ἄγγελος G0032
Angel, messenger — a supernatural heavenly being serving God, or a human envoy sent to deliver a message.
Angelos bridges heaven and earth in the New Testament. In its overwhelming majority of uses, it names the celestial beings who populate God's throne room, deliver divine announcements, and execute heavenly judgments — from Gabriel's annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:26) to the angels at the empty tomb (Matt 28:2). Yet the word never entirely lost its original Greek meaning of 'messenger,' and six times it refers to human envoys: John the Baptist as the promised forerunner (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2), messengers sent ahead by Jesus (Luke 9:52), and John's disciples visiting Jesus (Luke 7:24). The translation evidence is illuminating: Spanish and English split clearly between 'ángel/angel' and 'mensajero/messenger,' while French and German ('ange/Engel') often use the supernatural term even for human messengers.
1. heavenly angel — A supernatural celestial being who serves as God's agent, attendant, or herald — announcing divine messages, guarding God's people, executing judgment, and worshiping in heaven. All major languages have a dedicated loanword: 'angel' (eng), 'ángel' (spa), 'ange' (fra), 'Engel' (deu), all derived from this very Greek word. Angels appear at every pivotal moment: Jesus' birth (Matt 1:20; Luke 2:9), temptation (Matt 4:11), resurrection (Matt 28:2), and promised return (Matt 25:31). 170×
AR["المَلاكُ","مَلاكٌ","مَلاكُ","مَلَاكُ","مَلَاكِ"]·ben["দূত","দূতকে","দূতের","স্বর্গদূত"]·DE["Engel"]·EN["an-angel","angel"]·FR["ange"]·heb["מַלְאָךְ"]·HI["दूत","दूत-ने","स्वर्गदूत","स्वर्गदूत-के","स्वर्गदूत-ने"]·ID["itu","malaikat"]·IT["angelo"]·jav["malaekat","malaikat","malaikat,","malaékat","malaékat,","malaékat.","malékat"]·KO["천사-가","천사-에-의해","천사-에게","천사-와","천사가"]·PT["anjo"]·RU["Ангел","Ангелом","Ангелу","ангел"]·ES["ángel"]·SW["malaika"]·TR["melek","melekle"]·urd["فرشتہ","فرشتے","فرشتے-نے","فرشتے-کے"]
Matt 1:20, Matt 1:24, Matt 2:13, Matt 2:19, Matt 28:2, Matt 28:5, Luke 1:11, Luke 1:13, Luke 1:18, Luke 1:19, Luke 1:26, Luke 1:30 (+38 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. human messenger or envoy — A human messenger, envoy, or representative sent on a specific mission. English and Spanish shift to 'messenger/mensajero,' clearly distinguishing this from the supernatural sense, while French and German retain 'ange/Engel' even here. Applied to John the Baptist as the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2, quoting Mal 3:1), to the messengers John sent to Jesus (Luke 7:24), and to those Jesus dispatched ahead of him into Samaria (Luke 9:52). 6×
AR["الرُّسُلَ","رَسولي","رَسولَ","رُسُلا","رُسُلاً","مَلَاكِي"]·ben["দূত","দূতকে","দূতদের"]·DE["Engel"]·EN["messenger","messengers"]·FR["ange"]·heb["מַלְאָךְ","מַלְאָכִי","מַלְאָכִים"]·HI["दूत","दूत-को","दूतों","दूतों-का","दूतों-के","दोओत-को"]·ID["itu","utusan","utusan-Ku","utusan-utusan,"]·IT["angelo"]·jav["utusan","utusan,"]·KO["사자-를-나의","사자들-의","사자들을","사자들을,","사자를"]·PT["mensageiro","mensageiros"]·RU["вестника","вестников","посланников,"]·ES["mensajero","mensajeros"]·SW["mjumbe","wajumbe"]·TR["haberciler","habercileri","habercilerin,","habercimi"]·urd["-کے","آگے","فرشتے-کو","قاصد","قاصدوں","قاصدوں٬"]
Related Senses
H0430 1. God (of Israel) (2502×)G2316 1. God, the true God (1315×)H6635b 1. hosts, armies (of YHWH) (286×)H0410 1. God, the true God (223×)H4397 2. messenger, envoy, ambassador (102×)H3742 1. cherub, angelic guardian being (91×)H0430 2. gods (pagan deities) (81×)H0426 1. God, the true God (76×)G1140 1. demon, evil spirit (62×)H0433 1. God, the true God (54×)H5945b 1. Most High (30×)G4152 1. spiritual (21×)H0426 2. god(s), pagan deities (20×)H5943 1. [ketiv:Most High] (18×)G1139 1. be demon-possessed (13×)H1712 1. Dagon (13×)G2316 2. god, pagan deity (12×)G5310 1. Most High (9×)H0410 3. a god, deity (generic) (9×)H3645 1. Chemosh (9×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἄγγελος, ὁ, ἡ, messenger, envoy, Refs 8th c.BC+ — proverbial, Ἀράβιος ἄ., of a loquacious person, Refs 4th c.BC+ __2 generally, one that announces or tells, e.g. of birds of augury, Refs 8th c.BC+; Μουσῶν ἄγγελος, of a poet, Refs 6th c.BC+; ἄ. ἄφθογγος, of a beacon, Refs 6th c.BC+; of the nightingale, ὄρνις.. Διὸς ἄ. Refs 5th c.BC+ __3 angel, LXX+NT+1st c.AD+ __4 in later philosophical,…