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Twice in the O.T. a mysterious question is put to humans when they enquire as to the name of what appears to them to be an angel or a divine one. The first is Jacob, who is renamed Israel after wrestling all night and having his hip disjointed by this one. Jacob asks for this one's name only to be asked the question (Genesis 32:29):

Why [is] this, thou asketh for my name? - YLT

Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? - AV

Why do you ask my name? - NIV

Why do you want to know my name? - GNB

Then, when Manoah asks an angel for his name, similarly he also is asked a question (Judges 13:18):

Why is this - thou dost ask for my name? - and it is Wonderful. - YLT

Why asketh thou after my name, seeing it is secret? - AV

Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding. - NIV

Why do you want to know my name? It is a name of wonder. - GNB

The Hebrew word that is variously translated 'wonderful' or 'secret' seems to be pele, or pili, and only occurs in Judges 13:18 (according to Young's Concordance page 848).

Can it mean both 'wonderful' and 'secret'?

Is it too wonderful a name to speak to mortals - and why would that be?

Is it too secret to be known by humans - and why would that be?

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    Peli is the undisputed word in Judges 13:18. Young gives 'secret' for peli in the body of his concordance. He gives 'wonderful' for both pele and pili (see his Hebrew lexicon at the rear of the concordance). Young then gives 'wonderful' for Judges 13:18 (!) Green gives 'wonderful' for Judges 13:18. The KJV gives 'secret' for Judges 13:18. Something is going on here, but I have not (yet) worked it out.
    – Nigel J
    Commented Feb 1, 2022 at 22:27

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The word פִלְאִי (pel'iy) only occurs in Judges 13:18 and Ps 139:6. Its BDB entry is given in the appendix below.

  • Judges 13;18 - And the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”
  • Ps 139:6 - Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Note the Hebrew parallelism in Ps 139:6 which helps define the word as "too lofty", that beyond human understanding. This refers to the ways of God and specifically, His omniscience.

In the case of Manoah in Judges 13, we observe that the "angel" He is speaking to is in fact, YHWH Himself as we find in V22 it was "God". There is a similar situation in Gen 32 - Jacob wrestles with God, hence his change of name. This is why the name is "too wonderful, too lofty", ie, beyond human understanding.

Lstly, note the evasive answer that YHWH gives to Moses when he asks a similar question in Ex 3 - "What is your name?". the LORD replies,

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

APPENDIX - BDB entry for פִלְאִי

adjective wonderful, incomprehensible; — masculine פלאי (i.e. מִּלְאִי) Kt, Judges 13:18 (name of ׳מַלְאַךְ י; > Qr מֶּ֫לִי(אׅ); feminine פלאיה דַעַת מִמֶּנִּי (i.e. מִּלְאִיָה) Psalm 139:6 God's knowledge; > Qr מְּלִיאָה.

STRONGS Entry פִלְאִי

secret, wonderful Or paliy {paw-lee'}; from pala'; remarkable -- secret, wonderful.

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Regarding the angel of [Judges 13:18], we learn that "My-Miracle" פֶלִאי would change. The angel answered מָנוֹחַ Manoach that he did not know what his name would be on his next mission. | According to [Bereshit Rabbah 78.4] - We have no fixed names; our names change, all depending upon the service we are commanded to carry out as the errand with which we are charged.

Every פֶּלֶא "Miracle" is assigned a name, as stated in [Psalms 147.4] & [Isaiah 40.26].

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