Gabriel - Word Foundations

Gabriel is the name given to a specific angel (messenger from God) in Scripture. His name means “strong man of God,” and he is reported in the Bible to have been sent on four specific God-given missions.

In Daniel 8, the prophet Daniel saw a vision of a ram and a goat. In verses 15-17, the prophet wrote, “While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man. I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai [Canal (see v. 2)]: ‘Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.’ So he approached where I was standing; when he came near, I was terrified and fell facedown. ‘Son of man,’ he said to me, ‘understand that the vision refers to the time of the end.’” Gabriel continued (see vv. 18-17), giving Daniel help in understanding the vision.
In Daniel 9 while Daniel was praying, Gabriel appeared to the prophet once more: “Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering. He gave me this explanation: ‘Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding’” (vv. 21-22). Gabriel went on to talk about the 70 weeks of years, giving Daniel insight regarding God’s timetable for the future (see vv. 23-27).
Centuries later, Gabriel appeared to the priest Zechariah to announce to him that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son in their old age, and that their son would fill a special, God-given role. Zechariah was performing his priestly duties in the temple when “an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and overcome with fear. But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John’” (Luke 1:11-13; see vv. 5-25 for the context). In verse 19 (quoted below) the angel identified himself as Gabriel.
“In the sixth month” of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, “the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26-27). Gabriel went on to tell Mary that God had chosen her to be the mother of His Son (see vv. 26-38 for the context).

We don’t see Gabriel identified anywhere else in the Bible, so apart from what we learn from Scripture about angels in general, our knowledge of him is limited to the information given in these four accounts. Gabriel’s own words to Zechariah certainly give us significant information. When Zechariah asked Gabriel how he—Zechariah—could know that all he—Gabriel—had revealed to him would occur, “the angel answered him, ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news!’” (Luke 1:19). Gabriel’s missions demonstrate that He has been sent on assignments related to prophecy, interpretation of prophecy, explaining God’s purposes, and informing God’s servants of their roles in God’s plan.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in this article are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.