Biblical Hebrew: Words RevealedSample

Biblical Hebrew: Words Revealed

The Meaning Behind “Angel”

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Surprisingly, the Hebrew Bible only contains the names of two angels. They are Michael and Gabriel. These names have interesting meanings in Hebrew. Michael (מִיכָאֵל) means “Who is like God” and Gabriel (גַּבְרִיאֵל) means “God is my strength.” The book which mentions these angels is the Book of Daniel (ָּדָּנִיֵּאל) which means “God is my judge.” What do all these names, as well as hundreds of other Biblical names, have in common?

The common feature of all these names is the ending El. The name El is one of the most important titles of God (אל) in Hebrew. This is precisely the same name that Jesus uses to call out to his heavenly father before giving up his spirit on the cross: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

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Understanding the word of the Bible

These unforgettable words - Eli Eli lema sabachthani - are so significant that even our modern English translation of the Bible simply leaves them untranslated. When you can read the Bible in Hebrew, you can make connections that are simply impossible to make in translation.