Angel Nithael (no. 54): reign, psalm, symbolism and reading

Who is Nithael, angel no. 54?

Nithael is the fifty-fourth angel on the list, the sixth of the choir of Principalities. His name resembles that of Nith-Haiah (no. 25), with neighbouring but different letters. One French list we consulted also gives a variant, Miathael; spellings vary from one edition to another.

French works link him to kingship and good government: sovereigns, leaders, those who hold authority over others. In a broader reading, he speaks of the responsibility of anyone who “reigns” over a small domain: a family, a team, an association.

Nithael bears the number 54 in the list of the 72 angels of the Shem HaMephorash, which the Kabbalistic tradition draws from three verses of Exodus (14:19 to 21). Everything that follows is presented according to the Kabbalistic and esoteric tradition. For the origin of the system, read our presentation of the 72 angels.

Reference points in tradition

Dates follow the most common calendar (angel no. 1 reigns from 21 to 25 March, then five days per angel over 365 days); sources sometimes shift by a few days, and leap years are handled differently: see the guardian angel calculation. According to many authors, the hour is counted in local solar time.

The verse and the name

The verse from Psalm 103 says: “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” Psalm 103 is a great song of blessing (“Bless the Lord, O my soul”) which enumerates God’s benefits and his compassion. The Hebrew word for “throne” recalls the choir of Thrones, to which angels 17 to 24 belong.

The name is formed from the Hebrew triplet נית (Noun, Yod, Tav) followed by the ending El. Verse 19 bears the same number in Hebrew and English-numbered Bibles; the Vulgate places this psalm at number 102.

What tradition associates with Nithael

French tradition associates Nithael with:

• Just kingship: exercising authority as a service.
• Good government, at the scale of a state as of a household.
• Grace and kindness in a power that does not show harshness.
• Longevity, cited by some authors as an image of endurance, never as a promise of a longer life.

These themes come from esoteric works; they vary and are not established facts.

A reading for today

Nithael invites us to raise the question of responsibility. Who depends on your decisions, and how do you make them? A team leader, a parent, the president of an association can find in it an image: that of a power justified by the service it renders.

This figure takes no political side and points to no one: it serves only as a mirror for anyone who holds a responsibility.

His period of the year and his sign

Nithael’s period, from 11 to 15 December, falls at the end of autumn, about ten days before the solstice (northern hemisphere, within the framework of the original calendar). Roughly speaking, it covers the sign of Sagittarius. In mid-December, the days are almost at their shortest in metropolitan France: a time well suited to end-of-year reviews. In the table of the 36 decans, each ten-day span receives two angels: Nithael shares his with Nanael (no. 53).

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.

Nithael is the sixth of the Principalities, the most “political” of the series because of his verse on the throne and kingship. He follows Nanael, the angel of knowledge, and comes before Mebahiah, the angel of consolation: authority enlightened by knowledge must remain close to people.

To place Nithael in the sequence of angels, here are his immediate neighbours: Nanael (no. 53) before him and Mebahiah (no. 55) after him. The choir is presented in detail on the page Choir of Principalities.

A gentle practice with Nithael

A fifteen-minute exercise in responsibility:

1. List the areas for which you are answerable: family, team, association, garden, budget.
2. For each one, note a decision you are postponing.
3. Choose just one and set a date for it.
4. Read verse 19 of Psalm 103 and ask yourself what a decision “in the service of” those it affects would look like.

The exercise is only meant to clarify. For a legal, financial or medical question, turn to a competent professional.

What to keep in mind

This system is symbolic, not an established fact. No angel appoints leaders or guarantees a long life, and no one can promise you success or endurance. Read these pages for the images they offer and for the reflection they inspire.

The Catholic Church does not recognise this system: it retains only the three archangels named in Scripture, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. It does not, however, ignore angels: the Christian faith speaks of guardian angels, without names or calendar. Believers of all denominations also find in the psalms texts for prayer.

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.