Are angels allowed to redeem others from all evil?

by I_love_Jeff 3 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  I_love_Jeff

  Genesis 48:15-16
  

  15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 [the angel] who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” –

  Two-part question:
  

  1) Do angels have the authority to redeem all from evil? to bless humans? Are angels allowed to REDEEM others from ALL evil?

  2) Grammar-"may he bless"-The form in Hebrew is grammatically singular. If the verses are talking about two different beings, the phrase "may he bless" would be changed to "may they bless". God and the angel are the singular grammatical subject of the request to bless the boys. ("Angels"-Heiser pg 63)
  

  I would think that ONLY Jehovah or Jesus through Jehovah has the power to redeem others from ALL evil.
  

  Powers and Privileges-pg 107-Insight Volume 1
  

  1) Superhuman in power-strength & speed

  2) Limitation

  3) Minister

  4) Their messages contributed toward the writing of the Bible.

  I do not see such an authority on their list of powers and privileges in the Insight Book.

  Where in the Bible does it state that angels are given the authority to redeem others from all evil?

  
  
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  I_love_Jeff

  
  
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  Bobcat

  Footnote 30 at Gen 48:16 in the NET Bible, concerning "angel," says (quoted from here):

  Smr reads “king” here, but the traditional reading (“angel”) may be maintained. Jacob closely associates God with an angelic protective presence. This does not mean that Jacob viewed his God as a mere angel, but it does suggest that he was aware of an angelic presence sent by God to protect him. Here he so closely associates the two that they become virtually indistinguishable. In this culture messengers typically carried the authority of the one who sent them and could even be addressed as such. Perhaps Jacob thought that the divine blessing would be mediated through this angelic messenger.

  Footnote 31, concerning "redeem," but rendered "protect" in the NET, says:

  tn The verb גָּאַל (gaʾal) has the basic idea of “protect” as a near relative might do. It is used for buying someone out of bondage, marrying a deceased brother’s widow, paying off debts, avenging the family, and the like. The meanings of “deliver, protect, avenge” are most fitting when God is the subject (see A. R. Johnson, “The Primary Meaning of גאל,” Congress Volume: Copenhagen, 1953 [VTSup], 67-77).

  Here is a comparison of how the verse is rendered in various translations. It will give you a sense of how these translators understood the verse.

  This portion of Gen (48:9-18) has been proposed as having a chiastic structure. (See here.) In the chiasm, verse 15b and 16 form the pivot (or central) point. If so, then 15b (referring to God) and 16 (referring to the angel) form a sort of parallel idea.

  On this page, all of Gen 48:1-22 is arranged into a chiastic structure. But, as you can see, verses 15-16 again form the pivot point. And, as such, the phrase about 'God being his shepherd' and the phrase about 'the angel protecting/redeeming him from evil' would form a parallel idea. Each phrase describing the same thing.

  In a sense, Jacob acknowledges God as having 'shepherded' him (Gen 48:15) by means of an angel (Gen 48:16). The idea of 'shepherding' carries with it the implicit idea of 'protection.' Compare Psalm 23:1-4 here.
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  I_love_Jeff

  Sounds like Theophany to me. Interesting take on these passages. Thank you.