Charles Ellicott Commentary


Charles Ellicott Commentary
"And the angel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wilt make ready a burnt-offering, thou must offer it unto Jehovah. For Manoah knew not that he was the angel of Jehovah." — Judges 13:16 (ASV)
You must offer it to the Lord. —Rather, a burnt offering to the Lord you may offer it. (Compare to Judges 6:20.) Angels invariably discourage and reprove that worship of angels (Colossians 2:18), which was the tendency of early Gnostic sects (Daniel 10:0; Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:8). The angel might have partaken of earthly food, as we see from Genesis 18:8; Genesis 19:3. Hence Milton says:—
“Food alike these pure
Intelligential substances require,
As does your rational.”— Par. Lost, 5:418.