What biblical passages describe angels with male appearance or pronouns and what do scholars say?
Executive summary
The Bible repeatedly portrays some angels as male in appearance and with masculine pronouns—examples include the visitors to Abraham and Lot, Gabriel and Michael, and angelic figures at Jesus’ tomb and in Daniel—while other passages depict non‑human angelic creatures (cherubim, seraphim) with multiple faces or wings; commentators explain this mix by noting angels are spirit beings who take on masculine human form in narrative contexts and that Hebrew/Greek grammatical conventions favor masculine language [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Scholars and popular theologians diverge over whether masculine language reflects ontological gender, cultural language norms, or literary choice, and the sources provided emphasize angels’ sexless nature even when they “appear as men” [6] [7] [8].
1. Biblical passages that present angels as male in appearance or with masculine pronouns
Key narrative texts show angels appearing as men: Genesis 18 (three visitors to Abraham) and Genesis 19 (two angels at Lot’s house) portray them as male travelers whom humans interact with directly [1] [9]; Daniel 10 describes an angelic figure in strong, anthropomorphic terms and uses masculine description [10]; New Testament tomb scenes and annunciation narratives show angels or “young men” in white or described in masculine terms—Mark and John describe “a young man” at the tomb and Luke records Gabriel addressing Zechariah and Mary with male pronouns [3] [1] [2]. Named angels in Scripture—Michael and Gabriel—are presented with masculine identity and activities [8].
2. Biblical passages that complicate the “male angel” picture: cherubim, seraphim, and visionary beasts
Prophetic visions complicate any simple “angels = men” summary: Ezekiel 1 and 10 describe living creatures with multiple faces, wheels and eyes, and cherubim associated with winged, non‑human imagery [4] [5], while Isaiah 6 portrays six‑winged seraphim around God’s throne [4]. These texts depict angelic beings in forms not reducible to ordinary human maleness, and literary descriptions emphasize awe, brightness, and otherworldly features rather than biological sex [5] [4].
3. What commentators and scholars represented in these sources say about gender and pronouns
Across the cited commentary and devotional resources, a common interpretive line is that angels are spirit beings without human gender, who nevertheless “appear as men” when interacting with humans and are referred to with masculine pronouns largely because of linguistic and cultural conventions; several sources explicitly state angels are sexless though frequently depicted as male [6] [7] [1]. Some writers stress the grammar of Hebrew/Greek—the masculine often serves as the default or generic form when mixed groups or impersonal agents are in view—so masculine pronouns do not necessarily imply sexual identity [3] [6]. Other commentators add that certain angelic ranks (cherubim, seraphim, archangels) have specific functions and imagery that override simple gender categories [4] [5].
4. Tensions, cultural influence, and interpretive consequences
The sources make evident a tension between narrative depiction and theological claim: popular piety and art sometimes feminize or infantilize angels, yet the biblical texts and mainstream commentaries emphasize masculine presentation in narrative encounters and non‑sexual, spiritual ontology [5] [6]. Some writers draw sharper lines—arguing there are no female angels in Scripture and that every angelic reference uses masculine language—while others caution that such readings can conflate grammar with metaphysical fact and ignore visionary texts that defy human gender categories [8] [4]. The covered sources do not present detailed peer‑reviewed linguistic scholarship here, so further academic studies on Hebrew/Greek gender usage and patristic reception would be needed to settle how much grammar versus theology drives the masculine portrayals [3] [11].