Angels & Intermediaries: The Role of Malachim in Creation

Growing up, I was fascinated by Angels. Who wasn't, right? But, I always felt the visual representations were a real let down. Flowing blonde hair, white robes, and sometimes, toddlers with wings, really seemed misaligned.

Many cultures have a category for heavenly beings that curate the affairs of the world, this is not unique to the Bible. And though they are indeed mentioned, Bible readers will not find comprehensive details about Angels within the texts. For that, we need to dig through the Jewish tradition.

Angel, "Malach" In the Torah

The Hebrew word for Angel is malach (מלאך), and is often translated as "messenger." The first appearance of this word in the Torah can be found in Genesis 16:7 when an Angel speaks to Hagar.

Later, we read of three Angels whom Abraham hosted in Genesis 18. Though initially called men, they are later¹ identified as Angels (מלאכים). This gives us an early insight into some of the mysterious capabilities of Angels.

Angel Origins

Angels were created at some point during the six days of creation. Some opinions² say day 2, and others say day 5. The answer might be that both are true. This makes sense when we understand that there are classes of Angels—too numerous to count. Some have higher missions, some more menial, and many in between.

Nevertheless, it seems evident that the Angels were created before humans. This is hinted in Genesis 1:26, when the text states, "Let us make man in our image..." The Midrash says that the Creator's audience was the ministering Angels.³

Midrash Genesis Rabbah 10:6 tells us that everything in creation has an Angel assigned to govern it. Some may function like bots or intricately engineered programs for specialized tasks.

The "Angel of the Lord" is a title given to an Angel who is sent as a Shaliach (sent one) on a special mission from G_D. Then, there are classes of super Angels like Metatron, and others of whom we will not have time to unpack in this work.

Angels with names have the most important missions—their Hebrew names often hint at their purpose. For example, in the incident with Abraham⁴, the three Angels who visited him were Raphael, Michael, and Gavriel (Gabriel). The name Raphael is derived from the word "refuah" (רְפֻאָה), which means healing.

Raphael was sent to heal Abraham from his circumcision. Michael is a warrior Angel who was sent to save Lot, and Gavriel was sent to administer judgment (Gevurah) to the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.

It is cautionary that it only takes one Angel to administer widespread devastation.

Bad Angels?

It seems to me that many Angels are not exactly fond of humans. True, some are involved in our personal affairs, and can be a net positive for us—but this does not mean they cannot cause us harm, or wouldn't if they got the chance. This is one reason people must be extremely careful dabbling in transcendent mind-altering experiences that are not grounded in Torah wisdom. Some Angels will not be friendly when you bump into them in the world of Yetzirah.

For this reason, it's probably a good thing that Angels are not granted free will to the degree that humans have been given. Incidentally, this seems to be part of the reason for animosity between us and them. Simply, their job is to do what G_D commands them to do. Humans have been granted the ability to change our status in creation.

In the Kabbalah, it is taught that some Angels gain a degree of free will when sin and impurity increase in the world. When engulfed in our impurity, it seems to allow them latitude to manipulate human affairs, to our disadvantage. This is the case with the Nephilim—who fell—inspiring a worldwide flood.⁵

Then there are other Angels who, though they seem to have gone rogue, are indeed carrying out the mission they've been assigned. This is the case for Samael, the Angel associated with Satan.

At times, Angels can even become so locked into their mission that they clash with other Angels. This is seen in Daniel 10:13 when Gavriel is delayed by the Angelic prince over Persia.