Heavenly host

Heavenly host (Hebrew: ‫ צבאות‬sabaoth or

tzva'ot, "armies") refers to the army (Luke 2:13)
of angels mentioned both in the Hebrew and
Christian Bibles, as well as other Jewish and
Christian texts.

The Bible gives several descriptions of angels in

military terms, such as their encampment
(Genesis 32:1-2), command structure (Psalms Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven, a Russian icon from the
1550s
91:11-12; Matt.13:41; Rev.7:2), and combat
(Jdg.5:20; Job 19:12; Rev.12:7). The heavenly
host participated in theWar in Heaven.

Contents
Biblical accounts
Bahá'í
In literature
See also
References

Biblical accounts
In the Hebrew Bible, the name Yahweh and the title Elohim frequently occur with
the word tzevaot or sabaoth ("hosts" or "armies", Hebrew: ‫ )צבאות‬as YHWH Elohe
Tzevaot ("YHWH God of Hosts"), Elohe Tzevaot ("God of Hosts"), Adonai YHWH
Tzevaot ("Lord YHWH of Hosts") or, most frequently, YHWH Tzevaot ("YHWH of
Hosts"). This name is traditionally transliterated in Latin as Sabaoth, a form that will
be more familiar to many English readers, as it was used in the King James Version
of the Bible.[1]

In the Book of Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua encounters a "captain of the host of the Lord"
in the early days of his campaigns in the Promised Land. This unnamed heavenly
messenger is sent by God to encourage Joshua in the upcoming claiming of the
Promised Land:

Once when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man
standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went to
him and said to him, ‘Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?’
Depiction of the Commander of the
He replied, ‘Neither; but as commander of the army of the Lord I
Lord's Army in Joshua 5, by
have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and Ferdinand Bol, 1642.
worshiped, and he said to him, ‘What do you command your servant,
 my Lord?’ The commander of the army of the Lord said to Joshua,
‘Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is
holy.’ And Joshua did so.

— Joshua 5:13-15 (NRSV)

In the Book of Revelation, the rebellious forces of Satan are defeated by the
Heavenly Host led by Michael the Archangel during the War in Heaven (Rev.12:7-
9).

Bahá'í
The term "Lord of Hosts" is also used in the Bahá'í Faith as a title of God.[2]
Bahá'u'lláh, claiming to be the Manifestation of God, wrote tablets to many of the
kings and rulers of the world inviting them to recognize Him as the Promised One of
all ages and faiths, some of which were compiled and published in English as The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts.[3]

In literature
In the English epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton, the Archangel Michael
commands the army of angels loyal to God against the fallen angels of Satan. Armed
with a sword from God's armory, he bests Satan in personal combat, wounding his
Guido Reni's archangel Michael.
side.[4]

See also
Astrolatry
Divine Council
Hierarchy of angels

References
1. Jewish Encyclopedia: Host of Heaven(http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=939&letter=H) New York, May
1, 1901
2. The Summons of the Lord of Hosts(http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/SLH/)Bahá'í Reference Library
3. The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, Page 1(http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/SLH/slh-3.html)Bahá'í Reference
Library
4. John Milton, Paradise Lost 1674 Book VI line 320 (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_6/index.
shtml)

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