Angel Harahel (No. 59): Regency, Psalm, Symbolism and Reading

Who Is Harahel, Angel No. 59?

Harahel is the fifty-ninth angel on the list, the third of the Choir of Archangels. His name is also written Harael in several editions. French books associate him with the “treasures” of the mind: knowledge, books, archives, and the memory that is kept and passed on.

Recent editions also attribute to him the protection of libraries and printing. These modern attributions extend an ancient theme: what is written lasts longer than those who wrote it.

The number 59 in the list of 72 angels belongs to Harahel; the list itself is drawn, according to 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 introduction to the 72 angels.

Traditional Reference Points

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

The Verse and the Name

The verse from Psalm 113 reads: “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” It is a sweeping verse: it embraces the whole course of the sun, from east to west, as if to say that praise knows no borders. Psalm 113 opens the Hallel (113 to 118), sung in Jewish tradition on the great feasts.

The name is formed from the triplet הרח (Hé, Resh, Heth) followed by the ending El. It is sometimes glossed as “God who knows all things,” a symbolic gloss and not an established translation. Verse 3 bears the same number in Hebrew and English numbering; the Vulgate places this psalm at number 112. Psalm 113 also serves Umabel (No. 61), with verse 2.

What Tradition Associates with Harahel

According to French editions, Harahel evokes:

• Preserved knowledge: books, archives, collections.
• Memory and transmission from one generation to the next.
• Riches of the mind, which the older vocabulary calls “treasure.”
• The book professions: librarians, publishers, printers (a modern attribution). Some websites add banking, through a drift from the word “treasure.”

These associations come from esoteric works; they vary between authors and are not established facts.

A Reading for Today

In the digital age, what we keep is fragile: photos on a phone, letters in a messaging app, hard drives that age. Harahel can become the emblem of a modest gesture: sorting, backing up, labeling one’s memories so they stay readable.

The image of “treasure” guarantees you no fortune. For money matters, turn to a competent adviser.

His Season and Zodiac Sign

Harahel’s period, January 5 to 9, falls in the heart of winter (northern hemisphere, within the framework of the original calendar). It roughly covers the sign of Capricorn. Epiphany (January 6) falls within the period and evokes the magi who came from “the East” (Matthew 2:1): a nod to the verse that speaks of the sunrise. In the table of the 36 decans, each ten-day span receives two angels: Harahel shares his with Mitzrael (No. 60).

Within the Choir of Archangels

In the “Celestial Hierarchy” of Pseudo-Dionysius (around 500), the Archangels form the second-to-last choir, at the centre of the third triad. The Greek word archangeloi means “chiefs of messengers.” The New Testament uses the term twice (1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Jude 9), and Gregory the Great (late 6th century) said that angels carry ordinary messages and archangels the greatest ones. In the list of 72, this choir groups angels 57 to 64; it should not be confused with the eight archangels of our guides to the archangels, which belong to a different classification.

Harahel is the third of the Archangels. Between the courage of Yeialel and the repair of Mitzrael, he brings memory: one repairs well only what one remembers. Archives are a way of keeping the great messages, which this choir evokes.

To place Harahel in the sequence of angels, here are his immediate neighbours: Yeialel (No. 58) before him and Mitzrael (No. 60) after him. The choir is presented in detail on the page Choir of Archangels.

A Gentle Practice with Harahel

An exercise in memory, lasting one hour:

1. Choose a box of family photos or documents, or a digital folder.
2. Sort into three piles: to keep, to share, to let go.
3. On the back of five photos (or in the file names), note the name, date and place.
4. Make a backup copy, then read verse 3 of Psalm 113.

Ask the oldest members of your family before it is too late: their memories are a living archive.

What to Keep in Mind

This system is symbolic, not an established fact. No angel protects your archives or guarantees wealth or renown, and no one can promise you any result. Read these pages for the images they offer and for the reflection they prompt.

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