Judges 13:17-19 - It is beyond understanding

13:17,18

Manoah then inquires of the angel’s name, remember he does not yet realise he is speaking to the angel of the Lord. Manoah does demonstrate his faith, however, when he says “when your word comes true”. He believes what the angel has said. The angel replies that his name is “beyond understanding” or is “wonderful”. Giving the name would somehow give Manoah a handle on who the angel was, but God is too great to handle. While we can know God to some extent, the better we know God, the more we realise there is so much more to know.

13:19

Manoah duly prepares the sacrifice of the goat, together with a grain offering, and makes the sacrifice on a rock. At this point “the Lord did an amazing thing”. Note that the narrative changes from “the angel of the Lord”, to “the Lord”. The presence of the angel of the Lord is equivalent to the presence of God.