Messenger
Messenger (properly מִלֹאָך, malak, SEE MALACHI, ἄγγελος, both words often rendered angel [q.v.]; in a more general sense צַיר, ἀπόστολος, Pr 25:13; Isa 57:9, SEE APOSTLE; in a special sense for forms of בָּשָׁר, to convey good news, SEE GOSPEL, also vaguely for נָנִד, to tell; צַוָּה, to command). It is a practice in the East to employ messengers who run on foot to convey despatches (Job 1:14), and these men sometimes go a hundred and fifty miles in less than twenty-four hours. SEE FOOTMAN. Such messengers were sent by Joab to acquaint David with the fate of his son Absalom. Ahimaaz went with such speed that he outran Cushi, and was the first to appear before the king, who sat at the gate of Mahanaim, anxiously awaiting tidings from the battle (2Ki 9:18). The common pace of travelling in the East is very slow. Camels go little more than two miles an hour; but dromedaries are often used for the purpose of conveying messages in haste, especially to a distance, as they are said to outrun the swiftest horses. To this practice Job alludes when he says, "My days are swifter than a post" (Job 9:25). Instead of passing away with a slowness of motion like that of a caravan, my days of prosperity have disappeared with a swiftness like that of a messenger carrying despatches.
