4398. malak
Lexical Summary
malak: angel

Original Word: מַלְאַךְ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mal'ak
Pronunciation: mah-lahk
Phonetic Spelling: (mal-ak')
KJV: angel
NASB: angel
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H4397 (מַלאָך - angel)]

1. an angel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
angel

(Aramaic) corresponding to mal'ak; an angel -- angel.

see HEBREW mal'ak

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to malak
Definition
an angel
NASB Translation
angel (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[מַלְאַךְ] noun masculine angel (ᵑ7 Syriac); — suffix מַלְנֲכֵהּ Daniel 3:28; Daniel 6:23.

Topical Lexicon
Divine Messenger in the Court Narratives of Daniel

In Daniel 3 and Daniel 6 the word מַלְאַךְ designates the heavenly envoy sent by God into hostile imperial settings. In both scenes the messenger intervenes at the climax of a life-or-death trial, publicly vindicating faithful servants and exposing the impotence of pagan authority. The king’s confession in Daniel 3:28—“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him”—announces the main theological thrust: the Most High directs His messengers to preserve those who fear Him, thereby magnifying His own glory before the nations. Daniel 6:22 echoes the same pattern when the prophet declares, “My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions.” The repetition reinforces a canonical principle: from Genesis to Revelation angelic ministry is never autonomous but always the extension of God’s saving action.

Patterns of Angelic Intervention

1. Protection of the covenant people
Exodus 23:20–23 sets the paradigm of a sent messenger who guards Israel on the way to the promised land.
Psalm 34:7 affirms, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him.”

The deliverances in Babylon thus continue a well-established pattern: the angel secures the remnant so that God’s redemptive promises cannot fail.

2. Public authentication of divine power

The furnace and the lions’ den serve as royal stages upon which God displays His supremacy. By acting through an angel the LORD remains transcendent while still decisively present, compelling Gentile rulers to confess His sovereignty (Daniel 3:28–29; 6:26–27).

3. Judicial restraint

In both episodes the messenger restrains a lethal agent—fire in chapter 3, lions in chapter 6. Analogous acts appear elsewhere: an angel halts Abraham’s knife (Genesis 22:11–12); another restrains pestilence over Jerusalem (2 Samuel 24:16). The motif underlines the compatibility of divine justice and mercy.

Relationship to the Angel of the LORD

Scholars debate whether Daniel’s messenger is the same self-manifesting Angel of the LORD who appears in earlier narratives (e.g., Judges 6:11–24). The text calls him simply “His angel,” leaving the focus on God’s action rather than the being’s ontological identity. Whatever the precise classification, the messenger functions within the unified biblical pattern: a personal, holy, superhuman agent fully obedient to God, mediating both revelation and rescue.

Christological Trajectory

New Testament writers identify Jesus Christ as the supreme and final revelation of God (Hebrews 1:1-3). Angelic missions in Daniel anticipate His incarnational mission:
• Both the angel and Christ are sent by God (John 3:17).
• Both vindicate the faithful (Romans 8:33–34).
• Both expose and overcome hostile powers (Colossians 2:15).

While angels remain created servants (Hebrews 1:14), their ministry foreshadows and magnifies the work of the eternal Son.

Liturgical and Pastoral Implications

1. Confidence in trials

Daniel models prayerful trust that God can dispatch help at any moment (Daniel 6:10-11, 6:22). Believers today, confronted by cultural or governmental opposition, may pray with the same expectancy (Acts 12:5–11).

2. Worship of God alone

When angels appear elsewhere, they refuse worship (Revelation 22:8–9). The focus in Daniel is likewise on God, not the messenger. True piety recognizes angelic help without allowing fascination to drift into veneration.

3. Encouragement of holiness

Angelic presence often accompanies holiness or sets apart holy ground (Exodus 3:5). The fire of Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace consumed bonds but left the faithful unscathed. Such imagery urges believers to pursue purity, trusting that God’s servants stand ready to aid them against sin’s snares.

Eschatological Horizon

Daniel’s visions later introduce angelic figures who interpret God’s future purposes (Daniel 8–12). The historical rescues in chapters 3 and 6 therefore prefigure the final deliverance when Michael arises for Israel (Daniel 12:1) and when, according to Jesus, angels will “gather His elect from the four winds” (Matthew 24:31). The same God who sent His messenger to Babylon will consummate history with universal vindication of the saints.

Integration within the Canon

Genesis 19:1–22 – Angels protect Lot and lead him out of judgment.
2 Kings 19:35 – One angel routes the Assyrian army, paralleling Daniel’s theme of imperial humiliation.
Acts 27:23–24 – An angel stands beside Paul in a storm, echoing Danielic assurance during Gentile imprisonment.

The uniform witness of Scripture affirms an unbroken continuum of angelic ministry from patriarchs to prophets to apostles, all under the sovereign command of the LORD.

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 4398 מַלְאַךְ in Daniel highlights God’s unwavering commitment to preserve His covenant people, confront idolatrous power, and direct redemptive history toward its consummation. Angels remain ministering spirits, yet their appearances are never mere embellishments; they are strategic, purposeful, and always Christ-ward in orientation, inviting the faithful to steadfast courage, reverent worship, and joyful anticipation of final deliverance.

Forms and Transliterations
מַלְאֲכֵ֗הּ מַלְאֲכֵהּ֙ מלאכה mal’ăḵêh mal·’ă·ḵêh malaCheh
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 3:28
HEB: דִּֽי־ שְׁלַ֤ח מַלְאֲכֵהּ֙ וְשֵׁיזִ֣ב לְעַבְד֔וֹהִי
NAS: has sent His angel and delivered
KJV: who hath sent his angel, and delivered
INT: who has sent his angel and delivered his servants

Daniel 6:22
HEB: אֱלָהִ֞י שְׁלַ֣ח מַלְאֲכֵ֗הּ וּֽסֲגַ֛ר פֻּ֥ם
NAS: sent His angel and shut
KJV: hath sent his angel, and hath shut
INT: my God sent his angel and shut mouths

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4398
2 Occurrences


mal·’ă·ḵêh — 2 Occ.

4397
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