The central panel portrays Isaiah. The book named for him, though written by more than one author, is referred to and quoted more frequently in the New Testament than any other -- apart from the Psalms. Isaiah had an immediate encounter with the Lord that resulted in his commission to proclaim God’s message.
In this scene, we see God at the apex of the window -- or at least as close a glimpse of deity as we ever shall -- as Isaiah saw the Lord, "highly elevated," but with the whole sanctuary so filled with the divine presence that no precise form could be discerned.
We do not know what seraphim looked like, but the root meaning of the word is "fire," and we are told they had six wings. Here we see a fiery being, quite unlike anything human, but equally unlike the deity, with two wings outstretched as in flight, two covering the face -- with only a forehead visible -- and two covering that part of the body about which humans are most modest. The distribution of the word "holy" from left to right and back to the left again visualizes for us the auditory experience of Isaiah.
Isaiah is literally dumbstruck. He covers his mouth in recognition of the unworthiness of humanity to be in the presence of deity, and his eyes avoid gazing at God, even as they reveal a desire to do so. Isaiah has experienced God, as we are privileged to do.
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Deutero-Isaiah Jeremiah Isaiah Amos Elijah