In Judaism, angels (Hebrew: מַלְאָךְ, romanized: mal’āḵ, lit. 'messenger', plural: מַלְאָכִים mal’āḵīm) are supernatural beings that appear throughout the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Rabbinic literature, Jewish apocrypha, Christian pseudepigrapha, Jewish philosophy, Jewish mysticism, and traditional Jewish liturgy as agents of the God of Israel. They are categorized in different hierarchies. Their essence is often associated with fire. The Talmud describes their very essence as fire.
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In this Dossier
Angels in Judaism in the context of Destroying angel (Bible)
In the Hebrew Bible, the destroying angel (Hebrew: מַלְאָך הַמַשְׁחִית, malʾāḵ hamašḥīṯ), also known as mashḥit (מַשְׁחִית mašḥīṯ, 'destroyer'; plural: מַשְׁחִיתִים, mašḥīṯīm, 'spoilers, ravagers'), is an entity sent out by God on several occasions to deal with numerous peoples.
These angels (mal’āḵīm) are also variously referred to as memitim (מְמִיתִים, 'executioners, slayers'), or, when used singularly, as the Angel of the Lord. The latter is found in Job 33:22, as well as in Proverbs 16:14 in the plural "messengers of death". Mashchith was also used as an alternate name for one of the seven compartments of Gehenna.
Angels in Judaism in the context of Jacob wrestling with the angel
Jacob wrestling with the angel is an incident described in the Book of Genesis (chapter 32:22–32; it is also referenced in the Book of Hosea, chapter 12:3–5). The "angel" in question is referred to as "man" (אִישׁ: Ish) and "God" (אֵל: El) in Genesis, while Hosea references an "angel" (מַלְאָךְ: Malakh). The account includes the renaming of Jacob as Israel (etymologized as "contends-with-God").
In the Genesis patriarchal narrative, Jacob spends the night alone on a riverbank during his journey back to Canaan. He encounters a "man" who proceeds to wrestle with him until dawn. In the end Jacob is given the name Israel and blessed, while the "man" refuses to give his own name. Jacob then names the place where they wrestled Penuel (פְּנוּאֵל: "face of God" or "facing God").
Angels in Judaism in the context of Seraph
A seraph (Hebrew: שָׂרָף, romanized: sārāf /ˈsɛrəf/; pl.: Hebrew: שְׂרָפִים, romanized: sərāfīm /ˈsɛrəfɪm/) is a celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christian angelology and in the fifth rank of ten in the Jewish angelic hierarchy. A seminal passage in the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1–8) used the term to describe six-winged beings that fly around the Throne of God crying "holy, holy, holy". This throne scene, with its triple invocation of holiness, profoundly influenced subsequent theology, literature and art. Its influence is frequently seen in works depicting angels, heaven and apotheosis. Seraphim are mentioned as celestial beings in the semi-canonical Book of Enoch and the canonical Book of Revelation.