Texts in Conversation
2 Samuel 14 and Zechariah 12 describe angels or deities as models of excellence. The woman of Tekoa says David judges rightly like an angel, and Zechariah says future leaders in Jerusalem will be moral examples like the angel of God.
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2 Samuel 14:17
Hebrew Bible
15 I have now come to speak with my lord the king about this matter, because the people have made me fearful. But your servant said, ‘I will speak to the king! Perhaps the king will do what his female servant asks. 16 Yes! The king may listen and deliver his female servant from the hand of the man who seeks to remove both me and my son from the inheritance God has given us!’ 17 So your servant said, ‘May the word of my lord the king be my security, for my lord the king is like the angel of God when it comes to deciding between right and wrong! May the Lord your God be with you!’” 18 Then the king replied to the woman, “Don’t hide any information from me when I question you.” The woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.”
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Zechariah 12:8
Hebrew Bible
6 On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like an igniter among sticks and a burning torch among sheaves, and they will burn up all the surrounding nations right and left. Then the people of Jerusalem will settle once more in their place, the city of Jerusalem. 7 The Lord also will deliver the homes of Judah first, so that the splendor of the kingship of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not exceed that of Judah. 8 On that day the Lord himself will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like mighty David, and the dynasty of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. 9 So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Some references to mal'akim are comparative or metaphorical. (This is not the equivalent of figurative anthropomorphic language describing Yahweh; in these texts, the humans are primary and the references to angels are figurative) There are passages in which people are compared to angels, but in each case the context very clearly demonstrates that none of these are based on physicality. 1 Samuel 29:9, 2 Samuel 14:17-20 and 19:28 contain comparisons of David to an angel, based on his behavior. In 1 Samuel 29:8-9, when David asks, “What have I done?” Achish answers, “You are good in my eyes, like an angel of God”. In both 2 Samuel passages the comparisons include references to discerning between good and bad. In 2 Samuel 14:17 the woman of Tekoa says to David, “Like an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad”. 2 Samuel 19:28 is similar. Each of these comparisons is based on behavior or judgment, not on physical appearance ..."
Hamori, Esther J.
When Gods Were Men: The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature
(p. 108) De Gruyter, 2008
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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