the angel of the LORD: The angel of the Lord was the Lord himself in some passages (16:13; 21:17; 22:11–12; 31:11–13; 48:16; Exodus 3:2; 32:34; Judges 6:11, 16, 22; 13:22–23; Zechariah 3:1–2). But in other passages he is distinct from the Lord (Genesis 24:7; 2 Samuel 24:16; Zechariah 1:12).
This figure is often understood as a theophany (a visible appearance of God) or a Christophany (an appearance of the Messiah before he became human (see Genesis 18:1–2; 19:1; Numbers 22:22; Judges 2:1–4; 5:23; Zechariah 12:8). In these cases, he speaks with the authority of the Lord himself.