Reference

Judges 13:16

And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord.
14

She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.

15

And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

16

And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord.

17

And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

18

And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Created Messenger
Keyword Match
80% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Divine Speech
Keyword Match
80% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Created Messenger

The strongest argument against this interpretation is the theological position that the "Angel of the Lord" in many Old Testament passages is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ (a Christophany), rather than a created angelic being. Proponents of this view point to instances where the Angel of the Lord speaks with divine authority, accepts worship, and is identified with God Himself (e.g., Genesis 16:13, Exodus 3:2-6, Judges 6:11-14). In this specific verse, while the Angel states he will

Divine Speech

The Angel of the Lord's statement "if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord" does not necessarily imply the Angel *is* the Lord, but rather that the Angel is acting as a messenger or representative, directing Manoah to the proper recipient of the offering. The Angel's refusal to eat bread could also be interpreted as a characteristic of an angelic being, not necessarily a claim to divinity.