Who was the angel of the LORD in the Bible

Who was the angel of the LORD 

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Most trinitarians assert that the angel of the LORD is God. It must be stated that not all trinitarians believe this but it would be considered the majority position. 

This assertion is made as they believe there is an ontological connection between the angel of the LORD (YHWH) and YHWH himself. Most of those trinitarians that hold to this belief would say that the angel of the LORD was the son, Jesus, pre-incarnate. 

They use the fact that the Angel of the LORD speaks to YHWH and of YHWH but also as YHWH in the first person. Therefor not only distinguishing him from YHWH but also demonstrating that he is YHWH. Of course as the trinitarian believes that the father, son and holy spirit are all God but all distinct this assertion is not at all a problem in the trinity and would, in fact, even be expected. 

There are many verses and passages that are often cited in order to support this claim. We shall have a look at some of the verses and passages here.

One such passage is when the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in the burning bush in Horeb. 

Scripture very clearly tells us that it was the angel of the LORD that appeared to Moses in the Bush:

Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 

However, we are also told that when Moses looked into the bush to see why it was not consumed from the fire God spoke to him from the midst of the bush:

Exodus 3: 3And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Moses was told to remove his shoes because it was holy ground: 

Exodus 3:  5And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

What then follows is a conversation between Moses and God where God told Moses he was sending him to Pharaoh in Egypt to free the Israelites, God’s people from their slavery.

God even states that he is the God of the fathers of Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob:

Exodus 3: 6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

The fact this was an angel is confirmed in the book of Acts 

Acts 7:30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

So we see that although we are told that the angel of the LORD was in the bush it was God that spoke to him. So it is asserted by the trinitarians that the angel therefore must be God. 

This, though, is rather reading the ontological connection into scripture based on the presupposed belief of the trinity.

Let’s have a closer look at what the scriptures state. 

The Hebrew translated as The angel of the LORD is Malak YHWH. 

The word Malak simply means messenger. It does not in of itself infer the ontology of the one who is the malak. 

Both humans and spirit beings are referred to as being Malak in the Bible.
When a human is the referent then the English translation is rendered messenger. When a spirit being is in reference then the translation becomes angel. 

When we look at the details of the story we will notice that even though the text states that the angel of the LORD appeared in the bush, the angel does not state that he is an angel of the LORD. He simply talks in the first person as God. Moses is therefore not privy to the information of who this was. To Moses this simply was the LORD speaking to him. The text does state that Moses was afraid to look upon God so clearly Moses believed that this was in fact God. However, the text tells us, the readers, who this was. It was  malak YHWH, the angel of the LORD who spoke in the first person as YHWH. We shall look into this in more detail in a moment. 

It does at this point need to me noted that even human Messengers can speak as the one that sent them. I shall give a couple of examples. 

Abner sent messengers to David. They asked David whose is the Land? Make a league with ME (Abner), MY hand shall be with thee. 

2 Samuel 3: 12And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee. 13And he said, Well; I will make a league with thee: but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face. 

Moses send messengers to the King of Edom

 

Numbers 20: 14And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:

The messengers stated let us pass I (Moses) pray thee. 

Numbers 20: 17Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.

Edom said unto HIM (Moses) 

Numbers 20: 18And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 

Joab sent messengers to David who spoke as Joab

2 Samuel 12:27  27And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.

Messengers speaking in the first person is not unusual. 

So let’s return to the angel of the LORD, Malak YHWH. 

YHWH is the divine name of God.

Malak YHWH then is simply the messenger of YHWH. There is no requirement of an  ontological connection  between YHWH and a malak YHWH. Again both humans and angels are called Malak YHWH 

The human prophet Haggai is referred to as Malak YHWH 

Haggai 1:13 Then spake Haggai the LORD’S messenger in the LORD’S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.

This being the exact same Hebrew as in Exodus 3. 

Also the priests are called malak YHWH in Malachi 2:7 where the Hebrew again is exactly the same. 

Malachi 2:7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

So as we can see it is not only The angel of the LORD that is referred to as Malak YHWH. A malak YHWH is a messenger of YHWH. By definition the one sending cannot be the same as the one sent. There has to be a differentiation between the 2. This is where most trinitarians assert this is the father sending the son. We must note that there is no actual text that states this. 

We cannot ignore the fact that if the trinity were true then both the father and the son would be YHWH so we would still have the angel of YHWH who is YHWH being sent by YHWH. 

Now we could ask if the pre incarnate son was the angel. Was he 100% angel as he was 100% God like he was 100% man and 100% God? 

The Bible very clearly attests to the fact that Jesus was not an actual angel:

Hebrews 1: 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

Hebrews 1: 13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

This is where some of those same trinitarians will insist that the pre incarnate son was not an actual angel and then refer to the Hebrew Malak and affirm that it simply means messenger. But of course the English translation is angel and every other occurrence of the translation angel is referring to a spirit being that is not God.  Therefore we can only assume that the English translation angel when in reference to the angel of the LORD is an incorrect translation as the pre-incarnate Jesus would not in actuality be an angel. 

It cannot go unmentioned that not one inspired New testament writer attested to Jesus being the angel of the LORD of the Old Testament. Jesus himself makes no mention of it. It does seem very strange that nobody in the New Testament felt that the son being pre incarnate as the angel of the LORD was worthy of noting. It would seem that trinitarians attest to something that neither Jesus nor the apostles ever did. 

Not one of the apostolic fathers mentioned this either. Every single one failed to make mention of this. Personally I find this silence deafening. It is not until Justin Martyr in the 2nd century do we start to see the connection between Jesus and the angel of the LORD in the writings of the early church. 

As a unitarian it is my belief that the angel of the LORD was exactly that, one of YHWH’s angels. As his angelic representative, the angel, could speak as YHWH.

Scripture itself explains exactly why the angel is able to speak as God yet not be God. The relationship between YHWH and his malak is explained in chapter 23 of Exodus. 

YHWH stated that he would send an angel (malak) before the Israelites in the wilderness to lead them.  

Exodus 23: 20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 

The angel was sent by YHWH to go before the Israelites to take them into the promised land. The text clearly states that “I”, YHWH, will SEND an angel before you. 

Send is the Hebrew shalach, which is where we get the term Shaliach from. 

There simply is nothing here that would require any further relationship than the angel being sent by YHWH as his messenger.

YHWH then stated that they should obey his voice (the angel’s voice) and not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions for my name, YHWH’s name, is in him. 

Exodus 23: 21Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

So the Israelites were told to obey the angel as YHWH’s name was in the angel. 

YHWH’s name being in the angel refers to authority. The authority of YHWH was in the angel. Therefore, to disobey the angel of the LORD was to disobey YHWH as the angel of the LORD had the authority of YHWH given to him by YHWH. Therefore, there transgressions would not be pardoned seeing the angels commands were YHWH’s 

Targum Onkelos records that in YHWH’s name were the words of the angel 

Exodus 23:21 Take heed before Him, and hearken to His words; rebel not against Him, for He will not forgive your sins; for in My Name are His words.
Targum Onkelos on Genesis 23:21 

Pardon is the Hebrew Nasa and transgessions is the Hebrew Pasha. 

This actually means that the angel would not carry their transgression, they would have to carry them themselves. This rather than meaning forgive sins would mean that their sins would be imputed upon them. 

In verse 22 YHWH connects the voice of the angel to his own words. 

Exodus 23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

Targum Jonathan records it exactly as that, that he spoke by the angel.

exodus 23:22 For if thou wilt indeed hearken to His word, and do all that I speak by Him, I will be the enemy of thy enemy, and will trouble them who trouble thee.

Targum Jonothan on Exodus 23:22 

If we look at the book of Numbers we will see that the authority of YHWH was given to the levitical priests. 

The Priests of Israel were to bless in the name of the LORD. YHWH’s name was on them. 

Numbers 6: 22And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 23Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, 24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

We also see this in Deuteronomy and 1st Chronicles

Deuteronomy 10:8  At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. 

Deuteronomy 21:5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried: 

1 Chronicles 23:13 The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever. 

This of course did not make the priests YHWH.

The Israelites therefore understood that when the Angel of the LORD spoke in the first person as YHWH he was speaking the words of YHWH being under his authority. 

Once this explanation has been given and understood it really is unnecessary and simply redundant for this to be introduced anytime the angel of the LORD speaks. 

Disobeying the one that spoke the words of God is disobeying God himself. 

We can see this even of human prophets who spoke the word of God.
Saul said that he sinned when he disobeyed a command of God. 

1 Samuel 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 

This command was to destroy the Amalakites.

 1 Samuel 15 2Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

This command was given by God through the prophet Samuel. Samuel had told Saul to harken (listen) to the voice of the LORD. It was Samuel who spoke those words. 

1 Samuel 15: 1Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 2Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

However, Saul did not do as the LORD had commanded, he spared Agag the king of the Amalekites and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings and lambs.

1 Samuel 15: 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

So the command was given by God through Samuel and Saul disobeying that command was disobeying God. Saul did not listen to the voice of the LORD, which was spoken through Samuel. 

1 Samuel 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

The prophet Samuel speaking as God to Saul and so disobeying Samuel was disobeying God in the same way that disobeying the angel was disobeying God. 

We must also notice that it was God who stated that HE would utterly destroy Amalek. 

Exodus 17:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

Had Saul fulfilled his command to destroy Amalek then Gods statement would have been accomplished through Saul.

We must also note that the angel of the LORD is not the only one that spoke in the first person on behalf of YHWH as YHWH.  

Moses does this often. Specifically in the book of Deuteronomy. I shall just give a few examples here. 

In Deuteronomy chapter 29 Moses switches without introduction from speaking to the Israelites about YHWH to speaking as YHWH in the first person (verses 5 and 6). 

Deuteronomy 29: 2And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; 3The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: 4Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. 5And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. 6Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.

We even see that Moses states if they (the Israelites) would hearken unto the voice of YHWH and observe and do all HIS commandments (YHWH’s) which I (Moses) command you. This is exactly the same as the commands given by the angel by which they had to obey. 

Deuteronomy 28: 1And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Moses was the voice of the LORD to the Israelites. Moses spoke the words of YHWH to Israel. Obeying Moses was obeying the LORD. The commandments that Moses gave were not his but YHWH’s. 

Again, if we already understand that the agent, the one who is speaking on behalf of YHWH can speak in the first person it is simply not required for this to be continuously explained or introduced. 

We also see Moses being referred to as the voice of YHWH when he is sent to Pharaoh. Pharaoh states who is the LORD  (YHWH) that he should obey his voice. 

Exodus 5: 2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

Pharaoh did not hear the voice of YHWH. Moses (through Aaron) spoke to Pharaoh the words that YHWH had told him to say.

We are told that it would be Aaron that spoke on behalf of Moses. Moses would be as God to Aaron and Aaron his prohet

Exodus 4: 14And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 15And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 16And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. 

This would mean that what Moses told Aaron to say, Aaron would say and it would be as if Moses was saying it….the line of agent goes from God through Moses to Aaron. 

Furthermore, Isaiah in a conversation with Ahaz speaks, but the scriptures record that it was YHWH that spoke to Ahaz

Isaiah 7: 10Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

Ahaz replies to Isaiah that he will not tempt YHWH

Isaiah 7: 12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. 

There is a difference between the heavenly angels and humans. 

Man has been made a little lower than the angels. 
Psalm 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Angels are, after all, ministering spirits.

Hebrew 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

When an angel is representing YHWH then they do not require the introductory thus sayeth the LORD or equivalent as already explained in Exodus 23. 

Humans on the other hand usually do use the introduction to speaking Gods words to distinguish between their own and those spoken by God. But as seen this in itself is not a strict rule that has no exceptions. 

We can also find scripture of YHWH acting through his human agents. For instance, when God instigated plagues upon Egypt YHWH states that HE will smite the waters of Egypt with the rod that is in HIS hand. 

Exodus 7: 17Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

In actuality it was not YHWH that was holding the rod neither did YHWH smite the waters. We are told that it was Aaron who was holding the rod and Aaron who smote the waters. 

 Exodus 7:19And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. 20And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood

We have a line of agency here, God to Aaron through Moses. 

This line is also found in the book of Revelation where we see that God gives the revelation of Jesus to Jesus who gives this to the angel who gives it to John 

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

YHWH working through Aaron is done numerous times. 

The second plague for instance, God says that HE will smite the borders with frogs 

Exodus 8: 1And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: 

However, yet again this is enacted through Aaron. 

Exodus 8:  5And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. 6And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 

We also see a similar incident when it is recorded that the LORD through Moses parted the red sea. Moses stretched out his hand and the LORD caused the sea to part. 

Exodus 14: 21And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

This demonstrates that while a person is acting as the agent or messenger of YHWH, their actions can be attributed to YHWH. Again I must reiterate that there is a difference between the angels in representation of YHWH and that of humans BUT scripture does explicitly demonstrate that it is not simply through the angel of the LORD that he can act. 

 

In the New Testament Luke records Zecharias saying that God had raised up the horn of Salvation (Jesus) …but importantly he states it was done as God had said through the mouth of his prophets. 

Luke 1: 67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

The prophets spoke the words of God.   

As attested  to in the book of Hebrews 

 

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 

The prophets themselves were spoken to through dreams and visions 

 

It is often asserted that a passage in Genesis creates an ontological connection between the angel and YHWH. 

Here we see that when Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, he made this connection in his prayer. 

Genesis 48: 15And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, 16The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

As we can see Jacob makes 2 referents to God before then making a reference to the angel who redeemed him. He then asks that HE (singular) bless them. 

Many proponents of the trinity assert that Jacob was connecting all three statements together and so was connecting the angel of the LORD, to the God of his fathers and the God who had fed him all my life. 

Now while this is most certainly a valid interpretation this in no way is the only way in which to understand these verses. 

If Jacob had used the plural here he would have in fact been asking both God and the angel to bless the children.

Jacob appeals to God in verse 15. He uses Hebrew parallelism, referring to the same referent in two different ways. He is appealing to God to allow the angel, malak to bless the boys. 

Ok, so in order to understand this interpretation we are going to need some more information. 

Joseph, Jacobs son, comes to Israel (Jacob) after he learns that he is sick.

Genesis 48: 1And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Jacob tells Joseph that God had blessed him when he had appeared to him in Luz, which Jacob named Bethel. 

Genesis 48: 3And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

 

This blessing can be found back in Genesis 32 when Jacob wrestled with a man. 

Genesis 35: 24And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

Jacob asks this man for a blessing. 

Genesis 35:  26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me

The man does bless Jacob, he changes his name from Jacob to Israel. 

Genesis 35: 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Jacob then tells Joseph that they are HIS. 

Genesis 48:  5And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

This meaning that Jacob was going to put his name (Israel) upon the two boys and they would be part of the inheritance as stated in verse 6 

Genesis 48:6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

So the blessing that Jacob was going to bestow upon Joseph was to bless the boys, the sons of Joseph, by giving his blessing of the name Israel to them. They would be part of Israel.

So, Jacob was in fact asking God to allow the Malak, the same malak that had blessed him by changing his name to administer the same blessing upon the boys. 

We must remember that, again, although we are later told that the man was in fact an angel in Hosea 12:4 

Hosea 12:4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;

Jacob himself did not know this was an actual angel, Jacob simply used malak (messenger). 

If we look at targum Jonathan for these verses it states Jacob referring to the angel (malak) as the one that God had ordained for him and says God be pleased that the Malak bless them. 

Targum Jonathan on Genesis 48 

Genesis 48 :15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: The Lord, before whom my fathers Abraham and Izhak, did serve; the Lord who hath fed me since I have been unto this day,

Genesis 48:16 be pleased that the angel whom thou didst ordain for me, to redeem me from all evil, may bless the children; and let my name be called upon them, and the names of my fathers Abrabam and Izhak. And as the fishes of the sea in multiplying are multiplied in the sea, so may the children of Joseph be multiplied abundantly in the midst of the earth.

While I personally do not believe that the targums are proof for any belief what is clear is that the understanding that Jacob was in fact appealing to God for the angel to bless and not connecting them as one IS a valid interpretation. 

Far from creating an ontological connection it is rather demonstrating the relationship between the LORD and his angel that we have already seen.

The book of Zechariah gives us a lot of new information regarding the angel of the LORD. We see a conversation between the Angel of the LORD and the LORD where the angel asks the LORD a question. 

Zechariah 1:12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? 

The LORD answers the angel 

 

Zechariah 1: 13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. 14So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

 

So the angel did not know and required the answer from YHWH.

We also see in chapter 2 of Zechariah that another angel is sent to the angel of the LORD to give him instructions and tell him what to speak. 

Zechariah 2:3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 4And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: 5For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

 

It is often asserted that the angel of the LORD does not appear in the New Testament or at least not after the birth of Jesus. 

However, this may not be accurate. The angel of the LORD appears to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist,  before the birth of Jesus. 

Luke 1:11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

The angel tells Zacharias that his wife, Elizabeth is going to have a child, John the baptist. 

Luke 1: 13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 

The angel that spoke to Zacharias who is called the angel of the LORD identifies himself as Gabriel. 

Luke 1:19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

So we must ask as to why the angel of the LORD, who trinitarians believe is the pre incarnate son, here, identifies as Gabriel? 

This is where some trinitarians will claim that this is not the same as the angel of the LORD as in the Old Testament and is simply AN angel of the LORD. However, if we look at the Greek we will see that it is ἄγγελος Κυρίου angelos kyriou. This just happens to be the exact same Greek that is found in “the” Septuagint, where we see angel of the LORD.  For example back in Exodus 3:2 where the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses.

Exodus 3: 2  2ὤφθη δὲ αὐτῷ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐν πυρὶ φλογὸς ἐκ τοῦ βάτου· καὶ ὁρᾷ ὅτι ὁ βάτος καίεται πυρί, ὁ δὲ βάτος οὐ κατεκαίετο

It is also the same as Genesis 16:7, 9, 10 and 11 and Genesis 22:11 as further examples. 

Interestingly this is the EXACT same Greek that can be found used when the angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph AFTER Jesus had already been conceived. 

Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost

Matthew 1:20 ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐνθυμηθέντος ἰδού, ἄγγελος κυρίου κατ’ ὄναρ ἐφάνη αὐτῷ λέγων, Ἰωσὴφ υἱὸς Δαβίδ, μὴ φοβηθῇς παραλαβεῖν Μαριὰμ τὴν γυναῖκά σου· τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν ἐκ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου

This just happens to be the same Greek that is found even after Jesus is born when the angel of the LORD comes to warn Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt to escape king Herod. 

Matthew 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

Matthew 2:13 Ἀναχωρησάντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἰδού, ἄγγελος κυρίου φαίνεται κατ’ ὄναρ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ λέγων, Ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἂν εἴπω σοι· μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό

The angel of the LORD also appears to Peter and helps him escape from prison in the book of Acts. 

Acts 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. 

Acts 12:7 καὶ ἰδού, ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐπέστη καὶ φῶς ἔλαμψεν ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι· πατάξας δὲ τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ Πέτρου ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν λέγων, Ἀνάστα ἐν τάχει καὶ ἐξέπεσον αὐτοῦ αἱ ἁλύσεις ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν

Some translations do use an angel of the LORD and not THE angel of the LORD. 

Acts 12:7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. NIV

Acts 12:7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. ESV

As we have already seen the exact same Greek is used. The angel of the LORD is also the English rendering in the Bibles that preceded the KJV. The Coverdale Bible, Tyndale 1535, Matthew Bible 1537, The Great Bible 1539, Geneva Bible 1560 and the Bishops Bible 1568 all have The angel of the LORD. 

The angel of the LORD is, in reality, arbitrary as the Hebrew Malak YHWH does not have the definitive article. The counter argument to this is that YHWH is definitive and so the preceding noun MUST also be definitive making Malak THE Malak. 

This isn’t as much of a problem to those that claim THE angel of the LORD is not one specific angel as maybe first thought. THE angel of the LORD does not at all exclude other angels from being THE angel of the LORD. 

All this means is that there is one specific angel that is being referenced at that specific time. 

If as some do assert the definitive article is required in the English based on the form of the Hebrew then this must also be the same when malak YHWH refers to THE messenger (Haggai) and THE priest. Now we know that there are in fact more than one messenger and more than one priest. But the use of THE simply denotes THE specific messenger, priest or angel that is the referent in that specific case.

We even see the Bible uses plural Angels  Acts 7:53 

Acts 7:53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

Angels is the translation of the Greek ἀγγέλων angelon (plural). The law was given by the disposition of angels. 

Now it can be asserted that the plural refers to the angel and Moses as they were both angelos (messengers).

This does not work, however, when it is used in Galatians 3:19

Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Note it states ordained by angels (plural) in the hand of the mediator (Moses). Moses in this verse is separate and distinct from the angels. 

We must also note that it is not a strict rule to say that the noun that precedes YHWH must be translated with the definitive article. 

Let’s look at another example. Exodus 10:9. Here we see a reference to “a feast unto the LORD” which is Hag YHWH. 

Exodus 10:9 And Moses said, We will got with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.

Hag (feast) is translated as A feast and not THE feast. 

The context actually would not allow for the translation THE as it is not in relation to any set feast of YWH but simply a feast that they were to observe.

The reason that the angel of the LORD no longer speaks as YHWH in the New Testament after Jesus is born is because we are told that the word (which was spoken through the angel of the LORD in the first person and to the prophets through dreams and visions) has become flesh. Jesus is the word, as in he is the flesh that speaks as and for God. Jesus does not speak his words but the words of him that sent him. 

John 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.


John 7:16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

John 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

When Jesus speaks he speaks the words that he has been given to speak by the one who sent him, just as the angel did in the Old Testament. However rather than through an angel the word is spoken by the flesh that is Jesus. 

God now speaks through the son 

Hebrews 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

This clearly shows that he did not speak through his son before. 

Another argument used regarding the angel of the LORD is that this angel is called The angel of his presence. 

In Isaiah 63:9 we are told about the angel of his (Gods) presence who saved them (the Israelites). 

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

This is referring to the angel of the LORD of that there is no doubt. So the angel is the presence of God which is argued again demonstrates that the angel is God. Of course if we hold to the understanding that the angel is the messenger of YHWH and has been given the authority of YHWH and is YHWH in representation then this is not a problem at all. The angel is the presence of God in representation and nothing more. 

Now the verse very clearly states that the angel saved them (the Israelites), in the days of old. 

When we go back and look we know this is exactly what the angel of the LORD did. When the Israelites were leaving Egypt and being pursued by the Egyptians it was the angel of the LORD that came between them allowing the Israelites to pass through the red sea. 

Exodus 14: 15And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

21Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He [d]troubled the army of the Egyptians.

We have other examples. In 2 kings God states he will defend the city for the sake of David. 

2 Kings 19:34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

The realisation of this is that the angel of the LORD smote the camp of the assyrians. 

35And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

The tosefta targum aphrahat  attributes this to the angel Michael.  Michael in the Bible is described as the angel that stands for the children of Israel. 

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

I will also note that other writings (such as Jerome) attribute this to Gabriel, others as in some of the Babylonian talmudic writings attest to this being the works of Gabriel and Michael combined .

It was, as scripture demonstrates, the angel protected them, he guarded them, having been sent by God. 

In zechariah we are told that on that day (the day that all nations come against Jerusalem). 

God will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The weak members will be as (king) David, meaning God will strengthen them as he did David. The house of David will be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

Zechariah 12:8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

This simply means that as God and the angel of the LORD protected Israel the house of David will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

We see this in the verse where God said that he was sending his angel to keep them.  

Exodus 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

To keep thee is the Hebrew שָׁמַר shamar to preserve 

The angel that God sent protected Israel as God had sent him to do. 

Now the word translated presence is actually the Hebrew word פָנִים panim which means face. 

So this is the angel of the face of God. 

Remember that the Bible says that nobody can see God’s face and live 

Exodus 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Face is the Hebrew Panim. 

So nobody can see the actual face/presence of God and live. Which is why God sends his angel to be his presence or face. This is explained to Moses when Moses asks to see God’s glory.

Exodus 33: 12And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom tho wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 15And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

God stated that his presence would go with the people. His presence was the angel he was the presence of God. 

God did however stated that he would show Moses his “back parts” in verse 23. 

Exodus 33: 17And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

So Moses was clearly not able to see the literal presence of God but some aspect of God he did see. 

Interestingly the targum Jonathan explains this as meaning God’s angels passed by Moses. 

And I will make the host of angels who stand and minister before Me to pass by, and thou shalt see the handborder of the tephilla of My glorious Shekinah; but the,k face of the glory of My Shekinah thou canst not be able to see.

Targum Jonathan on Exodus 33:23

This is also the meaning recorded in the Jerusalem fragmentary targum 

And I will cause the hosts of angels who stand and minister before Me to pass by, and will make known the oracle; for the glory of My Shekinah thou art not able to behold

Jerusalem Targum on Exodus 33:23 

God of course does not have a literal face or a literal back. The language is simply metaphorical for the reader to understand the way in which God showed himself. Moses was unable to see God’s literal presence but was able to see the representation of God which came in the form of angel(s). When the angel is seen it is as if God is seen without it literally being God. 

 

When the angel of the LORD spoke to Hagar in the wilderness (the very first time the angel of the LORD is mentioned), Hagar asked “Have I also looked after him that seeth me”

Genesis 16: 7And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

Genesis 16: 13And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

After him is אַחַר achar meaning back parts. It is the same meaning as God had proclaimed to Moses in Exodus. Hagar did not think she had seen the full glory of God but rather she wondered if she had seen a representation of God, the God that saw her.

I will again cite Targum Jonathan on Genesis 16:13 

Genesis 16: 13 And she gave thanks before the Lord whose Word spake to her, and thus said, Thou art He who livest and art eternal; who seest, but art not seen! for she said, For, behold, here is revealed the glory of the Shekina of the Lord after a vision.
Jonathan Targum on Genesis 16:13 

As we can see this is interpreted as being a vision. This would be consistent with the understanding as shown regarding visions and dreams. 

God had appeared to Abraham back in Genesis 12 as we are told in verse 7 

Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

However, appeared here is the Hebrew is the EXACT form of the Hebrew Raah (han·nir·’eh) as we find in Genesis 35:1 where God says to Jacob to go to Bethal where he appeared to him when he fled from Esau. 

Genesis 35:1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

When we go back and look at when God appeared to Jacob we will see that God appeared in a dream. 

Genesis 28: 10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 

So while God did appear to Abraham it is in the same way that he appeared to Jacob which was in a dream. 

The next time that Abraham came to Abraham we are specifically told it was a vision.

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

The angel of the LORD speaks to Hagar again and we are told this is from Heaven. 

Genesis 21:  17And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 

When Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Isaac, the angel of the LORD calls to him. Again we are told that this is from out of heaven. 

Genesis 22: 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

They did not literally see God.

Was the angel of the LORD worshipped? 

There are a number of passages that are used to show that the Angel of the LORD was worshipped. We shall have a look at some of them here. 

Numbers 22:31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

The Hebrew here for bowed his head is קָדַד qadad. This does NOT mean worship.  The Hebrew word that CAN mean worship is שָׁחָה shachah which is also used in the verse. It must be noted that Shachah itself does not intrinsically mean worship. 

Shachah is translated as worshipped in Exodus 4:31.

Exodus 4:31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Here we have both Qadad (bowed their heads) and Shachah (Worshipped) 

BUT Shachah on its own does not necessarily mean worship. 


We see that Abraham bowed before the people of the land Canaan, It simply cannot be argued that Abraham was worshipping these people. 

Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

The angel of the LORD worshipped by Joshua 

Joshua 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

It’s important to notice here that Joshua does not worship the angel (who is in the form of a man). It very clearly states that Joshua fell to the earth and worshipped. 

This is very different than what is recorded in the book of revelation where John specifically states that he fell down to worship at the feet of the angel before being told not to do so. 

Revelation 22: 8And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Joshua did not fall down at the feet of the man to worship he simply fell down and worshipped. It is nothing more than assertion that he worshipped the man/angel. We can see the exact same construct with Moses and Aaron 

Exodus 4: 30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

The people did not worship Aaron and Moses but rather at the words that they had spoken they bowed their heads and worshipped. 

This is also seen in Exodus 12 where Moses gives the instructions of the passover before they leave Egypt, after Moses gives the information, they bow and worship. This should not be understood as they bowed and worshipped Moses. 

Exodus 12: 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

Job is shown to worship after messengers come to him to tell him of the death of his children. 

Job 1: 13And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 20Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

These are in no way a full representation of this language in the Bible, they serve only as examples. 

The word translated in all these passages is שָׁחָה Shachah. This word is even used of King David 

1 Samuel 25:23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, 24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.

1 Chronicles 21:21And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.

Of course, this does not mean that David was worshipped as God. 

Joshua also refers to this man as adoni thus again distinguishing the man from adonay, God. 

We are also told that Abigail fell down to the ground and bowed herself to the servants of King David. 

1 Samuel 25-39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife. 40And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife. 41And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

The language here is very similar to that found in Joshua. 

However, IF it MUST be asserted that the man/angel here is being worshipped and only God can be worshipped we have a problem in 1 Chronicles chapter 29 where the Israelites worshipped both God and the KING (David) 

1 Chronicles 29:20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD, and the king.

The people did not worship David as God but as being King in the representation of Gods throne and we see that Solomon sat on the throne of YHWH. 

1 chronicles 20: 23Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

 

This of course did not make King David YHWH 

 

In the book of Zechariah we see Zechariah talking to the angel, he asks the angel a question and calls the angel Lord

Zechariah 1: 9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be

Zechariah 4: 1And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, 2And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: 3And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. 4So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

Here he is clearly addressing the angel and calls the angel Lord but uses the Hebrew Adoni. This is a form of Lord that is never used of God. 

He again uses adoni when addressing the angel in verses 5 and 13

Zechariah 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

Zechariah 4: 13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 

Zechariah 6:4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?

Zechariah never once addresses the angel as Adonay. He only ever uses adoni. 

Anthropomorphic language. 

There is an argument put forth by trinitarians that the Bible refers to God’s arms, ears, feet, eyes, head etc. 

The claim is that this demonstrates that God is depicted with “human” like attributes and so is evidence that God takes on human like form. 

The Bible states that God is invisible 

Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

So if you are invisible and incomprehensible but want to communicate yourself then you need to use language that is comprehensible to those that you are communicating to. 

God does not need eyes to see or ears to hear. He does not have arms to touch or a mouth to speak. 

This is just anthropomorphic language. 

In Psalm 91:4 God is stated as having feathers and wings. 

Psalm 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

More arguments against the angel of the Lord being YHWH.


Zechariah 12:8 

Zechariah 12:8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

This verse is part of a longer passage that actually demonstrates that the angel of the LORD is not YHWH but is a representative. 

The wording is very important. 

In that day, which day is this talking about? The day that the nations come against Israel. 

Zechariah 12:9  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 

What we will see is that the whole passage is about protection, Gods protection of Israel and HOW he will protect them. 

Verse 2 states that I (YHWH) will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all that come against it. 

2Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

verses 3 and 4 state that I (YHWH) will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people, I (YHWH) will smite every horse and his rider. Again this is talking about what YHWH will do against those that come against his people.

3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 4In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. 

The whole chapter is about YHWH’s protection of Israel. 

So when we get to verse 8 YHWH is refering to HOW he will protect them. 

In that day YHWH will defend Jerusalem by making the weak amongst the inhabitants like king David. King David overcame Goliath with just a stone. 
Then it states that the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 

So YHWH will make the house of David the protection of Jerusalem just as God, himself, and the angel of the LORD was. YHWH protected them, just as the angel of the LORD did. YHWH will make the house of David the protection. This of course will not make the house of David YHWH.

12 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

 

Another  verse that is sometimes used as evidence for the angel of the LORD being YHWH is Psalm 34:7 

A final argument that I will deal with is a passage in Zechariah 3. It is claimed that the angel of the LORD forgives sins in heaven thus proving that he is YHWH.  

Zechariah 3: 1And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 4And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee as with change of raiment.

Now, at first glance it may well do as it is asserted that it does. HOWEVER, let’s not be so hasty. Let us analyse the passage a little deeper. 

This is part of a vision that is being shown to Zechariah. (One of 8 visions of Zachariah in fact)

It is this fact that we need to remember when we interpret this passage. This is a VISION and is not real. It is simply a visual representation(perceived not actuality). 

This is simply a representation of the heavenly high court. 

So we have Joshua, the high priest standing in front of the angel of the LORD, now EVEN if this is in heaven we know this MUST is a vision as Joshua was a man, a man that was still alive at the time. He was not in heaven. This is simply symbolic and not reality. 

Satan is stood at the right hand of Joshua to accuse him. This is what Satan does, he is the accuser. 

We must also take into account WHEN this takes place. This is around the time of the end of the 70 year exile of the house of Judah into Babylon. The house of Judah are starting to return back to Israel. They are led back into Israel by Joshua the high priest. 

So Satan stands ready to accuse the high priest.  However, the LORD rebukes Satan of his accusation and tells him that he has chosen Jerusalem. The Hebrew rebuke here is Yig-ar which means to be pushed out. Satan and his accusation are pushed out by the LORD. Satan is found no more in the vision. 

Now we see that Joshua is clothed with filthy garments, dirty clothes. 

Zechariah 3: 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 

It’s important to note that it is NOT Joshua who was filthy. It was NOT Joshua that was unclean. It was the garments. 

Now the LORD tells those who stood watching to take away the filthy garments and states that HE will clothe Joshua with a change of clothes. 

4And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

In the VISION, The iniquity of Joshua was symbolically removed simply by the change of clothing.  This also demonstrates that the claim that ONLY the angel of the LORD Satan and Joshua were present……YHWH tells those stood watching. Clearly there were others in attendance yet were not specifically mentioned. 

So what does this mean? 

Joshua’s son had married outside of Israel. He had taken a wife from the gentiles. Satan was accusing Joshua before God that he was unclean and unworthy of being high priest. However, God simply stated that this was not JOSHUA that was unclean. Joshua himself was not guilty. The Hebrew translated as iniquity is avon …this is not sin or transgression. It means iniquity or guilt. This is not God removing his sin but his guilt…he was not guilty for the actions of his son. 

Joshua was told that if HE walked in the ways of God then HE would be worthy of his role as high priest as HE was clean. This literally has nothing to do with the angel of the LORD removing sins in heaven. 

 

Now notice that the LORD says set a mitre on his head….and the angel of the LORD stood by.

5And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

The angel of the LORD is not the one that states this….a clear distinction and also again shows that the angel of the LORD, Satan and Joshua are not the only three in attendance 

THEN the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua and said THUS saith the LORD….the Hebrew translated as protested is uwd, which means to repeat, do again. The angel of the LORD REPEATED what YHWH had already stated….if you walk in my ways, if you keep my charge then Joshua would judge in the house of God and keep his court. The angel is simply reiterating to Joshua the commands of YHWH.

6And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, 7Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

This actually shows a distinction between YHWH and the angel of YHWH

YHWH spoke and the angel of the LORD simply reiterated what YHWH spoke.  

 

The angel of the LORD is not God but the representation of God. 

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