Hebrew expressions found frequently in the Old Testament. These expressions literally mean “army” and “army of the skies.” “Host” is basically a military term, occurring nearly 500 times in the Old Testament. It can mean “army” (2 Kings 18:17), “angels,” “heavenly bodies,” or “creation.”
The phrase “host of heaven” has various applications in the Bible. Ancient writers sometimes referred symbolically to the sun, moon, and stars as an army (Deuteronomy 4:19; Judges 5:20). In the astrological cults of antiquity, it was believed that celestial bodies were animated by spirits and thus constituted a living army that controlled heavenly destiny. The worship of the host of heaven was one of the earliest forms of idolatry. It was common among the Israelites in their times of regression from serving God (Jeremiah 19:13; Acts 7:42). Although warned against such pagan beliefs (Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:3), the Israelites fell into the practice of worshiping heavenly bodies. This was particularly true during the Assyrian and Babylonian periods (2 Kings 17:16; 21:3–5; 2 Chronicles 33:3–5; Jeremiah 8:2; Zephaniah 1:5). The corrective to this pagan practice is belief in the Lord as the Creator of heaven and earth. The Lord is the Almighty, the one who marshaled the heavenly bodies at his command and ordained them to perform a special function (Genesis 1:14–19; 2:1; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalms 33:6; 103:21; 148:2; Isaiah 40:26; 45:12).
God is frequently called “the Lord God of hosts,” that is, of the celestial armies (Jeremiah 5:14; 38:17; 44:7; Hosea 12:5). The heavenly host includes angels or messengers who are associated with the Lord’s work in heaven and on earth. God presides over a heavenly council composed of angels or “sons of God” (Genesis 1:26; 1 Kings 22:19; Job 1:6; Psalm 82; Is 6). Messengers are sent from the Lord’s council to accomplish his purpose (Genesis 28:12–15; Luke 2:13).
Though the hosts are sometimes understood as the stars or angels, the tribes of Israel are also called “the host of the Lord.” The “host of heaven” in Daniel 8:10–11 appears to be figurative language referring to Israel, “the holy people,” and God, the King of Israel, is called “the Prince of the host.”
The Greek words translated “host” occur only twice in the New Testament (Luke 2:13; Acts 7:42). “Lord of hosts” is used by Paul and James as a title for the Lord (Romans 9:29; James 5:4). The term expresses God’s sovereign might and majesty in history, but the precise identification of the “hosts” that stand at his command is uncertain.