angel

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The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article ): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way to do this is through the use of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) is used as in mi-tsukai (御使い) or “messenger (of God).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Bender / Belt (2025, p. 2f.) report about the translation of “angel” in Cherokee: “In John, the concept of angel is translated using a descriptive neologism rather than a semantic extension, suggesting the lack of a ready parallel. The plural is dmikahnawadidohi, ‘the law-givers’ or ‘those who go around looking after the medicine.’ Cherokee speakers argue that the Cherokee word for ‘law,’ dikahnawadvsdi, expresses the intent to maintain social, physical, and spiritual health and has at its core the word for ‘medicine,’ mwoli, which encompasses all aspects of social and spiritual well-being, including balance and order (Altman and Belt 2009), much more than the English word. Thus, the Cherokee word for ‘angel’ represents a new perspective on this category of spiritual beings named in the Bible. It does not derive from the concept of messenger present in both its Greek (angelos) and Hebrew (malak) antecedents perhaps because the Cherokee word for ‘messenger,’ atsinvsidasdi, is widely used to translate the foreign lexeme ‘servant.'”

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

archangel

The Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “archangel” in English is translated in Tibetan as pho nya mchog (ཕོ་​ཉ་​མཆོག) or “best messenger.” (gSungrab website )

See also angel.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 4:36 - 4:37

And Jeremiel the archangel answered them and said: Jeremiel is unknown in Scripture, but is mentioned (as Remiel) in the Greek version of 1 Enoch 20.8, as one of seven archangels, as well as in 2 Baruch 55.3. An archangel is a chief among angels. Archangels are mentioned in Scripture only at 1 Thes 4.16 and Jude 9. Other ways to render this word are “chief angel,” “ruling angel,” or even “a chief of God’s messengers.” The pronoun them refers to the righteous dead. A possible model for this quote frame is “Jeremiel, one of the chief angels, answered them [or, the righteous people].”

When the number of those like yourselves is completed: Compare 2 Esd 2.40-41. Those like yourselves refers to all other righteous people. This clause may be rendered “It will happen [or, You will receive their reward] as soon as the number [or, all] of the people like you is complete” or “It will happen as soon as the complete number of those who have suffered like you are here” (similarly Good News Bible). Revised Standard Version notes a textual problem here. We prefer the reading in Revised Standard Version without a footnote.

For he has weighed the age in the balance: For the idea of weighing in the balance, see the comments on 2 Esd 3.34. Good News Bible renders this clause as “For God has weighed this age.” Another possible model is “For God has weighed this age as if on a balance [or, scales].”

And measured the times by measure, and numbered the times by number: These two clauses refer to the years and days in this age. Good News Bible makes this clear by saying “measured the years, and numbered the days,” and so does Contemporary English Version with “he has counted its years and days.”

And he will not move or arouse them until that measure is fulfilled: It is not clear where Jeremiel’s words end. Revised Standard Version, Good News Bible, and others versions assume that his words extend through verse 37. We recommend, however, that Jeremiel’s words be limited to When the number of those like yourselves is completed. The pronoun them most likely refers to the souls of the righteous dead (verse 35) whom Jeremiel addresses. (Grammatically, the pronoun them, which represents no particular word in the Latin text, can be taken to refer to the times, but we think it makes better sense referring to the souls of the righteous dead.) With for he has weighed … through the end of verse 37 it seems that Uriel is talking about those anxious souls. If this is true, the phrase move or arouse them means “make them alive” or even “call for them,” so the last sentence of verse 37 may be rendered “He will not call for those souls [or, those righteous dead] until their number is complete.” Using Good News Bible as a guide, we propose the following model for verses 36-37:

• 36 The archangel Jeremiel answered them, ‘It will happen as soon as the complete number of those who have suffered as you have are here.’ [You see,] God has weighed this age, 37 measured the years, and numbered the days. He will not call for those souls until their number is complete.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.