Short Answer
The “angel of the Lord” in the Bible is sometimes understood as a messenger speaking on behalf of God, and other times possibly as a direct manifestation of God Himself. In some passages, the angel speaks as God in the first person, which leads some to believe it could be a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. However, this is not definitively stated, and both interpretations are considered possible.
The Overview
The identity of the “angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament has been widely discussed because of how this figure speaks and acts. In several passages, the angel appears to speak directly as God, using first-person language such as “I am God.” This has led many to believe that this is more than a normal angel and could be a visible manifestation of God—sometimes referred to as a theophany or even a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.
One example often cited is the burning bush in Exodus, where the angel of the Lord appears, yet the text also says that God Himself is speaking. This blending of identities raises an important question: is the angel actually God, or simply a messenger delivering God’s words in the first person?
The word “angel” itself simply means “messenger.” In ancient contexts, a messenger could speak on behalf of a king using the king’s own words, even in the first person. This helps explain why the angel of the Lord might speak as if he were God, without necessarily being God Himself.
Because of this, there are two main interpretations. Some believe the angel of the Lord is a divine appearance—possibly Christ before His incarnation. Others believe it is a powerful messenger representing God so fully that he speaks with God’s authority. Scripture does not clearly settle the debate, so both views remain possible, with the key point being that God is communicating directly and authoritatively through this figure.
Key Takeaways
- “Angel” Means Messenger
The term does not always imply a created being—it can refer to someone delivering God’s message. - The Angel Sometimes Speaks as God
In certain passages, the angel uses first-person language as if he is God. - Two Main Interpretations Exist
It may be a divine appearance (theophany/Christophany) or a representative messenger. - Scripture Does Not Give a Final Answer
The identity is not explicitly clarified in the Bible. - The Focus Is God’s Authority
Regardless of interpretation, the message comes directly from God.
The Source — The Speaker Transcript
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All right, another question on the list that has been written in. Uh, who is the angel of the Lord? That’s a great question. Here’s why we struggle with the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. Some people say say this is God. They call it a theophony. Uh, theophony means the appearance of God or a christophony. This is an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament. Um, the reason we say that is because sometimes someone like the angel of the Lord, say in the beginning of the book of Exodus,
00:00:25
when he’s speaking through this burning bush to Moses and commissioning them him to go and and and and and tell Pharaoh to let the people go, uh, he’s speaking in the first person as God. So the question is, angel um, mel in in Hebrew, is that word describing a messenger who’s speaking for God or is this divine? And if it’s divine, it seems like um this is some conversation being had on earth in time and space. Maybe this is the pre-incarnate Christ. Maybe this is Christ before he was brought
00:00:58
into the world in in in Nazareth by conception in Bethlehem by birth. And I’m going to say I don’t I’m not overwhelmed that this is is the pre-incarnate Christ. I I don’t I’m not I’m not constrained, I think, by anything in scripture to say that, although it may be. But I am saying it is curious that there’s a speaking in the first person. And if you’re going to say, well, if you’re speaking in the first person for God, then you you apparently are claiming the qualities of
00:01:23
of divinity and the only person that ever spoke on earth with qualities of divinity is Christ. So, I can see why the argument is made. But then again, if you’re relaying a message, let’s just think about the old town criers coming with a scroll in their hands. They’re going to say, “Here ye, here ye.” They’re going to sound the the trumpet and their funny outfit and then they’re going to unscroll the scroll and they’re going to read the scroll and the scroll is going to be written in the first
00:01:46
person from the king. Uh, and if that’s the case, okay, I can understand maybe the pronoun gymnastics like why in the world are we speaking in the first person for God? You’re not God. You’re just the you’re just the angel of the Lord. Well, we often forget the passages are often set up as the angel of the Lord and then we have the conversation like the Lord spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. Well, the Lord did speak to Moses out of the burning bush. The question is, is the angel of the Lord
00:02:08
the Lord, right? Or is it Christ the second person of the Godhead or is it, you know, just an angel speaking and delivering a message? That’s the challenge of these passages on the angel of the Lord is it seems like if we’re saying this person is speaking in the first person as divinity and saying I am God, which in several of these passages that’s what exactly what happens grammatically. Um, then maybe this is the pre-incarnate Christ. Maybe it is a theophony, a a manifestation of of God
00:02:38
in some way, just like Moses, right? God himself says, “I I’m I’m having conversations with Moses.” So, uh it’s not a messenger. And that’s the problem with the concept. Angel, by the way, is just a transliterated word from Greek, which is angalos. Angalos means a messenger just like um just like the Old Testament word.
