The following
discussion summarizes the meaning of the "host (Hebrew
= saba/tsaba) of heaven" ("army
of the skies") (see related study on the Name of God,
Jehovah Sabaoth) a term which can be somewhat confusing because of
overlapping meanings as discussed below. For
background you might first
click
and study the 18 uses of the phrase in
the NASB (or
click
the list below).
Host
of heaven has two basic meanings depending on the context...
1 Heavenly Bodies = stars - as created things
and/or as objects of idolatry
2 Heavenly Beings = angels or spirit beings
The first Scriptural use of
"Host of Heaven" is found in
Deut 4:19
Deut 4:19
"And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the
moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them
and serve them (note the progressive decline in the preceding verbs), those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the
peoples under the whole heaven."
Morris commenting on this
passage writes that...
The pagan nations of Canaan, as well as
Egypt and the other nations of antiquity, had once known the true God of
creation but had long since become evolutionary pantheists, worshipping
the creation instead of the Creator (see notes
Romans 1:20-21,
1:22-23,
1:24-25). The children of Israel
were repeatedly warned against this influence but repeatedly succumbed to
it in later years--just as have people in every age. The first of the ten
commandments, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3) was
given explicitly to guard against this ever-present Satanic temptation.
(Morris,
Henry: Defenders Study Bible. World Publishing)
Jeremiah records that despite
God's clear warning not to worship the host of heaven they disobeyed...
"And the houses of Jerusalem and the
houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place
Topheth,
because of all the houses on whose rooftops (flat roofs of the houses were
used for worshiping astral deities) they burned sacrifices to all the
heavenly host and poured out libations to other gods." (Jer 19:13)
In summary the first Scriptural use of the phrase
host of heaven is a warning to Israel not to exchange worship of
the Creator for the worship of the creation that included the host of
heaven.
The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia adds that...
Star-worship seems to have been
an enticement to Israel from the first (Deuteronomy
4:19;
17:3;
Amos 5:26; compare
Acts 7:42,43), but
attained special prominence in the days of the later kings of Judah. The
name of
Manasseh
is particularly connected with it. This king built altars
for "all the host of heaven" in the courts of the temple (2 Kings
21:3-5 = 3 For he rebuilt the
high places
which
Hezekiah
his father had destroyed; and
he erected altars for
Baal
and made an
Asherah,
as
Ahab
king of Israel had done, and
worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.4 And he built
altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem
I will put My name 5 For he built altars for all the host of heaven
in the two courts of the house of the LORD.").
Josiah destroyed these altars,
and cleansed the temple from the idolatry by putting down the priests and
burning the vessels associated with it (2 Kings
23:4-5 = Then the king commanded
Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the
doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that
were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven;
and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and
carried their ashes to Bethel. And he did away with the idolatrous priests
whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense in the high places
in the cities of Judah and in the surrounding area of Jerusalem, also
those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the
constellations and to all the host of heaven.). (ISBE)
Unger's Dictionary explains
that host of heaven referred to...
The sun, moon, and stars, under the
symbol of an army, in which the sun is considered king, the moon his
vice-regent, and the stars and planets their attendants (cf. note
Judges 5:20).
The worship of the host of heaven was one of the earliest forms of
idolatry and was common among the Israelites in the times of
their turning away from the pure service of God (Unger,
M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., and Unger, M. F. The
New Unger's Bible dictionary. Chicago: Moody Press)
Baker
Encyclopedia of the Bible adds that...
In the astrological cults of antiquity
it was believed that celestial bodies were animated by spirits and thus
constituted a living army that controlled heavenly destiny... Although
warned against such pagan beliefs (Dt 4:19; 17:3), the Israelites fell
into the practice of worshiping heavenly bodies, particularly during the
Assyrian and Babylonian periods (2 Ki 17:16 = And they forsook all the
commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves molten images,
even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of
heaven and served Baal. 2 Kings 21:3, 5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5; Jer
8:2; Zeph 1:5). The corrective of this pagan practice was Israel’s belief
in the Lord as the Creator of heaven and earth, the one who marshaled the
heavenly bodies at his command and ordained them to perform a special
function (Gen 1:14–19; 2:1; Neh 9:6; Ps 33:6; 103:21; 148:2; Is 40:26;
45:12)... Though the hosts are sometimes understood as the stars or
angels, the tribes of Israel are also called “the hosts of the Lord” (Ex
12:41). The “host of heaven” referred to in Daniel 8:10, 11, appears to be
figurative language referring to Israel, “the holy people” (cf. v 24 kjv)
and God, the King of Israel is called “the Prince of the host.” (Elwell,
W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Baker Book House)
As noted above,
Host of Heaven can refer to literal
"stars"...
Jer 33:22
As the host of heaven, cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be
measured (This comparison with the innumerable host of stars and
immeasurable grains of sand is a reiteration of the promises to Abraham,
cf Ge 15:5; 22:17 and serve as a reiteration of God's faithfulness to His
covenant with Abraham = cf Josh 23:14 "not one word
of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has
failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed."), so I will multiply the descendants of David My servant and the
Levites who minister to Me.
Isa 34:4
And all the host of heaven will wear away and the sky will
be rolled up like a scroll. All their hosts will also wither away as
a leaf withers from the vine, or as one withers from the fig tree.
(cf Isa 40:26, 45:12)
As the
New Bible Dictionary emphasizes the distinction between heavenly
bodies and heavenly beings can be problematic, noting that
"The two meanings
‘celestial bodies’ [stars] and ‘angelic beings’ are inextricably
intertwined." (New
Bible Dictionary) (Bolding
added)
In fact it is fair
to say that the two basic meanings sometimes seem to
overlap to such an extent that it is almost impossible to identify which
meaning the writer meant to indicate in a given use. For example, look at
the verses below
2Ki 21:3 For he [the evil king
Manasseh] rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed
and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel
had done and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
Isa 24:21
So it will happen in that day, That the LORD will punish the host of heaven
on high, and the kings of the earth on earth
Keeping these
somewhat indistinct lines of separation in mind, remember not to lose
sight of the more important point that Jehovah is the Commander of the
Hosts regardless of whether they are literal stars or spirit beings.
Angelic beings, both "good and
bad", are sometimes referred to as the "host of heaven". In the
confrontation between wicked king Ahab and the prophet Micaiah in
1Ki 22:15-28
we see the host of heaven standing before God. Obviously host of
heaven in this context
does not refer to literal stars, but to evil spirits beings (in this case
evil spirits as indicated by their own words) that compose the "celestial hosts of
heaven".
1Kings 22:19 (parallel
passage =
2Chr 18:18)
"Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD
sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him
on His right and on His left. 20 "The LORD said, 'Who will entice
Ahab
to
go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said
that. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and
said, 'I will entice him.' 22 "The LORD said to him, 'How ?' And he said,
'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his
prophets (The sovereign LORD of hosts permitted a deceiving spirit to
control the prophets and give Ahab the wrong advice. Nonetheless, Ahab
made a responsible choice, having been warned of the truth by Micaiah).' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and
do so.'
Luke uses the parallel term
heavenly host to refer to heavenly beings writing...
And suddenly there appeared with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying
"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is
pleased." (Luke 2:13-14)
Perhaps the main point to remember from
this summary of the phrase host of heaven is that
Jehovah Sabaoth
is LORD of hosts, Commander in Chief, over both stars
(celestial bodies) or angels (celestial beings), including both "good" and
"fallen" angels. This truth is important to recall to mind when we find
ourselves in spiritual warfare (we are always
engaged in warfare whether we are aware of it or not) where the odds seem
overwhelmingly against us. We can cry out to the One Who is LORD over ALL
the "hosts", be they heavenly bodies or beings and He
will hear our call for aid (see related study
The LORD My Help (Jehovah Ezer)). This is a truth that Nebuchadnezzar testified to when he
returned
to his senses (Daniel 4):
Da 4:35
"All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He
does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the
inhabitants of earth and no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What
have You done ?'
We need not wonder whether good
or evil will prevail in the end. We need not worry that God’s
creatures may frustrate His best intentions. To Jehovah Sabaoth, the
eternal, infinitely perfect, self-existent, self-sufficient, holy,
sovereign, loving, and gracious God, be glory forevermore. Amen
