The Heavenly host ( tsva hashamayim) originally referred to the sun, moon, and stars () conceived of as an army, and later referred to the army (or host) of God, as mentioned in Abrahamic texts; the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, and the Quran in particular.
Some Biblical passages indicate entities making up the divine army such as stars (,, ).Dahood, Psalms II, 1968, p. 141. Referring to the heavenly bodies, the Israelites were commanded not to worship the host of heaven.
The Bible also describes the Heavenly host as being made up of angels, and gives several descriptions of angels in military terms, such as their encampment (), command structure (; Matt.13:41; Rev.7:2), and participation in combat (; Rev.12:7). In Christian theology, the heavenly host participate in the war in Heaven.
In the Quran, the heavenly hosts aid Muslims in the battle against the polytheistic enemies of Muhammad.
Hebrew Bible
In the Hebrew Bible, the name Yahweh and the title Elohim (literally 'gods' or 'godhood', usually rendered as 'God' in English translations) frequently occur with the word tzevaot or sabaoth ("hosts" or "armies", Hebrew: ṣəḇāʾōṯ) as YHWH Elohe Tzevaot ("YHWH God of Hosts"), Elohe Tzevaot ("God of Hosts"), Adonai YHWH Tzevaot ("Lord YHWH of Hosts") or, most frequently, YHWH Tzevaot ("YHWH of Hosts"). This name is traditionally transliterated in Latin as Sabaoth, a form that will be more familiar to many English readers, as it is used in the King James Version of the Bible.Jewish Encyclopedia: Host of Heaven New York, May 1, 1901
In the Book of Joshua 5:13–15, Joshua encounters a "captain of the host of the Lord" in the early days of his campaigns in the Promised Land. This unnamed heavenly messenger is sent by God to encourage Joshua in the upcoming claiming of the Promised Land:
Quran
The Quran mentions God's army () in , , and ; angels sent down by God to aid the believers in battle,Reynolds, G. S. (2009). Angels. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_23204 comparable to the heavenly host (Sabaoth) mentioned in the Books of Samuel.Serdar, Murat. "Hıristiyanlık ve İslâm’da Meleklerin Varlık ve Kısımları." Bilimname 2009.2 (2009).
The term junud refers explicitly to hosts of spirits. The evil spirits too have their host called the "junud iblīs" (the invisible hosts of Satan). The Quran describes the angelic host intervening on behalf of the Muslims during the Battle of Badr to fight against the šayāṭīn (devils)
In Islamic theology and philosophy, the battle of these two hosts are reflected in the internal struggle of the "human heart" (qalb) (al-Ghazali).Ateşçi, Cemre. Imam al-Ghazali’s understanding of human ontology and behavior. MS thesis. İbn Haldun Üniversitesi, Medeniyetler İttifakı Enstitüsü, 2019. Unlike Christianity, dualistic tendencies are usually minimized in Islamic tradition, and God is ultimately in control of both hosts; enabling a choice to side with either of these created beings.
Baháʼí Faith The term "Lord of Hosts" is also used in the Baháʼí Faith as a title of God.The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, Baháʼí Reference Library. Bahá'u'lláh, claiming to be the Manifestation of God, wrote tablets to many of the kings and rulers of the world inviting them to recognize him as the Promised One of all ages and faiths, some of which were compiled and published in English as The Summons of the Lord of Hosts.The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 1, Baháʼí Reference Library.
Ugarit Karel van der Toorn says the Ugaritic texts put the council of heavens () in synonymous parallelism with the assembly of the stars () and the sons of El (), meaning the gods.
See also Astrotheology Divine Council Hierarchy of angels List of angels in theology Trisagion
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