Biblical Angels – What do they look like?

When most people think of angels, a mental picture of a huge glowing human-like figure in white robes, massive white wings, and perhaps a halo, immediately comes to mind.

Some people even imagine angels like cherubim to look like little plump children with halos, tiny wings, and white loincloths, floating around on clouds with their harps.

This ideology was greatly influenced and it gained popularity from the depiction of angels in Christian art and media over the years.

However, it is inaccurate by biblical standards. Though the Bible doesn’t give a specific form for all angels, it does describe a few of them and this description is very different from what many people have imagined them to be.

You can note that the Bible consistently gives a bizarre description of angels when it comes to revealing the glory of heaven to men like John, Daniel, and Ezekiel.

But when it came to earthly errands, all the people who saw them, saw them in a form they could relate to.

Biblical Descriptions of Angels:

• Revelation 4:8 mentions four living creatures before God’s throne that had six wings and were covered with eyes all around, even under their wings.
• Ezekiel 1:16-18 Ezekiel describes creatures that are like “a wheel within a wheel with each of their four rims filled with eyes all around.” These particular angels serve as the wheels of God’s throne.
• Ezekiel 1:10 In Ezekiel’s vision of God, Cherubim are described as having four wings, 2 for covering their feet and 2 for flight and have 4 faces: human, lion, ox and an eagle Their name means ‘fulfillment of wisdom’.
• Isaiah 6:2 Seraphim  are described in  as having six wings; 2 to cover their feet, 2 for their flight, and 2 covering their face. They are attendants at God’s throne and praise Him forever. Their name translates to mean ‘the burning ones’.
• Daniel 8:15 On the other hand, some biblically accurate angels also appeared to men in the form of humans. Daniel describes the one who appeared to him as ‘having the form of a man.’
• Genesis 18:22 The three angels who appeared to Abraham also looked like human travelers and that was why he was hospitable to them. These same angels led Lot and his family out of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.
• Luke 24:4 In the New Testament, the ones who were at Jesus’ tomb on the morning of His resurrection were described to have been ‘two men in dazzling clothes.’
• Acts 1:10 When Jesus ascended to heaven, it was recorded that there were two men with white cloth who addressed His disciples. Biblical scholars naturally assume them to be angels.
• Ephesians 1:21 Virtues are mainly associated with control over the elements. Their primary appearance is a beam of light.

Fear Not?

Just imagine one of the bizarre-looking angels around God’s throne appearing to a human to give them His message. The words ‘fear not’ wouldn’t do the slightest thing to quell their fears. They’d probably have a heart attack on the spot from fright or take off screaming their heads off.

Taking on a human-like figure helps people focus on the message, rather than the messenger.

Specific Angel Lore

• Seraphim:

One may trace the historical influences for the Seraphim from its name. Seraphim derives from the Hebrew word “Seraph,” which means “to burn” in English. Digging deeper, the Hebrew word “Saraph” means “venomous desert snake”. In ancient Egypt, people referred to the cobra as “the flaming one.” Its icon was called Uraeus, and it usually adorned the Pharoah’s headpiece.

Several historians speculate that the authors of the Old Testament derived Seraphim’s wings and flames from Egyptian imagery and associations with the cobra.

• Cherubim.

The Cherubim, later shortened to Cherub, is the lowest in rank among the four. The Bible describes these beings as animal-human hybrids, tasked with guarding the garden of Eden against humankind. The Devil was a Cherub.

The biblical description is far from how we imagine the Cherub now. While scholars credit its modern-day image to Greek and Roman deities like Cupid, they attribute the detail in the Bible to cultural exchanges with ancient Babylonia, Syria, and Egypt. The Cherub’s function of guarding sacred places and their mixed appearance is similar to that of the Babylonian Lamassu, Egyptian Sphynx, and Hittite Griffin.

• The Ophanim

The Ophanim, or “the wheels,” is arguably the most bizarre being in the Bible. Ezekiel’s account in the Bible describes them as beings made out of interlocking gold wheels with each wheel’s exterior covered with multiple eyes. They move by floating themselves in the sky. They are tasked with guarding God’s throne.

There is no exact historical origin for the Ophanim. Josef F. Blumrich, a former NASA employee, theorized that Ezekiel’s vision of the wheels and other angels might have been a UFO sighting. However, critics label him as a conspiracy theorist.

Nevertheless, other authors claim that an ingested psychedelic substance caused the prophet’s vision. Scholars have also proposed that the image was merely a metaphor for God’s mystery.

• The Virtues

According to The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, the Virtues are known for their control of the elements. In addition to being the spirits of motion, they also assist in governing nature. They also assist with miracles, as well as encourage humans to strengthen their faith in God.

The term Angel comes from the Greek word Angelos, which originated from the Hebrew word for messenger, Mal’ akh. The Malakim are messengers of God and more closely resemble humans. Regarded as the foot soldiers of heaven, they act on God’s behalf as protectors and/or messengers.

However, while the Malakim looked like human beings, there was no mention of them having wings in the Bible.

The earliest known Christian image of an angel from the mid-third century was without wings. It wasn’t until the late fourth century that artists reimagined angels with the possession of wings. According to some researchers, this was done to represent their sublime nature, despite artists knowing that scripture did not describe them as having wings.