Angel of Death Bible Verses and their Significance

Angels are heavenly beings depicted as messengers who carry our God’s tasks and purposes. This article will list angel of death Bible verses both in the Old Testament and the New Testament and their significance in the kind of tasks assigned.

Death angel/ angels of death

As the name suggests, these angels carry out God’s assignments to take away life. They are mentioned in the following Bible verses: 

Exodus 11:1-5

The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.

Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.

Exodus 12:12

For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.

Psalm 78:49

He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.

Luke 16:22

The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,

Revelation 20:14

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Destroying angel/ angel of destruction

These angels carry out destructions.  They include: 

Exodus 12:23

For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.

Hebrews 11:28

By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

Exodus 12:29

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.

1 Corinthians 10:10

Nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.

Revelation 9:11

They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

Also see Signs in the Sky Bible.

The angel of the Lord

Many scholars ‘the angel of the Lord’ referred to the preincarnate appearances of Jesus Christ. The instances He is mentioned are: 

2 Kings 19:35

And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

2 Samuel 24:16

And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

1 Chronicles 21:15

And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Also see Consecration in the Bible

Isaiah 37:26

And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

2 Samuel 14:17

And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”

Isaiah 14:12-14

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

2 Samuel 24:15-16

So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

Luke 1:11

And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense

Specific angel

These are individual angels whose names are usually given and carried out specific instructions given by God. 

Also see Dragonfly Meaning in the Bible.

Jude 1:9

But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

Daniel 10:13

The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,

Luke 1:19

And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

Luke 1:26

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

Daniel 9:21

While I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.

Revelations 12:7

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,

General angel of death Bible verses

Genesis 18:2

He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth.

Genesis 19:1

The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Also see Tabitha in the Bible.

Psalm 91:11

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 148:2

Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!

Isaiah 6:1-5

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Matthew 4:11

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Luke 24:4

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.

Psalm 103:20

Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!

Revelation 1:1

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, …

2 Corinthians 11:14

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Jude 1:6

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

Hebrews 12:23

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

1st Timothy 5:21

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

1 Thessalonians 4:16

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

1st Peter 1:12

It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

2 Peter 2:4

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

Hebrews 2:2

For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,

Hebrews 2:9

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone

Revelations 5:11-12

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Matthew 26:53

Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?

Mark 8:38

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Mark 18:10

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Revelation 1:1-2

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

Revelation 8:2

Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Sons of God

Genesis 6:1-5

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Job 1:6

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them

Job 38:7

When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Luke 20:36

For they cannot die anymore because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Revelation 19:9-10

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Conclusion

The concept of the angel of death is present many religions and with the angel of death being refererred to as using different names. This scary being causes death or observes it. It is important to mention though that the Bible does not teach about a designatged angel of death who is in charge of death. God alone is sovereignly in charge of death -it’s timing, place, and nature.

However, from time to time God sends His messengers, the angels, to carry out specific duties like destruction, killing, passing messages, etc. for Him. The Bible verses listed above record such instances. They don’t act on their own accord but as directed by God. That’s the difference between the concept of an angel of death in Christianity and other religions.