Michael Hundley: Are Angels Gods?

Michael B. Hundley, “What is a God in the Hebrew Bible? Part 1: The Divine Cast of Characters,” ANE Today 13.7 (July 2025).

Most assume that angels (literally messengers) are not gods, using the circular argument that they cannot be gods since there is only one god. However, monotheistic assumptions aside, there is no compelling reason to exclude angels from the god category and many reasons to include them. Divine messengers are consistently labeled gods in the surrounding cultures and may serve important advisory roles. In the Bible, they also serve more expansive functions, including destroying both God’s people (2 Sam 24:15-16) and their adversaries (2 Kgs 19:35). Angels even may be so closely associated with YHWH that they appear indistinguishable from him (e.g., Gen 16; 31:11-13; Exod 3). It is possible though not certain that the Bible calls angels gods (Gen 32:1-2; 35:7) and Daniel 3:25-29 equates an angel with a son of god. Rather than being nurturing winged women wearing white, angels have no wings in the text, are always either nongendered or male, and consistently inspire fear.