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Saturday, July 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Judges 13:18

The angel of the Lord said, "Why do you ask my name? It is too amazing for you to believe."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Angel (Holy Trinity);   Angel (a Spirit);   Conception;   Curiosity;   Manoah;   Wonderful;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Titles and Names of Christ;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Angel of the Lord;   Harosheth of the Gentiles;   Manoah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Angels;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Angel of the Lord;   Fire;   Hospitality;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Angel;   Manoah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - High Places;   Judges, the Book of;   Miracles;   Samson;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Angel;   Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Levi;   Manoah;   Nazirite;   Philistines;   Samson;   Trinity;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Manoah ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Manoah;   Samson;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Manoah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Manoah;   Secret;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Angelology;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Why do you ask my name,” the angel of the Lord asked him, “since it is beyond understanding.”
Hebrew Names Version
The angel of the LORD said to him, Why do you ask after my name, seeing it is wonderful?
King James Version
And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
Lexham English Bible
But the angel of Yahweh said to him, "Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful."
English Standard Version
And the angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?"
New Century Version
The angel of the Lord said, "Why do you ask my name? It is too amazing for you to understand."
New English Translation
The Lord 's messenger said to him, "You should not ask me my name, because you cannot comprehend it."
Amplified Bible
But the Angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful (miraculous)?"
New American Standard Bible
But the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask my name, for it is wonderful?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Angell of the Lorde saide vnto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, which is secret?
Legacy Standard Bible
that they were saying to you, "In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts."
Contemporary English Version
"No," the angel replied. "You don't need to know my name. And if you did, you couldn't understand it."
Complete Jewish Bible
The angel of Adonai answered him, "Why are you asking about my name? It is wonderful."
Darby Translation
And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, How is it that thou askest after my name, seeing it is wonderful?
George Lamsa Translation
And the angel of the LORD said to him, Why do you ask my name, seeing it is Glorious?
Good News Translation
The angel asked, "Why do you want to know my name? It is a name of wonder."
Literal Translation
And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, Why do you ask this about My name? Yea, it is Wonderful.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the angell of the LORDE sayde vnto him: Why axest thou after my name, which is wonderfull?
American Standard Version
And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is wonderful?
Bible in Basic English
But the angel of the Lord said to him, Why are you questioning me about my name, seeing that it is a wonder?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the angel of the Lorde sayde vnto him: Why askest thou thus after my name, which is secrete?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the angel of the LORD said unto him: 'Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is hidden?'
King James Version (1611)
And the Angel of the Lord said vnto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why dost thou thus ask after my name; whereas it is wonderful?
English Revised Version
And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is wonderful?
Berean Standard Bible
"Why do you ask My name," said the Angel of the LORD, "since it is beyond comprehension?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
To whom he answeride, Whi axist thou my name, which is wondurful?
Young's Literal Translation
And the messenger of Jehovah saith to him, `Why [is] this -- thou dost ask for My name? -- and it [is] Wonderful.'
Update Bible Version
And the angel of Yahweh said to him, Why do you ask after my name, seeing it is wonderful?
Webster's Bible Translation
And the angel of the LORD said to him, why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it [is] secret?
World English Bible
The angel of Yahweh said to him, Why do you ask after my name, seeing it is wonderful?
New King James Version
And the Angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?"
New Living Translation
"Why do you ask my name?" the angel of the Lord replied. "It is too wonderful for you to understand."
New Life Bible
But the angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask my name? It is a name of wonder."
New Revised Standard
But the angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the messenger of Yahweh said unto him, Wherefore is it, that thou shouldst ask after my name, - seeing that, it, is Wonderful?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he answered him: Why askest thou my name, which is wonderful?
Revised Standard Version
And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?"
THE MESSAGE
The angel of God said, "What's this? You ask for my name? You wouldn't understand—it's sheer wonder."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?"

Contextual Overview

15 Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord , "We would like for you to stay a while. We want to cook a young goat for you to eat." 16 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Even if you keep me from leaving, I will not eat your food. But if you want to prepare something, offer a burnt offering to the Lord ." (Manoah did not understand that the man was really the angel of the Lord .) 17 Then Manoah asked the angel of the Lord , "What is your name? We want to know so that we can honor you when what you have said really happens." 18 The angel of the Lord said, "Why do you ask my name? It is too amazing for you to believe." 19 Then Manoah sacrificed a young goat on a rock. He offered the goat and a grain offering as a gift to the Lord and to the One Who Does Amazing Things. 20 Manoah and his wife were watching what happened. As the flames went up to the sky from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up to heaven in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they bowed down with their faces to the ground. 21 He finally understood that the man was really the angel of the Lord . The angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah and his wife again. 22 Manoah said to his wife, "We have seen God. Surely we will die because of this." 23 But his wife said to him, "The Lord does not want to kill us. If he wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He would not have shown us all these things or told us this."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Why askest: Judges 13:6, Genesis 32:29

secret: or, wonderful, It was because his name was secret that Manoah wished to know it. But the angel does not say it was secret, but hoo pailee, "it is wonderful;" the very character given to the Messiah: "His name shall be called pailai, Wonderful," Isaiah 9:6.

Reciprocal: Judges 6:11 - an angel Proverbs 30:4 - and what Daniel 8:13 - that certain saint Revelation 19:12 - a name

Cross-References

Genesis 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to honor the Lord . Noah took some of all the clean birds and some of all the clean animals and burned them on the altar as a gift to God.
Genesis 13:4
This was where Abram had built an altar earlier. So he worshiped the Lord there.
Genesis 13:7
(The Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in this land at the same time.) The shepherds of Abram and Lot began to argue.
Genesis 13:8
So Abram said to Lot, "There should be no arguing between you and me or between your people and my people. We are all brothers.
Genesis 14:13
One of the men who had escaped went to Abram the Hebrew and told him what happened. Abram was camped near the trees of Mamre the Amorite. Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner had made an agreement to help each other, and they had also signed an agreement to help Abram.
Genesis 18:1
Later, the Lord again appeared to Abraham near the oak trees of Mamre. It was the hottest part of the day, and Abraham was sitting at the door of his tent.
Genesis 23:2
She died in the city of Kiriath Arba (Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham was very sad and cried for her there.
Genesis 35:27
Jacob went to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath Arba (Hebron). This is where Abraham and Isaac had lived.
Genesis 37:14
His father said, "Go and see if your brothers are safe. Come back and tell me if my sheep are all fine." So Joseph's father sent him from the Valley of Hebron to Shechem.
Numbers 13:22
They entered the country through the Negev and went to Hebron. (The town of Hebron was built seven years before the town of Zoan in Egypt.) Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai lived there. These men were descendants of Anak.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the angel of the Lord said unto him,.... Being so importunate, and pressing upon him;

why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? and not to be known; as his nature and essence as a divine Person, which may be meant by his name, is what passes knowledge, is infinite and incomprehensible; see Proverbs 30:4 or "wonderful" p; which is one of the names of Christ, and fitly agrees with him, who is wonderful in his person, as God and man; in his incarnation, in his offices and relations, in his love to his people, and in all he is unto them, and has done for them;

Proverbs 30:4- :.

p פלאי θαυμαστον, Sept. "mirabile", V. L. Montanus; "mirificus", Junius & Tremellius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Secret - Rather, “wonderful,” as in the margin. In Judges 13:19 the Angel “did wondrously,” probably as the Angel that Appeared to Gideon had done, bringing fire from the rock. See the marginal references and notes.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 13:18. Seeing it is secret? — It was because it was secret that they wished to know it. The angel does not say that it was secret, but הוא פלאי hu peli, it is WONDERFUL; the very character that is given to Jesus Christ, Isaiah 9:6: His name shall be called, פלא Wonderful; and it is supposed by some that the angel gives this as his name, and consequently that he was our blessed Lord.


 
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