Difference between revisions of "Angel"

<p> <em> Mal'âk </em> ( '''''מַלְאָךְ''''' , Strong'S #4397), “messenger; angel.” In Ugaritic, Arabic, and Ethiopic, the verb <em> le'ak </em> means “to send.” Even though <em> le'ak </em> does not exist in the Hebrew Old Testament, it is possible to recognize its etymological relationship to <em> mal'âk </em> . In addition, the Old Testament uses the word “message” in Hag. 1:13; this word incorporates the meaning of the root <em> le'ak </em> “to send.” Another noun form of the root is <em> mal'âk </em> “work,” which appears 167 times. The name <em> Malachi </em> —literally, “my messenger”—is based on the noun <em> mal'âk </em> .The noun <em> mal'âk </em> appears 213 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Its frequency is especially great in the historical books, where it usually means “messenger”: Judges (31 times), 2 Kings (20 times), 1 Samuel (19 times), and 2 Samuel (18 times). The prophetical works are very moderate in their usage of <em> mal'âk </em> with the outstanding exception of the Book of Zechariah, where the angel of the Lord communicates God’s message to Zechariah. For example: “Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked to me, ‘What are these, my lord?’ And the angel answered and said unto me, ‘These are the four spirits [pl. of <em> mal'âk </em> ] of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth’” (Zech. 6:4-5). </p> <p> The word <em> mal'âk </em> denotes someone sent over a great distance by an individual (Gen. 32:3) or by a community (Num. 21:21), in order to communicate a message. Often several messengers are sent together: “And [[Ahaziah]] fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers [pl. of <em> mal'âk </em> ] and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of [[Ekron]] whether I shall recover of this disease” (2 Kings 1:2). The introductory formula of the message borne by the <em> mal'âk </em> often contains the phrase “Thus says … ,” or “This is what … says,” signifying the authority of the messenger in giving the message of his master: “Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon” (Judg. 11:15). </p> <p> As a representative of a king, the <em> mal'âk </em> might have performed the function of a diplomat. In 1 Kings 20:1ff., we read that Ben-hadad sent messengers with the terms of surrender: “He sent messengers to [[Ahab]] king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith [[Benhadad]] …” (1 Kings 20:2). </p> <p> These passages confirm the important place of the <em> mal'âk </em> . Honor to the messenger signified honor to the sender, and the opposite was also true. David took personally the insult of [[Nabal]] (1 Sam. 25:14ff.); and when Hanun, king of Ammon, humiliated David’s servants (2 Sam. 10:4ff.), David was quick to dispatch his forces against the Ammonites. </p> <p> God also sent messengers. First, there are the prophetic messengers: “And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy” (2 Chron. 36:15-16). Haggai called himself “the messenger of the Lord,” <em> mal'âk [[Yahweh]] </em> . </p> <p> There were also angelic messengers. The English word <em> angel </em> is etymologically related to the Greek word <em> angelos </em> whose translation is similar to the Hebrew: “messenger” or “angel.” The angel is a supernatural messenger of the Lord sent with a particular message. Two angels came to [[Lot]] at Sodom: “And there came two angels to [[Sodom]] at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground …” (Gen. 19:1). The angels were also commissioned to protect God’s people: “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways” (Ps. 91:11). </p> <p> Third, and most significant, are the phrases <em> mal'âk Yahweh </em> “the angel of the Lord,” and <em> mal'âk </em> <em> 'elohim, </em> “the angel of God.” The phrase is always used in the singular. It denotes an angel who had mainly a saving and protective function: “For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off” (Exod. 23:23). He might also bring about destruction: “And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces” (1 Chron. 21:16). </p> <p> The relation between the Lord and the “angel of the Lord” is often so close that it is difficult to separate the two (Gen. 16:7ff.; 21:17ff.; 22:11ff.; 31:11ff.; Exod. 3:2ff.; Judg. 6:11ff.; 13:21f.). This identification has led some interpreters to conclude that the “angel of the Lord” was the pre-incarnate Christ. </p> <p> In the [[Septuagint]] the word <em> mal'âk </em> is usually translated by <em> angelos </em> and the phrase “angel of the Lord” by <em> angelos kuriou </em> . The English versions follow this twofold distinction by translating <em> mal'âk </em> as simply “angel” or “messenger” [[(Kjv, Rsv, Nasb, Niv]] ) </p>

<div> '''1: '''''Ἄγγελος''''' ''' (Strong'S #32 — Noun Masculine — angelos — ang'-el-os ) </div> <p> "a messenger" (from angello, "to deliver a message"), sent whether by God or by man or by Satan, "is also used of a guardian or representative in &nbsp;Revelation 1:20 , cp. &nbsp;Matthew 18:10; &nbsp;Acts 12:15 (where it is better understood as = 'ghost'), superior to man, &nbsp; Hebrews 2:7; &nbsp;Psalm 8:5 , belonging to Heaven, &nbsp;Matthew 24:36; &nbsp;Mark 12:25 , and to God, &nbsp;Luke 12:8 , and engaged in His service, &nbsp;Psalm 103:20 . "Angels" are spirits, &nbsp;Hebrews 1:14 , i.e., they have not material bodies as men have; they are either human in form, or can assume the human form when necessary, cp. &nbsp;Luke 24:4 , with &nbsp;Luke 24:23 , &nbsp;Acts 10:3 with &nbsp; Acts 10:30 . </p> &nbsp;Mark 8:38&nbsp;1 Timothy 5:21&nbsp;Matthew 25:41&nbsp;2 Peter 2:4&nbsp;Jude 1:6&nbsp;2 Corinthians 5:2&nbsp;Luke 20:36