In Hebrew, “anjo” is translated as “mal’akh.”

Mal’akh: the term “mal’akh” (מלאך) in Hebrew simply means “messenger” or “envoy”. The plural is mal’akhim. The Greek translators of the Bible rendered it as “ángelos, ‘messenger'”, giving rise to the Latin term “angelus” and the Portuguese word “anjo”. The philological meaning itself is already a theology: in the Bible, the name of the angel describes its function, not its nature.

Mal’akh: Uma Palavra de Missão

Mal’akh derives from a Semitic root meaning “to send.” In the Hebrew Bible, it is applied both to human messengers, as in Genesis 32:4, where it refers to Jacob sending messengers to Esau, and to celestial angels. A striking example is found in the prophet Malachi, whose very name means “my messenger.”

” Behold, I send my messenger (mal’akhi), and he will prepare the way before me. And suddenly the Lord you seek will come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant (mal’akh ha-berit) whom you desire. Behold, come, said the Lord of Hosts” (Malachi 3:1).

In this verse, the word designates both the human precursor, identified in the Gospel as John the Baptist, and the mysterious “messenger of the covenant.” The term is the same because the logic is the same: to be mal’akh is to exist in a state of mission.

Nome de Ofício, Não de Natureza

Saint Augustine perfectly summarized the doctrine: “Angelus… officii nomen est, non naturae“, angel is a name of office, not of nature. He explains that, by nature, angels are spirits, and when sent on a mission, they are called angels (CCC 329). The Hebrew word confirms Saint Augustine: mal’akh does not describe the nature of the creature but rather the service it performs. Therefore, celestial beings who never appear in missions to men, such as the seraphim of Isaiah or the cherubim that guard Eden and support the throne, are not called mal’akh in the Hebrew text: their office is different, to worship and guard, not to announce.

O Grego Ángelos e a Septuaginta

When the Old Testament was translated into Greek, *mal’akh* became *ángelos*, with the same meaning of “messenger.” The New Testament inherited this term: it is an *ângelo* who speaks to Joseph in dreams, and Saint Luke writes that “the angel Gabriel was sent” (Luke 1:26) to a virgin named Mary. The verb is the same as the Hebrew root: sent. From Greek, the word passed into Latin *angelus* and all Christian languages. Every time we say “anjo,” we unknowingly repeat biblical theology of mission.

O Anjo do Senhor (Mal’akh YHWH)

One of the most notable uses of mal’akh is the expression “the angel of the Lord” (mal’akh YHWH). It first appears in the story of Hagar, the Egyptian servant who flees into the desert: “and the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness” (Genesis 16:7). What follows is surprising: this angel speaks in the first person as if it were God Himself, and Hagar concludes that she saw God. The same happens in other scenes, such as the burning bush. Exegesis has debated for centuries whether mal’akh YHWH represents an angel who conveys God’s message or a manifestation of God Himself. Without settling the question, the fact remains: in the Bible, the angel never draws attention to himself; he is pure transparency of the One who sends him.

Os Nomes em -El: Quando o Nome do Anjo Fala de Deus

The only three angels with proper names in Scripture confirm this rule of transparency: Michael (Mikha’El, “who is like God?”), Gabriel (Gavri’El, “strength of God”), and Raphael (Refa’El, “God heals”). All end in -El, “God”. The name of each angel is a statement about God, not a portrait of the angel. We explore each one of them and the reason why the Church does not approve other names in the article on the names of angels and situate everything within the doctrinal context of our page on angelology.

Perguntas Frequentes

• Como se diz “anjo” em hebraico?

• Angel in Hebrew is mal’akh (מלאך), which literally means “messenger” or “sent one”. The plural is mal’akhim. The Greek translation of the Bible (Septuagint) rendered mal’akh as ángelos, from which comes the Portuguese word “anjo”.

• O que significa mal’akh?

• Mal’akh derives from a Semitic root meaning “to send.” The mal’akh is the one who is sent with a mission and a message. Saint Augustine, quoted in the Catechism (CCC 329), states that “angel” is the name of the office, not of nature: angels are spirits sent.

• O que é o “anjo do Senhor” (mal’akh YHWH)?

• Mal’akh YHWH is a figure from the Old Testament who speaks and acts in God’s name with authority that sometimes blends with divinity itself. Exegesis debates whether it is an angel sent or a manifestation of God, and part of Christian tradition sees in these appearances prefigurations of the Word.

• Qual é a diferença entre “anjo” e “arcanjo”?

• Arcanjo (do grego archángelos, “chefe dos anjos”) aparece no Novo Testamento em 1 Tessalonicenses 4:16 e Judeu 9. Na classificação tradicional dos coros, os arcanjos são mensageiros das grandes missões, como Gabriel na Anunciação. A Igreja aprova o culto de três arcanjos com nome: Miguel, Gabriel e Rafael, celebrados a 29 de setembro.