From the Old to the New Testament, Christians have noticed that God used angels to send messages to His people in certain instances. The angels delivered these messages for reasons best known to God. The angels have been depicted as mysterious heavenly creatures who help God convey some of his most important messages and run some of His most essential duties. However, some curious Christians would like to know whether angels are assigned gender-specific roles and have asked, “Do angels have gender?”
The Bible does not define the gender of angels. Still, it classifies them as spiritual creatures in Hebrews 1:14. However, most scriptures have suggested the Angels be male and assigned them the male pronouns when discussing executing their duties. The appearance of angels in the Bible has also depicted them as males; thus, it is assumed that angels are male. There has been no record of a female angel in the Bible.
Several Christians have not been exposed to scriptures defining angels and are, therefore, uninformed. They have been asking several questions about angels. Does the Bible reveal the gender of angels? Why does the Bible mention only masculine angels? Can angels procreate? These and other questions regarding angels have been answered in this article. Read on to find out.
Does the Bible specify the gender of angels?
The Bible does not specify the gender of angels. No specific verse has gone ahead and tried to define the gender of the angels. However, the angels in the Bible have been given the male gender pronouns while being referred to as men in some instances.
God sent Angel Gabriel to explain some end-time visions to His prophet Daniel. At the time, Daniel had experienced visions from God, but he found interpreting them quite challenging. Then, God sent one of His angels to explain the visions to him. While describing one of the visions in Daniel 8:15-27, Daniel saw an angel with the figure of a man whom God referred to as Gabriel. This is one instance where the Bible has suggested that Angels in the Bible could be male.
In the second vision recorded in Daniel 9:20-27, prophet Daniel writes that he saw the man Gabriel while he was busy praying to God. This was when Daniel was repenting to God for his sins, and those of the children of Israel and Angel Gabriel appeared again to him with a message from God. This is another instance where an angel appears in the body of a man, suggesting that some angels in the Bible could be male.
In Genesis 18:2, God visited Abraham to deliver the good message of the birth of Isaac in the form of three men regarded as angels. Revelation 12:7 Angel Michael is described as fighting against the dragon with his angels. This is another masculine pronoun used to describe an angel.
In Luke 1:28, God sends Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to deliver the Good message that she would be honored to carry the messiah in her womb. Angel Gabriel explains everything to her and then leaves. After the encounter, Mary is described as being troubled by his words. This is another instance where an angel has been depicted as male.
Prophet Zechariah also witnesses an angel in Zechariah 1:19-20. Zechariah uses the pronoun ‘he’ to describe the angel giving him a revelation about Israel. In Judges 6:21, the angel of God is described as holding the staff in ‘his’ hands. In Revelation 10:1, an angel of God is described as coming down with a rainbow over ‘his’ head. In Revelation 14:19, an angel of God is described as having swung ‘his’ sickle over the earth.
These are just some instances where angels in the Bible have been described using masculine pronouns, which suggests that they could be male.
Are there gender-specific angels?
The Bible mentions three angels and refers to them with the masculine pronouns that have made us assume them to be males.
Angel Gabriel
Angel Gabriel is the most popular angel in the Bible and appears many times, accomplishing God’s message. He appeared to Daniel in the Old Testament to explain God’s visions that were challenging for him to understand. One of the visions is recorded in Daniel 8:15-27.
Angel Gabriel was also sent to deliver the good news to Zacharias about his pregnant wife at the temple. He also did the same to Mary and was the one sent to decipher the message to Joseph. As the bearer of a couple of news from God, the angel Gabriel is thought to be a key messenger in the kingdom of God.
Angel Michael
In the book of Jude 9:1, he is referred to as Archangel Michael to signify his high rank in the Kingdom of God. He has been depicted mostly as the angel in charge of the holy wars. In Revelation 12:7-9 he leads a group of angels in fighting the dragon. Daniel 10:21 is depicted as a loyal soldier of God who is always ready to defend the throne. He is mostly seen in battles and has always been victorious in wars.
Why does the Bible always mention masculine angels?
The Bible does not give an explanation why it mentions only masculine angels. The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible to write. It can only be pegged to God’s plan that He decided the angels to be depicted masculinely. The most important thing to a Christian is knowing that the angels of God have always played their role perfectly per the scriptures.
Does the book of Zachariah indicate there are female angels?
Some Christians have interpreted Zachariah 5:9 to mean that female angels exist. Some scholars have warned that this could be a wrong misinterpretation. They have explained that the said women in that vision were referred to as women or ‘Nashym’ and not Angels or ‘Malak’ as with the likes of Gabriel and Michael.
Why are Angels Often Depicted as Females in Art and Culture?
Despite the Bible lacking angels described as females, some Christians have wondered why angels are often depicted as females in art and culture. Some scholars have tried explaining that this was because some pagan religions had winged creatures as their gods’ servants. Some pagan goddesses were also winged and played the role of angels. To illustrate how they looked, some artists made their pieces of art with some depicting angels as women.
Can angels procreate?
The Bible does not directly mention whether angels can procreate, but a scripture from Jesus reveals a specialty. Angels neither marry nor get married, as Jesus says in Matthew 22:30. From this, we can conclude that angels do not procreate and were not made for that purpose.
References
An explanation of whether Angels are male or female
Some Angels mentioned in the Bible
An explanation of whether Angels can reproduce
As a devout Christian, I have always been passionate about the Christian faith. This inspired me to pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology in college. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Since I am dedicated to spreading the word of God, I am actively involved in the Church. Additionally, I share his word online and cover diverse topics on the Christian faith through my platform. You can read more about me on the about us page.
