Word Prompt – MALACH – David Curwin

The word malach derives from the root lach, meaning “to send.” This is also the root of the word melach, meaning “work, occupation.” According to some scholars, the original meaning of melacha was “mission,” reflecting the root’s sense of sending.

When the Bible was translated into Greek, a word was needed to render malach. The word chosen was angelos, which could refer to any kind of messenger.

Later the Bible was translated into Latin as well. Latin, like Greek, did not have a word specifically for divine messengers. So, translators used the existing Latin nuntius for human messengers and borrowed the Greek term as angelus for divine ones. This distinction passed into European languages as well. In English, “angel” came to mean specifically a divine messenger, while “messenger” remained the word for a human one. Biblical Hebrew, however, makes no such distinction: both can be a malach.

This means that when we encounter malach in Tanach, we cannot tell from the word alone whether it refers to a divine or human messenger. In Yaakov’s dream, the malachim are clearly angels.

In other cases, the meaning is clearly human. In Melachim I 19:2, we read:

“Then Izevel sent a malach to Eliyahu...” Certainly Izevel wasn’t sending a divine angel.

Sometimes it’s not so clear. In the opening verse of Parashat Vayishlach:

“Yaakov sent malachim ahead to his brother Esav…” (Bereshit 32:4)

Rashi understands them as divine angels, while Ibn Ezra and Radak understand them as human messengers.