Angel Daniel (no. 50): reign, psalm, symbolism and reading

Who is Daniel, angel no. 50?

Daniel is the fiftieth angel on the list, the second of the choir of Principalities. His name is that of the biblical prophet Daniel, and this is no coincidence of letters: the three letters Daleth, Noun, Yod form in Hebrew the word “dani”, “my judge”, completed by the ending El, “God”. The name thus reads “God is my judge”, a meaning that the prophet’s name also carries.

One must not, however, confuse the angel on the list with the prophet, a man of the exile in Babylon whose book is included in the Bible. French works see in this angel mercy, just speech and consolation.

The number 50 in the list of the 72 angels belongs to Daniel; the list itself is drawn, according to the Kabbalistic tradition, from three verses of Exodus (14:19 to 21). We present it here according to the Kabbalistic and esoteric tradition, with its divergences. For the history of the system, see our presentation of the 72 angels.

Reference points in tradition

Calendar followed: five days of reign per angel, continuously from 21 March (angel no. 1), with no extra day. Printed or online lists do not always agree to within a few days; for leap years, see the guardian angel calculation. The hour of reign is often understood as local solar time, which authors do not always specify.

The verse and the name

The verse is a definition of God drawn from Psalm 145: “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love.” It repeats, word order aside, a phrase from the book of Exodus (34:6), where God reveals himself to Moses, and which the Bible takes up elsewhere, for example in the Psalms and in the prophet Joel.

The tension between the name (“my judge”) and the verse (tenderness) gives Daniel his character: a judgement that keeps clemency. Verse 8 bears the same number in Hebrew and English-numbered Bibles; the Vulgate places this psalm at number 144. Psalm 145 serves several angels on the list: Ariel (no. 46), Vehuel (no. 49), Poyel (no. 56) and Mitzrael (no. 60), each with a different verse.

What tradition associates with Daniel

French editions associate him with:

• Mercy: acting with kindness toward those who have done wrong.
• Just and persuasive speech, hence the recent mention of lawyers and judges (a modern attribution, absent from older editions).
• Consolation for those going through a trial.
• Discernment: judging what is right without being blinded by anger.

These themes come from French tradition and vary from one author to another.

A reading for today

One sentence sums up what can be retained from Daniel: judging quickly is easy, judging fairly takes time. In a professional or family disagreement, letting a moment pass before replying often helps to formulate an answer that is true and not hurtful.

This figure does not say that one must forgive everything: forgiveness is a personal choice, never an obligation, especially in the face of violence. Rather, it invites us to distinguish firmness on substance from gentleness in manner.

His period of the year and his sign

Daniel’s period, from 21 to 25 November, falls in autumn (northern hemisphere, within the framework of the original calendar). Roughly speaking, it covers the signs of Scorpio and Sagittarius, straddling both. The signs change around 22 or 23 November depending on the year, which places the period on the border between two signs. In the table of the 36 decans, each ten-day span receives two angels: Daniel shares his with Vehuel (no. 49).

In the choir of Principalities

The Principalities open the third and last triad of the “Celestial Hierarchy” attributed to Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (around 500), together with the Archangels and the Angels. The Greek word is archai, “principles” or “beginnings”. The New Testament speaks of “principalities” (for example Ephesians 3:10 and Colossians 1:16), without always specifying whether they are favourable beings. Scholastic theology, after Thomas Aquinas, readily links them to the governing of peoples and of those who lead them, relying on the book of Daniel (10:13), which speaks of the “prince of the kingdom of Persia”. In the list of the 72, this choir groups angels 49 to 56.

Daniel is the second of the Principalities. In this image of an authority that guides communities, he brings the nuance of clemency: a power that judges without crushing. He follows Vehuel, the angel of greatness, and comes before Hahasiah, the angel of the study of nature.

To place Daniel in the sequence of angels, here are his immediate neighbours: Vehuel (no. 49) before him and Hahasiah (no. 51) after him. The choir is presented in detail on the page Choir of Principalities.

A gentle practice with Daniel

A writing exercise in five steps:

1. Think of a conversation in which you are tempted to reply in the heat of the moment.
2. Write down your raw reply, without sending it.
3. Wait at least twenty minutes, or overnight.
4. Rephrase, looking for one sentence that is both true and kind.
5. Read verse 8 of Psalm 145, then decide what you will say.

The exercise serves to clarify your thinking before acting. It obliges you to nothing.

What to keep in mind

This system is symbolic, not an established fact. It replaces neither legal advice nor human support, and no one can promise you the outcome of a conflict. Read these pages as a bestiary: for the images and the reflection they inspire.

It is worth remembering that the Catholic Church does not recognise this system: only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are named as archangels in Scripture, and the list of the 72 names is not among them. The psalms cited, for their part, remain a prayer text shared by many believers.

See also the guide to the 72 angels and the guide to the archangels.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the 72 guardian angels.