Еврейская мысль к Йеошуа 5:14

And this resolves a great problem — Joshua's bowing down to an angel, viz. (Joshua 5:14): "And he [the angel] answered: 'No, but I am captain of the host of the L-rd. I have come now.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and he bowed down to him…" This is, indeed, great cause for wonder. How was this permitted to Joshua when it is written (Exodus 20:4): "…that are in the heavens above […do not bow down to them"], concerning which our sages of blessed memory say (Mechilta, Yithro 6): "This includes the ministering angels." And there is no question that just as it is forbidden to sacrifice and to bring offerings to any but the L-rd Himself, so is bowing down similarly forbidden, as stated by our sages of blessed memory (Sanhedrin 60b): "…both he who sacrifices, he who offers incense, he who pours a libation, and he who bows down…" And I find no reference to anyone bowing down to an angel except Balaam (who was not one of us), of whom it is written (Numbers 22:31): "…and he bowed down and prostrated himself." But Jacob saw an angel and did not bow down to him, and David conducted himself likewise (viz. I Chronicles 21). And so we find with Daniel. He saw an angel and accorded him great honor, saying (Daniel 10:17): "How can the servant of my lord speak with this [i.e., you,], my lord?" — but he did not bow down to him, this not being permitted. How, then, was Joshua permitted to bow down to the angel that appeared to him?

The same, I hold, is the case when it is said in reference to Jacob, “And a man wrestled with him” (Gen. 32:25); this took place in a prophetic vision, since it is expressly stated in the end (ver. 31) that it was an angel. The circumstances are here exactly the same as those in the vision of Abraham, where the general statement, “And the Lord appeared to him,” etc., is followed by a detailed description. Similarly the account of the vision of Jacob begins, “And the angels of God met him” (Gen. 32:2); then follows a detailed description how it came to pass that they met him; namely, Jacob sent messengers, and after having prepared and done certain things, “he was left alone,” etc., “and a man wrestled with him” (ibid. ver. 24). By this term “man” [one of] the angels of God is meant, mentioned in the phrase, “And angels of God met him”; the wrestling and speaking was entirely a prophetic vision. That which happened to Balaam on the way, and the speaking of the ass, took place in a prophetic vision, since further on, in the same account, an angel of God is introduced as speaking to Balaam. I also think that what Joshua perceived, when “he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold a man stood before him” (Josh. 5:13) was a prophetic vision, since it is stated afterwards (ver. 14) that it was “the prince of the host of the Lord.” But in the passages, “And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal” (Judges 2:1); “And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake these words to all Israel” (ibid. ver. 2); the “angel” is, according to the explanation of our Sages, Phineas. They say, The angel is Phineas, for, when the Divine Glory rested upon him, he was “like an angel.”