The year that King Uzziah died was sometime between 750 and 740 b.c. He is known by two names in the Old Testament: (1) Uzziah, which in Hebrew means “strength of the Lord,” and (2) Azariah, which means “help of the Lord.” More on this king of Judah is found in 2 Chronicles 26:16–21. His leprosy was the result of unauthorized assumption of priesthood functions (compare Nadab, Abihu, Uzzah, and King Saul).
“The vision was a divine revelation. It was a revelation given to the prophet in time and space upon this earth, and not in a vacuum. It is to be expected, therefore, that in a formal sense it would have a point of contact with the religious paraphernalia which the prophet would understand. In a formal sense there are relations between the contents of this vision and practices and customs to be found in other religions of antiquity. What was essentially new was the fact that this vision was a revelation from God. It must also be remembered that the pagan religions of antiquity were degenerations from the true, and indeed were imitative of it… .
“… The idea of the Temple is derived from the well-known earthly Temple, and merely serves as a background for the vision.” 43
Isaiah saw the Lord (probably the experience Nephi referred to in 2 Nephi 11:2). Isaiah was an eyewitnessHis vision dispels the sectarian notion of a God without body, parts, and passions; the Lord was sitting on a throne, and his train (the skirts of his robe), or his glory, filled the temple. He was “high” and “lifted up,” the latter concept being especially rich in symbolism; the Savior was lifted up on the cross and then lifted up to an exalted position to rule and reign forever.
Isaiah saw an actual being. Scriptures do teach anthropomorphism—not “God in the image of man” but “man in the image of God.” Just as Genesis 1:27 says, man was created in the image of God. We have bodies; he has a body. The Bible itself notes that God has various body parts:
Face (Exodus 33:20, 23; Deuteronomy 5:4)
Eyes (Deuteronomy 11:12)
Ears (Ezekiel 8:18)
Mouth (Numbers 12:8; Deuteronomy 8:3)
Arms (Exodus 15:16; Isaiah 52:10)
Hands (Job 10:8; 12:9; Isaiah 11:11)
Fingers (Exodus 8:19; 31:18)
Heart (Genesis 6:6; 8:21)
Feet (Isaiah 60:13; 66:1)
Paul wrote frequently about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, emphasizing that He has a glorified physical body (Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 15:12–29; Philippians 3:21). Luke recorded his witness of the risen Lord: “Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luke 24:39). The Prophet Joseph Smith testified: “That which is without body, parts and passions is nothing. There is no other God in heaven but that God who has flesh and bones.” 44
Verses 1–4 portray majesty, holiness, power, and order.