וָאֶשְׁמַ֞ע אֶת־ ק֤וֹל אֲדֹנָי֙ אֹמֵ֔ר מִ֥י אֶשְׁלַ֖ח וּמִ֣י יֵֽלֶךְ־ לָ֑נוּ וָאֹמַ֖ר הִנְנִ֥י שְׁלָחֵֽנִי

וָאֶשְׁמַ֞ע  And  I  heard 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
ק֤וֹל  the  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
אֲדֹנָי֙  of  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
אֹמֵ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מִ֥י  Whom 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
אֶשְׁלַ֖ח  shall  I  send 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
וּמִ֣י  and  who 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
יֵֽלֶךְ־  will  go 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
לָ֑נוּ  for  Us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
וָאֹמַ֖ר  and  I  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הִנְנִ֥י  Here  [am]  I 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
שְׁלָחֵֽנִי  Send  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.