Can angels reproduce?
Introduction
Angels have long fascinated both believers and the secular world, becoming the subject of legend, fiction, and theology. They are often portrayed in popular culture as glowing women, infant cherubs with wings, or ethereal beings full of romantic mystique. However, when examined through the lens of Scripture, angels are revealed to be created spiritual beings, entirely distinct from humanity in origin, nature, and function.
As Hebrews 1:14 states,
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”
This clarifies their fundamental purpose: they are not autonomous agents with personal ambitions, but servants of God, designed to carry out His will and minister to His people.
Given their spiritual nature, an important theological question arises: Can angels reproduce? This question touches not only on angelology but on our broader understanding of creation, gender, and eschatology.
I. The Nature of Angels in Scripture
A. Angels Are Created Beings
Angels did not evolve or procreate into existence. They were created directly by God at a specific point in time before the foundation of the world:
Psalm 148:2–5 states,
“Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! ... For He commanded and they were created.”
Colossians 1:16 further affirms,
“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
There is no indication in Scripture that angels are born or generated from other angels. Rather, the entire angelic host was created directly and immediately by God Himself.
B. Angels Appear in Male Form
Whenever angels appear visibly in Scripture, they appear as male figures:
Daniel 9:21 – “Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.”
Luke 1:26 – “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.”
Matthew 28:3 – “His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.”
There is no biblical example of a female angel, nor any description of angelic reproduction, marriage, or family structure. They appear always as adult males with supernatural characteristics, yet without biological reproduction.
II. Did Jesus Address Angelic Reproduction?
A. Matthew 22:30 – Angels Do Not Marry
The most direct statement from Jesus regarding angels and reproduction comes in His response to the Sadducees:
Matthew 22:30 –
“For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.”
This verse teaches that in the resurrected state, humans will no longer engage in marriage as known on earth. Jesus draws a parallel between glorified humans and angels—specifically in that angels do not marry. While this does not explicitly state that angels are incapable of reproduction, it strongly implies that their design excludes marital and sexual function.
III. Genesis 6 and the Sons of God Controversy
A. Genesis 6:1–4 – A Difficult Passage
Genesis 6:1–2 –
“Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.”
Genesis 6:4 –
“There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
The identity of the “sons of God” has been the subject of theological debate for centuries. One longstanding view—supported by some early church fathers and many conservative scholars today—interprets the phrase as referring to fallen angels who took human form and engaged in sexual relations with human women, resulting in hybrid offspring known as the Nephilim.
B. Jude and 2 Peter’s Support for the Angelic Interpretation
Jude 1:6–7 –
“And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah... having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
2 Peter 2:4 –
“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…”
These passages seem to describe a unique group of angels who committed a grievous act, leading to their immediate judgment. Their sin is directly compared to that of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was sexual in nature and involved pursuing "strange flesh."
C. Theological Implication: Angels Can Assume Human Form, But Do Not Reproduce Naturally
These events in Genesis 6 (if interpreted literally) suggest that fallen angels, when taking on human form, could mimic human biological function—but this would be by abnormal or forbidden means, not by natural design. It is not reproduction in the proper sense, but perversion.
This act was so egregious that God imprisoned these specific angels, indicating that their transgression was beyond normal demonic activity. It is crucial to note, however, that:
This does not imply that angels reproduce among themselves. There is no biblical evidence whatsoever that angels beget new angels or have any intra-angelic reproductive ability.
IV. The Fixed Number of Angels
Scripture strongly suggests that the number of angels is fixed and unchanging:
Hebrews 12:22 –
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels…”
Revelation 5:11 –
“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne… and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.”
The Bible speaks of an innumerable host, but never of angels being born or created by other angels. Angels do not die (Luke 20:36), so there is no need for procreation to perpetuate their kind. All were created at once, most likely before Genesis 1:1, as seen in Job 38:7, where angels rejoiced at the creation of the earth.
V. Conclusion: Do Angels Reproduce?
Based on a careful, literal reading of Scripture:
Angels were directly created by God; they do not beget offspring among themselves.
Angels do not marry, according to Jesus Christ (Matthew 22:30).
While fallen angels may have committed unnatural acts in Genesis 6, this does not reflect their designed function.
There is no biblical evidence of angels reproducing with one another or expanding their numbers biologically.
God alone controls their number; He sustains their existence by His will.
Angels are immortal, spiritual beings, designed for worship, service, and warfare, not for reproduction. In contrast to humanity, they do not form families, bear children, or build societies. Their entire focus is on serving the Lord, whether in heaven or on divine assignment.
“Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.”
— Psalm 103:20, New King James Version
