Lexical Summary malak: angel Original Word: מַלְאַךְ 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 DanielIn 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 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: 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. 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 malaChehLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman'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 2 Occurrences |