angel hebrew lexicon

The main Hebrew word for “angel” in the Old Testament is מַלְאָךְ (malʾakh), which literally means “messenger” or “representative,” and only by context comes to mean a supernatural angelic being. This is why many passages can translate the same word as “angel,” “messenger,” or even “ambassador.”

Core lexicon facts

• The noun malʾakh (Strong’s H4397) comes from an unused root meaning “to send, dispatch as a deputy,” emphasizing function more than essence.

• Major lexicons gloss it as “messenger, representative; angel; theophanic angel.”

• In traditional counts, it appears a little over 200 times in the Hebrew Bible, rendered “angel,” “messenger,” or similar in English.

Sense range in Hebrew

Malʾakh is flexible; it can refer to human or divine agents depending on context.

• Human messengers: royal envoys or emissaries sent by a king or leader can be called malʾakhim.

• Divine/angelic messengers: “angel of the LORD” and similar expressions use the same word but clearly indicate a heavenly being.

• Some lexicographic and word-study traditions also broaden the root nuance to roles such as priest, prophet, or worker, all tied to being “sent” or commissioned.

Greek and English connection

When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek (the Septuagint), malʾakh was usually rendered by Greek ἄγγελος (angelos), which also means “messenger.”

• The English word “angel” comes from Greek angelos , not directly from Hebrew, but it mirrors the same core idea of a sent messenger.

• In New Testament Greek, angelos likewise can mean either human messenger or heavenly angel, depending on context.

Related Hebrew “angelic” terms

Beyond malʾakh , the Hebrew Bible uses more specific terms for classes of heavenly beings.

• שְׂרָפִים (seraphim): literally “burning ones,” possibly serpent-like, seen around the divine throne in Isaiah 6.

• כְּרוּבִים (keruvim , cherubim): throne guardians associated with the presence of God (e.g., over the ark), often classed with angels in later tradition.

These are not synonyms of malʾakh but belong to the broader semantic field of heavenly beings.

Very short lexicon-style entry

מַלְאָךְ (malʾakh) – Noun, masc.
Basic sense: messenger, envoy, representative.

Extended senses: angelic messenger, “angel of the LORD,” sometimes human emissary or ambassador.

Etymology: From an unused root meaning “to send, dispatch as a deputy.”

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