- The angel of the Lord is a messenger of God. But what is the messenger’s nature? Is it a created being, like an angel, or is it a Christophany, a manifestation of the pre-incarnate Christ? Theologians have proposed both actions since there is evidence for both positions in the Bible.
The word ‘angel’ in the Old Testament is מַלְאָךְ, malak. It occurs 213 times in 196 verses. In the New Testament, it is ἄγγελος, angelos, and occurs 177 times in 173 verses. But, the phrase “angel of the Lord” only occurs 68 times in the entire Bible with 56 in the Old Testament and 12 in the New Testament.
There is the phrase “angel of the LORD,” which has “LORD” in all caps. This only occurs in the Old Testament. In this case, “LORD” is equal to God’s name in Hebrew: יהוה, YHWH. The phrase “angel of the Lord,” which has “Lord” in small caps, is the Greek κύριος, kurios, and occurs in the New Testament.
There are no direct quotes from the New Testament of Old Testament verses containing the phrase ‘angel of the Lord.’ In other words, every instance of the phrase “angel of the Lord” in the New Testament is not a quote from any verse in the Old Testament where that phrase occurs.
The angel of the Lord always appears as a male and usually accompanies a serious intervention of God. The angel of the Lord is a special emissary of God. Again, some suspect that it is the pre-incarnate Christ.
Angel
The word angel has a variety of meanings in different contexts. Let’s take a look at them.
- Old Testament, “angel” is מַלְאָךְ, malak, with 213 occurrences. It is translated into the New American Standard Bible as…
- Ambassadors, two occurrences (Isaiah 30:4; 33:7)
- Angel, 110 occurrences (Genesis 19:1; Job 4:18; Psalm 78:49; Exodus 3:2 Judges 2:1; 2 Kings 1:3; Zechariah 1:11-14, etc.)
- Envoys, one occurrence, Ezek 17:15
- Messenger, 100 occurrences, (Gen. 32:3; Num. 20:14; 1 Sam 23:27; 1 Kings 19:2; 2 KIings 6:32; Job 1:14; Ezek. 23:40; Mal. 2:7, etc.)
- New Testament, “angel” is ἄγγελος, angelos, with 177 occurrences. It is translated into the New American Standard Bible as…
- Angel, 169 occurrences, (Matt. 1:20; 4:6; 28:5; Luke 1:11; 2:9; John 5:4; 15:10; Acts 5:19; 7:53; 1 Cor. 4:9; 11:10; Gal. 1:8; 4:14; Rev. 1:1; 3:1; 7:2; 9:1, etc.)
- Announcing one occurrence (John 20:18)
- Messenger, seven occurrences, (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27; 2 Cor 12:7; Luke 7:24; Luke 9:52; James 2:25)
The Angel of the Lord
So, who or what is the angel of the Lord? Depending on the context, it could be a created being or possibly the pre-incarnate Christ. Following is an outline that condenses every occurrence of the phrase ‘angel of the Lord’ as it occurs in both the Old and New Testaments.
An Outline
- Appears
- Num. 22:25, 27; Judges 6:11-12; Zech. 1:11
- Appears with intent to obstruct
- Num. 22:24, 26;
- Appears with a command
- Gen. 16:9; 22:11-12; Judges 5:23; Num. 22:35; Matt. 1:24
- Appears with a prophecy
- Judges 13:3
- Appears with a sword
- 1 Chron. 21:30; Num. 22:31
- Appears with potential to kill
- Num. 22:22-23
- Could be the Lord or created being
- 2 Sam. 24:16
- Equated with God and gives commands
- 1 Chron. 21:15-18
- Gives command
- 1 Kings 19:7; 2 Kings 1:3, 15;
- Guides
- Psalm 35:5
- Kills
- 2 Kings 19:35; 1 Chron. 21:12; Isaiah 37:36
- Non-Descript
- Num. 22:25, 27, 34; Judges 13:15, 17, 20, 21; Zech. 3:1, 5; 12:8
- Performed a miracle
- Judges 6:21
- Persues
- Psalm 35:6
- Prophecies
- Gen. 16:11
- Rescues
- Psalm 34:7
- Searches
- Gen. 16:7
- Seen face-to-face
- Judges 6:22
- Speaks
- Num. 22:32; Judges 2:4; 13:13, 16, 18; Zech. 1:12; 3:6
- Speaks as God
- Gen. 16:10; 22:15; Judges 2:1; Exodus 3:2
An Angel of the Lord in the New Testament
- Appears
- Luke 1:11; 2:9; Matt. 1:20
- Appears with a command
- Matt. 2:13, 19; Acts 12:7
- Descended from heaven
- Matt. 28:2
- Kills
- Acts 12:23
- Non-Descript
- John 5:4
- Speaks
- Matt. 1:24; Acts 5:19; 8:26
Address Verse Comment Gen. 16:7 Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. Searches Gen. 16:9 Then the angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.” Appears with a command Gen. 16:10 Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” Speaks as God Gen. 16:11 The angel of the LORD said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has given heed to your affliction. Prophecies Gen. 22:11-12 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Appears with a command Gen. 22:15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. Speaks as God Exodus 3:2 The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Speaks as God appears Num. 22:22 But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now, he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. Appears with potential to kill Num. 22:23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. Can kill, appear, and bore a sword. Num. 22:24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. Appears with intent to obstruct Num. 22:25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. Non-Descript appears Num. 22:26 The angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. Appears with intent to obstruct Num. 22:27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. Non-Descript, appears Num. 22:31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground. Can kill, appears, bore a sword. Num. 22:32 The angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me. Speaks Num. 22:34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” Non-Descript Num. 22:35 But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak. Appears with a command Judges 2:1 Now the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, Speaks as God Judges 2:4 When the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. Speaks Judges 5:23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the LORD, ‘Utterly curse its inhabitants. Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the warriors.’ Appears with a command Judges 6:11 Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. Appeared Judges 6:12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.” Appeared Judges 6:21 Then the angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. Performed a miracle Judges 6:22 When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” Seen face-to-face Judges 13:3 Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. Appeared, Prophecies Judges 13:13 So the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “Let the woman pay attention to all that I said. Speaks Judges 13:15 Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “Please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you.” Non-Descript Judges 13:16 The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD. Speaks Judges 13:17 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?” Non-Descript Judges 13:18 But the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” Speaks Judges 13:20 For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. Non-Descript Judges 13:21 Now the angel of the LORD did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. Non-Descript 2 Sam. 24:16 When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Could be a created being, or the pre-incarnate Christ 1 Kings 19:7 The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” Gives command 2 Kings 1:3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ Gives command 2 Kings 1:15 The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king. Gives command 2 Kings 19:35 Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. Kills 1 Chron. 21:12 either three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the LORD, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now, therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” Kills 1 Chron. 21:15-18 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now relax your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 Then David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 David said to God, “Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.” 18 Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Equated with God, Gives Commands 1 Chron. 21:30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the LORD. Appeared, bore a sword Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. Rescues Psalm 35:5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on. Guides Psalm 35:6 Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them. Persues Isaiah 37:36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead. Kills Zech. 1:11 So they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet.” Appears Zech. 1:12 Then the angel of the LORD said, “O LORD of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?” Speaks Zech. 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. Non-Descript Zech. 3:5 Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by. Non-Descript Zech. 3:6 And the angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying, Speaks Zech. 12:8 “In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. Non-Descript Matt. 1:20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. Created angel Matt. 1:24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the LORD commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, Speaks Matt. 2:13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” Appeared, commands Matt. 2:19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the LORD appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, Appeared, commands Matt. 28:2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the LORD descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. Descended from heaven Luke 1:11 And an angel of the LORD appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. Appeared Luke 2:9 And an angel of the LORD suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. Appeared John 5:4 for an angel of the LORD went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted. Non-Descript Acts 5:19 But during the night an angel of the LORD opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, Speaks Acts 8:26 But an angel of the LORD spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) Speaks Acts 12:7 And behold, an angel of the LORD suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. Appeared, commands Acts 12:23 And immediately an angel of the LORD struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died. Kills Related Articles
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