Why did the angel of the LORD (YHWH) asked YHWH for information and receive comforting words in Zechariah 1:12 -13?

Question

Zechariah 1:12-13 ASV Then the angel of Jehovah answered and said, O Jehovah of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me with good words, even comfortable words.

Is this the same angel of the LORD (YHWH) in Exodus 23:21 ASV Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him.

Answer 1

Let's see the context.

Holman Christian Standard Bible Zechariah 1:

8 I looked out in the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the valley. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 I asked, “What are these, my lord? ”

The angel who was talking to me replied, “I will show you what they are.”

Zechariah called this angel lord.

10Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.”

11 They reported to the Angel of the LORD standing among the myrtle trees,

Holman capitalized the word "Angel".

“We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and quiet.” 12 Then the Angel of the LORD responded, "How long, LORD of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that You have been angry with these 70 years?"

The angel interceded on behalf of the Jewish people by asking the question. Many commentators believe that the Angel here is Christ the mediator: Benson, Barnes, Matthew Poole, Cambridge, Geneva, etc.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah; which were fallen to ruin, and had lain waste for many years. These words are expressive of the intercession of Christ on the behalf of the people of the Jews, his professing people, both with respect to their temporal and spiritual good:

Success.

13 The LORD replied with kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me.

As a result of the intercession, the LORD promised that he would do something about the situation.

Answer 2

Answer to whether or not the Angel of the Lord in Zechariah is the same one spoken of in Genesis

The Angel in this passage is the same entity in Exodus. Whenever the phrase "Angel of the Lord" is used, a single being is always in the spotlight performing an awesome task. It is never "the Angels of the Lord" or "two Angels of the Lord" and so on. This Angel is the only angel to speak out of Heaven, wield a sword, and more.

Allow me to be more specific on why that Angel mentioned in those passages are the same being.

• In Exodus 23:20, God highlighted this Angel as the One who would keep the Israelites in the way and bring them to the prepared place. Sound familiar?
• Jesus said in John 10:14 that He was the Good Shepherd
• In John 14:2-3 He comforts the disciples by telling them He is going to prepare a place for them.
• Zechariah 1:8-11 confirms that it was the Angel of the Lord, specifically, who rode on the red horse. Why does this matter? Well, in Revelation 6:4, the rider on the red horse had a great sword and was granted to take peace from the earth.
• There is more: In Matthew 10:34 and Luke 12:49, Jesus explained that He came not for peace, but rather to bring a sword and fire, respectively, upon the earth.

But what then shall we say? Is Christ the rider on the red horse? Certainly not! This simply tells us that Jesus, and by implication, the Angel of the Lord, are in charge of the judgement. This may sound complicated, for it is the Angel who sits on the horse in Zechariah, but Satan in Revelation. Again, it is Satan who does the actual deed, while God is in charge, just like the instance when Job was being plagued.

To summarize, these were two passages where the Angel of the Lord had, as usual, a direct correlation with God. Therefore, if He is God, and we know that He is, He is the same being in both passages. Here is a great, undervalued book on Amazon that expounds on this topic. It's short, but man did I learn a lot from it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M95DHZY

Answer to why the Angel of the Lord asked for information and received comforting words in Zechariah

He is what you would call a type of Christ, so He is speaking these words on Israel's behalf.

Answer 3

In this case, the "angel of the LORD" is different from the "Angel of the LORD" in other places clearly identified as the LORD, such as Gen 16:7-13, 22:11-17, 32:24-30, 48:16, Ex 3:2-6, 32:34, Num 22:22-35, Josh 5:13-15, Judg 2:1-4, 6:11-23, 13:3-23, Isa 63:9, Dan 3:25, 28, Hos 12:4, 5, Zech 3:1-7, Mal 3:1.

That is, this angel in Zech 1 appears to be an angel as distinct from the LORD for the following reasons:

• He is addressed as "Lord" אָדוֹן , adoni, V9.
• In V13 he is called and angel and not "angel of the LORD" - this never occurs in the other cases where "Angel of the LORD" is the LORD.

APPENDIX - Other interesting places where similar references occur

Note the following instances suggesting interesting characteristics of the LORD.

• Zech 2:6-12 – the LORD (= YHWH) claims three times that He has been sent by the LORD.
• Isa 48:11-16 – again, the LORD has been sent by the LORD.
• Isa 63:7-16 – the LORD (described as a Father) sends His divine servant (the angel of His presence) and His Holy Spirit who is grieved (compare Ps 78:40).
• Hos 1:7 – the LORD saves by the LORD their God.
• Prov 30:1-4 – the Son of God is as unfathomable as God Himself.

In the following references, "Angel of God" is the LORD Himself.

Gen 6:13, 8:15, 9:8, 17, 15:13, 17:3, 4, 21:12, 16-21, 35:1, 10, Ex 4:3-8, 6:2, 23:20, 21, Deut 1:6, 1 Kings 12:22.