Appendix A: Hebrew and Greek Word Study

A standalone reference compiling the Hebrew and Greek terms central to the Angel of the LORD debate. Each entry provides original language, Strong’s number, semantic range, key passages (KJV), translation comparisons, and significance. Drawn from Chapters 1 and 2.

1. Messenger/Angel --- mal’akh (Strong’s H4397)

Hebrew: מַלְאָךְ Root meaning: “One who is sent” --- messenger, envoy. No inherent supernatural connotation; context determines the referent. Semantic range: Human courier (Gen 32:3), prophet (Hag 1:13), priest (Mal 2:7), heavenly being (Ps 103:20), and the theophanic figure who speaks as God (mal’akh YHWH).

Usage in key passages:

Genesis 32:3: “And Jacob sent messengers [mal’akhim] before him to Esau his brother” (KJV) --- plain human couriers.
Haggai 1:13: “Then spake Haggai the LORD’s messenger [mal’akh YHWH]…” (KJV) --- the prophet bears the exact phrase translated “the angel of the LORD” in theophanic passages.
Malachi 2:7: “…he is the messenger [mal’akh] of the LORD of hosts.” (KJV) --- the priest as messenger.
Psalm 103:20: “Bless the LORD, ye his angels [mal’akhav], that excel in strength” (KJV) --- heavenly beings.
Genesis 16:7-13: First appearance of mal’akh YHWH in Scripture. The Angel speaks as God (“I will multiply thy seed”), and Hagar names “the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me” (v. 13).
Exodus 3:2, 6: The mal’akh YHWH appears in the bush, yet the voice declares, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

The Construct Chain: Mal’akh YHWH (מַלְאַךְ יהוה)

The phrase is a Hebrew construct chain: “messenger of YHWH.” Because YHWH is a proper noun, the construct is grammatically definite --- hence “the angel of the LORD,” not “an angel.” However, definiteness does not prove identity across all occurrences; “the servant of YHWH” (ebed YHWH) is equally definite yet refers to different individuals.

Mal’akh YHWH vs. Mal’akh Elohim (מַלְאַךְ אֱלֹהִים): The phrases alternate in parallel narratives (Gen 16:7 vs. 21:17; Ex 3:2 vs. 14:19). The final canonical text treats them as interchangeable.

Translation comparison:

Translation	Genesis 16:7	Haggai 1:13	Notes
KJV	”the angel of the LORD"	"the LORD’s messenger”	Same Hebrew (mal’akh YHWH); KJV renders differently based on context
ESV	”The angel of the LORD"	"the messenger of the LORD”	Distinguishes theophanic from prophetic usage
NASB	”the angel of the LORD"	"the messenger of the LORD”	Same distinction as ESV
NIV	”the angel of the LORD"	"the LORD’s messenger”	Same distinction
LXX	ἄγγελος κυρίου (angelos kyriou)	ἄγγελος κυρίου (angelos kyriou)	Identical Greek for both; the LXX does not distinguish

Significance for the study: The word itself carries no automatic theological freight. What makes the theophanic mal’akh YHWH extraordinary is what the figure does: speaking as God, accepting worship, exercising divine prerogatives, yet being “sent.”

2. Name --- shem (Strong’s H8034)

Hebrew: שֵׁם Root meaning: “Name” --- in ANE theology, far more than a label. The shem of God carries his authority, character, and active presence. Semantic range: Personal name (Gen 6:4), renown (Gen 11:4), divine character (Ex 3:15), localized divine presence (Deut 12:5; Ex 23:21).

Usage in key passages:

Exodus 23:20-21: “…for my name is in him.” (KJV) --- The decisive text. The Angel carries the divine name, can forgive or withhold forgiveness, and must be obeyed --- all divine prerogatives.
Deuteronomy 12:5: God “puts his name” in the temple --- his active, localized presence. The parallel: what God does for the temple, he does for the Angel (Ex 23:21).
Judges 13:17-18: The Angel’s name is pil’iy --- beyond human comprehension (see entry 4).
Exodus 3:14: “I AM THAT I AM” --- the divine name is revealed at the burning bush, where “the angel of the LORD” appeared (Ex 3:2).

Three interpretations of “my name is in him” (Ex 23:21):

Delegated authority: The Angel acts with God’s authority but is not God himself.
Indwelling presence: God’s presence inhabits the Angel --- a genuine manifestation of deity.
Ontological identity: The Angel shares the divine name because he shares the divine nature.

Translation comparison:

Translation	Exodus 23:21b	Notes
KJV	”for my name is in him”	Straightforward: the name is in the Angel
ESV	”for my name is in him”	Identical to KJV
NASB	”for My name is in him”	Identical rendering
NIV	”since my Name is in him”	Causal (“since”) rather than explanatory (“for”)
LXX	τὸ γὰρ ὄνομά μού ἐστιν ἐπ’ αὐτῷ (to gar onoma mou estin ep’ auto)	“My name is upon him” --- slightly different preposition (ἐπί vs. בְּ)

Significance for the study: The shem theology is the hinge of the ontological question. The temple parallel --- where God’s shem denotes real, localized presence, not mere authorization --- pushes toward the stronger readings.

3. Face/Presence --- panim (Strong’s H6440)

Hebrew: פָּנִים Root meaning: “Face” (plural form). Idiomatically: “presence” --- the manifest, personal reality of someone. Semantic range: Literal face (Gen 31:2), personal presence (Gen 3:8), the manifest divine presence (Ex 33:14-15; Isa 63:9).

Usage in key passages:

Isaiah 63:9: “…the angel of his presence [mal’akh panav] saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them…” (KJV) --- The key bridge text. The Angel is explicitly “the angel of his face/presence” --- the most direct identification of the Angel with the divine presence.
Exodus 33:14: “My presence [panay] shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” (KJV) --- After the golden calf, God first sends “an angel” but not himself (33:2-3), then relents and promises his own panim. Whether the Angel is the Presence or the Presence replaces the Angel is debated.
Exodus 33:20: “Thou canst not see my face [panay]: for there shall no man see me, and live.” (KJV) --- The unmediated panim is lethal, yet Moses and others encountered God in theophanies.
Genesis 32:30: Jacob names the place Peniel (peni’el, “face of God”): “I have seen God face to face [panim el panim], and my life is preserved.” (KJV)

Translation comparison:

Translation	Isaiah 63:9a	Notes
KJV	”the angel of his presence saved them”	mal’akh panav rendered “angel of his presence”
ESV	”the angel of his presence saved them”	Same rendering
NASB	”the angel of His presence saved them”	Same rendering
NIV	”the angel of his presence saved them”	Same rendering
LXX	οὐ πρέσβυς οὐδὲ ἄγγελος, ἀλλ’ αὐτὸς κύριος ἔσωσεν αὐτούς	”Not an ambassador or angel, but the Lord himself saved them” --- a dramatically different reading

Significance for the study: Isaiah 63:9 names the Angel as “the angel of his face” --- YHWH’s personal manifestation. The LXX is striking: the translators eliminated the angelic intermediary entirely, attributing the saving to “the Lord himself.”

4. Wonderful --- pil’iy / pele’ (Strong’s H6383 / H6382)

Hebrew: פֶּלִאי (pil’iy, H6383) / פֶּלֶא (pele’, H6382) Root: pala’ (פָּלָא, H6381) --- “to be extraordinary, surpassing, beyond human capacity.” The root describes things that exceed natural ability or comprehension, typically reserved for God’s own acts. Semantic range: Something extraordinary or incomprehensible (Judg 13:18), a wonder or miraculous act (Ex 15:11; Ps 77:11), a divine title expressing surpassing wisdom and power (Isa 9:6).

Usage in key passages:

Judges 13:18: ”…Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret [pil’iy]?” (KJV) --- The Angel’s name is beyond human comprehension. He then ascends in the altar flame (v. 20); Manoah concludes: “We shall surely die, because we have seen God” (v. 22).
Isaiah 9:6: “…his name shall be called Wonderful [pele’], Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (KJV) --- Same root (pala’) applied to the name of both figures.
Psalm 77:11; Exodus 15:11: Pele’ describes God’s acts --- things beyond natural explanation. Performing wonders is a distinctly divine activity.

Translation comparison:

Translation	Judges 13:18	Isaiah 9:6 (first title)	Notes
KJV	”seeing it is secret"	"Wonderful”	KJV obscures the connection by translating pil’iy as “secret”
ESV	”seeing it is wonderful"	"Wonderful”	Connection is visible
NASB	”seeing it is wonderful"	"Wonderful”	Connection is visible
NIV	”It is beyond understanding"	"Wonderful”	Paraphrases but preserves the sense
LXX	καὶ αὐτό ἐστιν θαυμαστόν (kai auto estin thaumaston)	μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος (megales boules angelos, “Angel of Great Counsel”)	The LXX of Isaiah 9:6 renders the messianic title as “Angel of Great Counsel” --- a dramatically different reading that directly links the messianic figure to the Angel tradition. Judges 13:18 uses θαυμαστός.

Significance for the study: One of the strongest lexical links between the Angel and messianic prophecy. Both terms derive from pala’; both are applied to the name of the figure. The KJV “secret” obscures this --- the connection is visible only in Hebrew (or ESV/NASB). The verbal and thematic correspondence is undeniable, though whether Isaiah consciously echoes Judges is debated.

5. Redeemer --- go’el (Strong’s H1350)

Hebrew: גֹּאֵל (participle of ga’al, H1350) Root meaning: “To redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer” --- the nearest relative with the right and obligation to buy back family members from slavery, avenge blood, and restore inheritance. The most personal form of redemption in Israelite law. Semantic range: Kinsman-redeemer (Lev 25:25; Ruth 3:12-13), avenger of blood (Num 35:19), YHWH as Israel’s Redeemer (Isa 41:14; 44:6; 47:4; 63:16).

Usage in key passages:

Genesis 48:15-16: “…the Angel which redeemed [haggo’el] me from all evil, bless the lads…” (KJV) --- Jacob invokes a triadic blessing: “God… the God which fed me… the Angel which redeemed me.” The Angel receives the same verb (“bless”) as God. The participle haggo’el means “the one who has been redeeming me” --- ongoing, personal, relational.
Isaiah 44:6: “…his redeemer [go’alo] the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (KJV) --- YHWH alone is go’el.
Isaiah 47:4: “As for our redeemer [go’alenu], the LORD of hosts is his name” (KJV).
Isaiah 63:16: “…thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer [go’alenu]; thy name is from everlasting.” (KJV)
Ruth 3:12-13: Boaz as kinsman-redeemer --- the legal archetype illuminating the theological use.

Translation comparison:

Translation	Genesis 48:16a	Notes
KJV	”The Angel which redeemed me from all evil”	haggo’el = “which redeemed” (participle)
ESV	”the angel who has redeemed me from all evil”	Present perfect --- ongoing redemption
NASB	”The angel who has redeemed me from all evil”	Same rendering
NIV	”the Angel who has delivered me from all harm"	"Delivered” loses the go’el kinsman-redeemer connotation
LXX	ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν	ho ryomenos = “the one rescuing me” --- uses ῥύομαι rather than λυτρόω, softening the kinsman-redeemer specificity

Significance for the study: If YHWH alone redeems (Isaiah’s consistent claim), then Jacob’s attribution of the go’el title to the Angel places the Angel in the category of deity. The triadic structure of Genesis 48:15-16 --- God… God… the Angel --- puts the Angel in grammatical and theological parallel with God. Whether this constitutes evidence for deity or supreme authorization depends on the broader pattern.

6. Word --- Memra (Aramaic; not in Strong’s)

Aramaic: מֵימְרָא (Memra) Root meaning: “Word, utterance” --- from Aramaic ‘amar (“to say”). Semantic range: In the Aramaic Targums (synagogue paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible), Memra functions as a circumlocution for God’s active, manifest presence. Where the Hebrew describes God acting directly --- especially in theophanic or anthropomorphic passages --- the Targums substitute “the Memra of the LORD.”

Usage in key passages (Targum readings):

Genesis 3:8 (Tg. Onqelos): “the voice of the Memra of the LORD God” for Hebrew “the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden.”
Genesis 15:6 (Tg. Onqelos): “he believed in the Memra of the LORD” for Hebrew “he believed in the LORD.”
Genesis 16:13 (Tg. Ps-Jonathan): Memra language substituted in Hagar’s encounter with the Angel.
Exodus 19:17 (Tg. Onqelos): “to meet the Memra of the LORD” for Hebrew “to meet with God.”
Deuteronomy 4:7 (Tg. Onqelos): “the Memra of the LORD our God” for Hebrew “the LORD our God.”

Why the Targum Memra matters:

The Targums represent the intellectual world in which the NT was written. The Memra is not a separate being in Targumic theology but functions to preserve transcendence while affirming immanence. Three parallel trajectories:

Philo’s Logos: Philo (c. 20 BC — c. 50 AD) called the Logos “the image of God,” “the firstborn son,” and “the second God” --- language strikingly close to NT Christology.
John’s Logos: John 1:1-18 resonates with both the Memra and Philo, yet transcends both by identifying the Logos as a distinct person who “was with God, and was God” and “was made flesh.”
The Angel traditions: The Memra often appears in precisely those passages where the Angel of the LORD acts in the Hebrew text --- a later, more abstract handling of the same identification-distinction paradox.

Trajectory: Hebrew devar YHWH (“the word of the LORD”) -> Targum Memra da-YHWH (Aramaic circumlocution) -> LXX logos kyriou (Greek rendering) -> John 1:1 ho logos (the Logos as personal, divine being).

Significance for the study: The Memra shows that Jewish interpreters recognized the theological problem --- how can an invisible God be visibly present? --- centuries before Christian theology formalized its answers. The Angel of the LORD, the Memra, and John’s Logos represent three stages of engagement with the same mystery.

7. Messenger/Angel (Greek) --- angelos (Strong’s G32)

Greek: ἄγγελος Root meaning: “Messenger, envoy” --- the exact Greek equivalent of Hebrew mal’akh. Used of both human messengers (Luke 7:24; Jas 2:25) and heavenly beings (Matt 1:20; Luke 1:11). The LXX standard for Hebrew mal’akh.

Usage in key passages:

LXX Genesis 16:7: ἄγγελος κυρίου (angelos kyriou) --- the LXX renders every mal’akh YHWH this way, creating the expression the NT inherits.
Acts 7:30, 33: Stephen calls the burning bush figure angelos kyriou, yet the voice says, “I am the God of thy fathers” --- preserving the paradox.
Acts 7:38: “…the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina… who received the lively oracles to give unto us” (KJV) --- the angel at Sinai delivered the Torah.
Hebrews 1:4-14: The Son is “so much better than the angels” (KJV). Angels are servants; the Son is God (1:8). The strongest argument against identifying Christ with any angelos.
Hebrews 2:16: “…he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” (KJV) --- ontological distinction.

Translation comparison:

Translation	Acts 7:30	Hebrews 1:4	Notes
KJV	”an angel of the Lord"	"the angels”	Indefinite article in Acts; definite in Hebrews
ESV	”an angel"	"the angels”	Drops “of the Lord”
NASB	”an angel of the Lord"	"the angels”	Same as KJV
NIV	”an angel"	"the angels”	Drops “of the Lord”

Significance for the study: The LXX placed the theophanic figure in the same category as ordinary messengers, creating the tension Hebrews 1-2 addresses. The critical question: is Hebrews arguing Christ is not the Angel of the LORD, or not a created angel? If the Angel was always a divine person bearing the title “messenger” by virtue of being sent, Hebrews’ argument does not apply to him.

8. Word (Greek) --- logos (Strong’s G3056)

Greek: λόγος Root meaning: “Word, reason, account.” From lego (“to say”). Ranges from a spoken word (Matt 12:36) to a teaching (Luke 5:1) to a reckoning (Matt 18:23). Semantic range (theological): The divine Word through whom all things were made (John 1:1-3), the self-expression of God, the visible agent of the invisible Father.

Usage in key passages:

John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (KJV) --- The Logos is (a) eternal, (b) distinct from God (pros ton theon), (c) identified as God (theos en ho logos), and (d) the agent of creation. This mirrors the Angel pattern: distinct from YHWH yet identified as YHWH.
John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (KJV) --- If the Logos was God’s visible agent in the OT, the Incarnation culminates a pattern of divine self-manifestation.
John 1:18: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son… he hath declared [exegesato, ἐξηγήσατο] him.” (KJV) --- The Son “exegetes” the invisible God. If the Father has never been seen, every visible OT appearance of God must have been the Logos/Son.
Revelation 19:13: “…his name is called The Word of God” (KJV) --- the eschatological Christ bears the Logos title.

Connections: See entry 6 (Memra). John transcends both Philo and the Targums: his Logos is personal, incarnate, and historical. All major translations render John 1:1 identically.

Significance for the study: John 1 is the NT’s most sustained meditation on how the invisible God becomes visible and how one can be “with God” and yet “be God” --- precisely the questions raised by the Angel of the LORD. Whether or not John intended a direct identification of the Logos with the Angel, he provides the conceptual framework that makes such an identification coherent: the Logos is God’s visible self-expression, distinct from the Father yet fully divine.

9. Image --- eikon (Strong’s G1504)

Greek: εἰκών Root meaning: “Image, likeness, representation.” Not a mere copy but a genuine representation that participates in the reality it represents (cf. the emperor’s image on a coin, Matt 22:20). Semantic range: Physical image (Matt 22:20), the imago Dei in humanity (Gen 1:26-27 LXX), and Christ as the visible representation of the invisible God (Col 1:15; 2 Cor 4:4).

Usage in key passages:

Colossians 1:15: “Who is the image [eikon] of the invisible [aoratou] God, the firstborn of every creature:” (KJV) --- God is invisible; the Son is his visible image. Every visible manifestation of the invisible God is, by this logic, a manifestation of the Son.
2 Corinthians 4:4: ”…Christ, who is the image [eikon] of God…” (KJV) --- Christ as eikon is the content of the gospel’s revelation.
Hebrews 1:3: “…the express image [charakter, G5481] of his person [hypostaseos]…” (KJV) --- Charakter (exact imprint, like a seal in wax) is even stronger than eikon.
Genesis 1:26-27 (LXX): κατ’ εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν --- humanity is made in God’s image; Christ is God’s image. Partial reflection vs. essential representation.

Translation comparison:

Translation	Colossians 1:15	Notes
KJV	”Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature”	eikon + aoratos
ESV	”He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”	Same
NASB	”He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”	Same
NIV	”The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."	"Over” interprets prototokos as rank

Significance for the study: The eikon concept addresses the core question: How can an invisible God be seen? Colossians 1:15 answers that the Son is the eikon of the invisible God --- he is how God becomes visible. Applied retroactively, every visible appearance of YHWH becomes an appearance of the Son. The argument is cumulative: eikon does not name the Angel of the LORD, but it establishes the Christological principle (the Son is God’s visibility) that makes the identification coherent.

For full discussion of each term in context, see Chapter 1 (Hebrew terms) and Chapter 2 (Greek terms).