The destroying angel passes through Egypt

In the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' plural In many languages, a plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated as pl., pl, , or ), is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than ...

: , ''mašḥīṯīm'', 'spoilers, ravagers'), is an entity sent out by God on several occasions to deal with numerous peoples. These angels ('' mal’āḵīm'') are also variously referred to as '' memitim'' (, 'executioners, slayers'), or, when used singularly, as the Angel of the Lord. The latter is found in Job 33:22, as well as in Proverbs 16:14 in the plural "messengers of death". ''Mashchith'' was also used as an alternate name for one of the seven compartments of

Gehenna Gehenna ( ; ) or Gehinnom ( or ) is a Biblical toponym that has acquired various theological connotations, including as a place of divine punishment, in Jewish eschatology. The place is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as part of the border ...

. In

2 Samuel The Book of Samuel () is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) that constitute a theological ...

24:15-16, the destroying angel almost destroyed Jerusalem but was recalled by God. In

1 Chronicles The Book of Chronicles ( , "words of the days") is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Chronicles) in the Christian Old Testament. Chronicles is the final book of the Hebrew Bible, concluding the third section of the Jewish Tan ...

21:15, the same "Angel of the Lord" is seen by

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

to stand "between the earth and the heaven, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out against the Hebrews' enemies". Later, in 2 Kings 19:35, the angel kills 185,000

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...

n soldiers. In the

Book of Enoch The Book of Enoch (also 1 Enoch; Hebrew language, Hebrew: סֵפֶר חֲנוֹךְ, ''Sēfer Ḥănōḵ''; , ) is an Second Temple Judaism, ancient Jewish Apocalyptic literature, apocalyptic religious text, ascribed by tradition to the Patriar ...

, angels of punishment and destruction belong to a group of angels called ''satans'' with

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

as their leader. First, they tempt, then accuse, and finally punish and torment both wicked humans and

fallen angel Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven. Such angels are often described ...

s. In

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

, such angels might be seen as created by one's sins. As long as a person lives, God allows them to repent. However, the angels of destruction can execute the sentence proclaimed in the heavenly court after death. Israel Meir Ha-Kohen. 2005. ''Above All Else: The Chofetz Chaim on Torah Study: Collected from His Writings,'' Volume 1. Feldheim Publishers. . p. 112 Also called ''Malachei Habala'' ("Sabotage Angels"), they punish sinners in the

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

and are equated with '' Shedim'' (demons) ('' Berakhot'' 51a; '' Ketubot'' 104a; ''

Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Middle Aramaic , a loanword from , 'assembly,' 'sitting together,' hence ' assembly' or 'council') was a Jewish legislative and judicial assembly of either 23 or 70 elders, existing at both a local and central level i ...

'' 106b).

Islamic view

The angels of punishment as ''satans'' are recounted in Islam in the form of a ''

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

''. According to which, a murderer is instructed to repent from their sins by leaving their evil environment and moving to a better one. However, they die on their way, thereupon a disagreement between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment under the leadership of ''Iblīs'' (Satan) occurs, who may take the soul of the repenting murderer.Awn, P. J. (1983). Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology. Niederlande: E.J. Brill. However, Satan did not have control over those angels as he had lost authority during the rebellion, instead tempting and manipulating others to do his dirty work. As he was not the one committing the sin, punishment goes to the wrong doer, and Satan instead will become a victim along with other sinners from humankind to be tortured by those angels.

References

External links

Jewish Encyclopedia Angel of Death

Samael, Lilith, and the Destroyer
{{Angels in Abrahamic religions

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

Angels of death Angels in Christianity Angels in Judaism Classes of angels

Islamic view

See also

References

External links