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I'm probably making much ado about nothing but here goes. In Judges 13:2-3, it is an angel who appears to Samson's mother in order to prophesy that they will have a child.

Judges 13:2-3

New American Standard Bible 1995

2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had borne no children. 3 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to > the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son.

More importantly, one of the most famous prophetic revelatory messages was when the angel of the Lord, Gabriel, appeared to Mary in order to declare that she would be mother to our Saviour & Lord, Jesus Christ:

Luke 1:26-31

New American Standard Bible 1995

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin [a]engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the [b]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [c]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, [d]favored one! The Lord [e]is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

Even in Judges 6, it was an angel who appeared to Gideon in order to reveal to him that he would be the warrior who would lead Israel against the oppression of the Midianites during his time period.

In the Ezekiel 40:3 bible verse, it mentions "a man"

Ezekiel 40:3

New American Standard Bible 1995

3 So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring [a]rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway.

However in Ezekiel 40-48, Would it be important to know why "a man" took the role as a "tour guide" around the temple as opposed to "an angel"? If yes, why or why Not?

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  • because it was a vision in Ezekiel which can involve such figures like Bronce angels/figures, unique angels like cherubim etc. Commented yesterday
  • @Michael16 Thanks. Could one say that the Ezekiel 40:3 bible verse's reference to "a man" could very well be Jesus Christ, the "Son of Man" ? Commented yesterday
  • No, that is not reasonable Commented yesterday

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Ezekiel's two temples visions form a deliberate and dramatic contrast. In Ezekiel 8-11, he is taken on a tour of the corrupted temple. Because Ezekiel has seen the temple at its lowest point, he becomes the ideal witness to report the glorious, restored temple revealed in Ezekiel 40-48 - a vision of the renewed age.

Contrast Between Ezekiel's Two Temple Tours

Theme Corrupted Temple (Ezekiel 8-11) Glorious Temple (Ezekiel 40-48)
Divine Presence Glory departs toward the east (10-11) Glory returns from the east (43:1-5)
Temple condition Defiled and polluted: idols inside the temple, images of unclean animals, secret idolatry, and widespread injustice in the city Holy and orderly: symmetrical, architecturally ideal, with abundant rooms and spaces for renewed worship
Judgment vs Restoration Judgment begins at the sanctuary (9:6) A healing river flows from the sanctuary (47:1-12)
Outcome The temple is abandoned; city is destined for destruction The temple becomes the source of life in renewed age

The contrast is intentional: Ezekiel who witnessed God's glory departing from a defiled sanctuary is later privileged to witness that same glory returning to a restored one.

In addition to these visions, Jesus took upon Himself Ezekiel's favorite title, "Son of Man," emphasizing that God's salvation would come through a man appointed to His divine will. Likewise, all genuine believers are called to be witnesses of God's work - seeing how a corrupted world will one day be transformed into a glorious new creation under the reign of God.

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  • Thanks. Therefore, could one say that the Ezekiel 40:3 bible verse's reference to "a man" could very well be Jesus Christ, the "Son of Man" ? Commented yesterday
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    @user1338998 - The answer is not straightforward. Christ's appearance is described more explicitly in Revelation 1:12-16, while Daniel 10:5-6 presents overlapping imagery without identifying the figure. In Ezekiel 40:3, the bronze-like man may be understood as a heavenly being, yet Scripture elsewhere assigns the task of measuring specifically to angelic figures (Revelation 11:1-2 & 21:15-17). Thus, the identity of the man in Ezekiel's vision remains open, and it cannot be concluded with certainty that he is Jesus Christ. Commented yesterday
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There are several matters here that need to be demystified.

1 Angel is a Messenger

Both in the Hebrew and Greek, the word for "angel" is any messenger, whether from heaven or human. Thus, angel does not have to be a transcendental being. Indeed, "Angel of the LORD" is often the LORD Himself as per Gen 16:7-13, 22:11-17, 32:24-30, 48:16, Ex 3:2-6, 32:34, Num 22:22-35, Josh 5:13-15, Judg 2:1-4, 6:11-23, 13:3-23, Isa 63:9, Dan 3:25, 28, Hos 12:4, 5, Zech 3:1-7, Mal 3:1.

2 Gabriel, the heavenly angel

Note what is recorded in Dan 9:21 -

while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.

3 Judges 13

In Judges 13 we have this messenger referenced in the following ways:

  • "The Angel of the LORD" in V3, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, etc
  • "The Angel of God" in V5, 9, etc
  • "The Man" in V5, 8, 9, etc
  • "God" in V22

Thus, these titles/designations are all the same person and are consistent with their usage elsewhere in Scripture. Note that in Gen 18, Abraham sees three "men", two of which are angels (Gen 19:1, 2) and the third one is the LORD Himself.

In Eze 40, it is entirely possible that the "man" who acted as tour guide was actually an angel of heaven but is referred to as a man as in Judges 13 and Dan 9.

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  • What scriptural support do you have for calling Gabriel 'divine' ? And the three men seen by Abraham were all men. Once they leave, Abraham addresses the Lord. Commented yesterday
  • @NigelJ - you have no Scriptural support for your final sentence. I have changed "divine" to "heavenly". Commented yesterday
  • And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom : but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. Genesis 18:22. Commented 23 hours ago
  • @NigelJ - I rest my case! Commented 22 hours ago
  • So how can you state that 'the third one is the Lord himself ' ? Commented 22 hours ago

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