Judges 13:17 · Bible study
Judges 13:17 Commentary: Why Manoah Asked the Angel's Name
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why Manoah asked the angel's name to honor him, and how the angel's refusal reveals a theophany. Study with Hebrew grammar, context, and commentary.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Manoah asks the angel's name to show gratitude with gifts when the prophecy is fulfilled, treating a theophany as a prophet's visit.
- Key words: מִי (who?, asks the person, not the nature); כָּבֵד (to honor by giving weighty gifts, Num 22:17).
- Main debate: Is the angel of the Lord a theophany (pre-incarnate Christ) or a created angel speaking with divine authority?
- Theological theme: God's hiddenness and self-revelation, the name that cannot be mastered draws worship.
- Best use: Teaching on the nature of God's self-disclosure, the limits of human knowing, and the posture of worship.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?”
WEB World English Bible 2000
Manoah said to Yahweh’s angel, “What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?”
KJV King James Version 1769
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?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, What is thy name, that, when thy words come to pass, we may do thee honor?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And Manoah saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, `What is thy name? when thy words come to pass, then we have honoured thee.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And Manoah said to the Angel of Jehovah, What is thy name, that when thy word cometh to pass we may do thee honour?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he said to him: What is thy name, that, if thy word shall come to pass, we may honour thee?
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Entonces dijo Manoa al ángel de Jehová: ¿ Cómo es tu nombre, para que cuando se cumpliere tu palabra te honremos?
Então disse Manoá ao anjo do SENHOR: Como é teu nome, para que quando se cumprir tua palavra te honremos?
Et Manoach dit à l’ ange de l’ Éternel: Quel est ton nom, afin que nous te rendions gloire, quand ta parole s’accomplira?
Und Manoah sprach zum Engel des HERRN: Wie heißest du? daß wir dich preisen, wenn nun kommt, was du geredet hast.
En Manoach zeide tot den Engel des HEEREN: Wat is Uw naam, opdat wij U vereren, wanneer Uw woord zal komen.
Poi Manoah disse all’angelo dell’Eterno: “Qual è il tuo nome, affinché, adempiute che siano le tue parole, noi ti rendiamo onore?”
Tedy rzekł Manue do Anioła Pańskiego: Cóż za imię twoje? abyśmy, gdy się spełni słowo twoje, uczcili cię.
И сказал Маной Ангелу Господню: как тебе имя? чтобы нам прославить тебя, когда исполнится слово твое.
瑪挪亞 對 耶和華 的使者 說：「請將 你的名告訴我， 到你話 應驗的時候，我們好尊敬你。」
Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, What is your name, so that when your words come true we may give you honour?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Judges 13:17
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Manoah acts in good faith but with limited understanding. He wants to honor the messenger as one honors a prophet whose prediction comes true. Barnes and Cambridge both cite Numbers 22:17 and 1 Samuel 9:7, 8 as parallels, Balak offered rewards to Balaam, and Israelites brought gifts to seers. Gill notes that Josephus understood Manoah to be asking so he could send a present in gratitude. Keil & Delitzsch observe that the Hebrew verb כִּבַּדְנוּ (we will honor) means "to honor by presents, so as to show oneself grateful." Yet the narrative irony is deliberate: the reader knows what Manoah does not (v.16), this is no ordinary prophet. The request for a name is sincere, but the angel's refusal (v.18) will press Manoah toward a deeper recognition.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Christophany (traditional Christian view): The angel speaks as God, accepts sacrifice, ascends in flame; parallels other OT theophanies (Judges 6, Genesis 16, 18, 32).
- Created angel speaking for God: The angel is called 'messenger' and distinguishes himself from Yahweh in v.16; Jewish tradition consistently treats him as a sent being.
- A divinely appointed representative: The angel fully embodies God's presence and authority without being ontologically identical to God — a high angelic mediator.
What is clear: The narrative presents a divine encounter in which the messenger is so closely identified with Yahweh that Manoah concludes he has seen God and fears for his life.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The identity of the angel of the Lord | The angel speaks with divine authority, accepts sacrifice, and is identified with Yahweh in the narrative. | Evangelical and Reformed traditions often see this as a Christophany (a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ). Other Christians understand the angel as a special created messenger who represents God so fully that his words carry God's own voice. |
| Manoah's motive in asking the name | Manoah wants to show gratitude when the prophecy is fulfilled. | Some commentators (Gill, Keil & Delitzsch) emphasize the cultural practice of sending gifts to a prophet. Others note a possible desire to test or verify the messenger's identity. The text presents the request as sincere but misdirected. |
| The meaning of 'incomprehensible' (פֶלִאי) | The word indicates something beyond ordinary human understanding. | Some interpret it as a name too wonderful to be revealed (a refusal to give a name). Others see it as the revelation of God's name as 'Wonderful' (connected to Isaiah 9:6), so the answer is actually a self-identification as divine. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Israel lives under Philistine oppression at this point in the judges period. God has handed them over for forty years of hard rule. Into this bleak season comes a messenger bearing hope for a barren couple.
The Hebrew phrase מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה (the angel of Yahweh) appears throughout Judges. The same figure visited Gideon in chapter 6 with a similar pattern: a commissioning, a request for a sign, a sacrifice consumed by fire, and a disappearance that leaves the human awestruck. The figure speaks with divine authority, accepts worship, and identifies himself with God, actions no created angel would presume.
Manoah, a Danite from Zorah, lives in a time when prophetic revelation is scarce. His impulse to offer hospitality, first by preparing a meal, then by asking the messenger's name, reflects ancient custom. To honor a divine messenger meant giving gifts that carried weight. The verb כָּבֵד (to honor) has this concrete sense: literally, to make heavy. Balak used the same word when he promised Balaam rewards (Num 22:17). Manoah still thinks in human categories: prophet, payment, reputation. He has not yet grasped that he stands before a theophany.
The angel's refusal to give a name, combined with his command to offer the sacrifice to Yahweh (v.16), begins to shift Manoah's understanding. The answer "it is incomprehensible" (v.18, Hebrew פֶּלִאי, wonder/secret) stops the human attempt to categorize the divine. A name you can master is a name you can control. This name cannot be controlled.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Judges 13:17. The Hebrew text is stable across the major manuscript traditions. The LXX and Vulgate renderings align closely with the Masoretic Text, though the LXX omits the negative in one related clause in verse 16 (as noted by Ellicott's Commentary).
Reception History
Christian interpreters from the early church through the Reformation read this passage as evidence that the Son of God appeared in human form before the Incarnation. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus pointed to the angel of the Lord as the pre-incarnate Logos. Later Reformed commentators such as Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible editors followed that tradition, emphasizing that this messenger could not be a mere angel because he accepted worship and sacrifice, acts reserved for God alone. Jewish interpretation has generally understood the figure as a created angel sent with a specific commission, speaking with full divine authority. In both streams, the passage has been treasured for showing that God meets His people in tangible form, even when they do not fully recognize Him at first.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The request for a name, Manoah wants to thank the messenger by reputation and reward. He treats the divine as if it fits human categories (v.17).
- The refusal that reveals, The angel's answer that the name is "incomprehensible" (v.18) pushes Manoah toward worship rather than information. A name beyond knowing points to a God beyond controlling.
- The sacrifice that confirms, When the angel ascends in the flame (vv.19, 20), Manoah finally understands: this was God all along. His fear and worship become the only fitting response.
Five-point outline
- Promise born in barrenness and oppression (vv.2, 5)
- Hospitality offered to a stranger (vv.15, 16)
- The request for a name, treating the divine as human (v.17)
- "It is incomprehensible", the boundary of human knowing (v.18)
- Theophany through fire and sacrifice (vv.19, 23)
Illustration hooks
- Meeting a public figure. You meet someone whose words carry authority. You ask for their name to send a thank-you card later. Only later you realize you were talking to the person who funds the whole organization. Manoah offers a prophet's wage to the God who owns everything.
- Password access. We often think knowing God's name means having access or leverage, as if the divine could be put on speed dial. The angel's refusal resets that assumption. Relationship with God is not managed by having the right password.
- Graduation thanks. A student wants to thank the substitute teacher who gave life-changing advice. They ask for a name to send a note. The teacher says, "Don't thank me, thank the professor who sent me." The angel does something like that, redirecting honor upward.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it wrong to want to know God's name or nature more deeply?
- If the angel of the Lord is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, why does this matter for how I read the Old Testament?
- How do I honor God when I cannot fully understand Him?
Leading a Discussion
Manoah wants to honor the messenger who brings good news to his family. His request sounds reasonable, until the angel's response reveals that something far bigger is happening. This passage invites us to examine how we approach God: do we want to fit Him into categories we can manage, or are we willing to let Him be larger than our understanding?
Discussion questions
- Read Judges 13:15, 23 aloud. What do you notice about how Manoah and his wife respond differently to the angel?
- Manoah asks for the angel's name so he can "honor" him. Based on the supplied commentaries, what did "honor" mean in this context? (See Keil & Delitzsch and Gill on the Hebrew verb כָּבֵד.)
- Why do you think the angel refuses to give his name (v.18)? What does the word "incomprehensible" (or "secret") tell us about who this messenger is?
- Compare this passage with Judges 6:11, 24 (Gideon's encounter with the angel of the Lord). What patterns do you see? What do they suggest about the identity of this figure?
- Manoah later says, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God" (v.22). His wife responds differently. What does each response teach us about how people react to encountering the divine?
- How does this passage challenge or deepen your understanding of what it means to "honor" God? Is honor something we give, or something we receive by entering His presence?
- In what areas of your life do you find yourself wanting God to fit into categories you can predict or control? How might the angel's response free you from that?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 32:29 | Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask what my name is?” So he blessed him there. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the expression "do thee honor" takes different meanings depending on the recipient. If directed to a person, it means giving gifts or rewards. If directed to God, it refers to offering sacrifices.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible Schools notes that Manoah, still uncertain, puts a direct question to the visitor. The commentator observes that Manoah does this to show honor, treating the visitor as a prophet whose word proves true, just as other biblical figures did when they wanted to honor a reliable messenger.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Againe Manoah said vnto the Angell of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy saying is come to passe, we may honour thee?
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that Manoah asked the angel's name only after failing to host him for a meal. He wanted to know where the messenger lived so he could later send a gift of thanks when the prophecy came true. Gill compares this to the honor and material support due to a Gospel minister.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights two clear proofs of the angel's divinity in response to Manoah's question: the angel's name, meaning secret or wonderful, and the miraculous flame that consumed the sacrifice, confirming divine acceptance.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights a subtle Hebrew distinction: Manoah asks "Who is your name?" using the word that inquires about the person, not their nature. The request springs from a desire to honor the angel with gifts if his prophecy proves true.Keil-Delitzsch highlights a precise Hebrew distinction: Manoah asks "who" (mi) rather than "what" (mah), seeking the angel's person, not his nature. The request springs from a desire to honor him with gifts if the prophecy proves true.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights the contrast between Manoah and his wife: he prays for confirmation, while she intuitively senses the angel's divinity from the start, asking no questions and needing no proof. The angel's name "Peli," meaning Wonder-worker, underscores that God's deliverance comes through His wondrous power, not human understanding.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that God hid the angel's identity from Manoah out of mercy, not deception. If Manoah had known he was speaking to a divine messenger, fear would have silenced him. He sees this as a pattern: Christ walked the earth unrecognized because we could not bear the full glory of God unveiled.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley rejects Matthew Henry's claim that the goodness of God's promised land will intensify the punishment of those who perish. He argues that this reasoning fails under predestination: if some are not elected, they never had a genuine offer, and if all the elect are saved, the grant was never free to the others.