Who was the first person in the Bible to see an angel?

Angels, as messengers of God, play vital roles in significant biblical events, guiding, warning, and comforting people at pivotal moments. A common question that arises among students of the Bible is: Who was the first person in the Bible to see an angel?

What Are Angels in the Bible?

Angels are spiritual beings created by God to serve as His agents, delivering messages, executing divine will, and providing protection or guidance. Their appearances are often marked by awe, fear, or reassurance, highlighting their supernatural nature and the gravity of their messages.

The First Angelic Encounter: Hagar’s Story

When tracing the earliest angelic appearances in the Bible, many might expect prominent patriarchs or matriarchs like Abraham or Sarah to be the recipients. However, the first person explicitly described as seeing and interacting with an angel is Hagar, an Egyptian slave woman who served Sarah, Abraham’s wife. This encounter is detailed in the book of Genesis, chapters 16 and 21.

The Context: Hagar, Sarah, and Abraham

Hagar’s story is set against the backdrop of Abraham and Sarah’s struggle with infertility. God had promised Abraham that he would become the father of a great nation, but years passed without a child. In her desperation, Sarah gave her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abraham as a surrogate to bear a child on her behalf—a common practice in ancient times. When Hagar became pregnant, tensions rose between her and Sarah, leading to conflict and mistreatment.

Hagar Flees and Meets the Angel

Genesis 16 recounts how, after being mistreated by Sarah, Hagar fled into the wilderness. There, “the angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert” (Genesis 16:7, NIV). This is the first recorded instance in the Bible where an angel appears to a named individual and engages in a direct conversation.

The angel addresses Hagar by name, asks about her situation, and instructs her to return to Sarah and submit to her, with a promise that her descendants will be too numerous to count. The angel also foretells the birth of her son, Ishmael, and describes his future. Moved by this divine encounter, Hagar refers to God as “the God who sees me,” acknowledging the personal attention and care she has received.

The Significance of Hagar’s Encounter

Hagar’s encounter with the angel carries profound theological and social implications. She is a marginalized figure—an Egyptian, a slave, and a woman—yet she becomes the first person in the biblical record to see and speak with an angel. This underscores a recurring biblical theme: God’s care and concern extend to all, regardless of status or background.

The angel’s message to Hagar is both challenging and comforting. She is told to return to a difficult situation but is also given a promise of a future for herself and her child. This encounter demonstrates that God sees and responds to the pain of the overlooked and oppressed, offering hope and reassurance.

Are There Earlier Angelic Encounters?

Some readers might wonder about earlier passages in Genesis. For example, in Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden, God stations cherubim (a type of angelic being) to guard the entrance. However, there is no record of Adam or Eve directly seeing or interacting with these cherubim. Similarly, in Genesis 6, “the sons of God” are mentioned, but these are not clearly defined as angels, and there is no direct encounter described.

Other early instances include God’s conversations with Adam, Eve, Cain, and Noah, but these are direct encounters with God (sometimes referred to as theophanies), not angelic messengers. It is only with Hagar that the text specifically identifies “the angel of the Lord” speaking to a human.

Further Angelic Appearances in Genesis

After Hagar, angels appear several more times in Genesis. Notably, Abraham receives angelic visitors in Genesis 18, who bring the promise of Isaac’s birth and warn of Sodom’s impending destruction. Lot is rescued by angels in Genesis 19. Jacob has multiple encounters with angels, including his famous vision of a ladder reaching to heaven (Genesis 28) and his wrestling match with a mysterious figure (Genesis 32), often interpreted as an angel or as God Himself.

However, in terms of clear, explicit narrative, Hagar’s story in Genesis 16 remains the earliest account of an angelic appearance to a named person, with a direct verbal exchange.

The Angel of the Lord: A Unique Messenger

It’s worth noting that the “angel of the Lord” in Hagar’s story is a special figure in the Old Testament. Some scholars suggest that appearances of the “angel of the Lord” may be a form of theophany—a manifestation of God Himself—because of the authority and language used. For example, the angel speaks as God in the first person and Hagar addresses the angel as God. This has led to much theological discussion about the nature of such encounters. Regardless of this distinction, the narrative clearly presents the visitor as an angelic messenger, making Hagar’s experience the first of its kind in the Bible.

Conclusion

Hagar’s story marks a turning point in the biblical narrative, highlighting themes of divine compassion, the value of marginalized individuals, and the pivotal role of angels as God’s messengers. As we reflect on Hagar’s experience, we are reminded that divine encounters can come to the most unexpected people at the most unexpected times, bringing reassurance, instruction, and hope.