The account of Jacob’s dream does not say that the angels had wings. Genesis 28:12 says, “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” Artists’ conceptions of this dream usually show angels with wings.
Angels are spirit beings. They can appear and disappear in an instant. They have the ability to materialize and appear to be actual human beings, as they did to Abraham in Genesis 18 and Lot in Genesis 19. Obviously, angels do not need wings.
All of the above having been said, there are biblical accounts describing angels with wings. Are these accounts meant to be taken literally or figuratively? In the first chapter of Ezekiel, we read of cherubim as having wings. However, they are also described as having four faces – that of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle, as well as wheels and feet the color of burnished brass. Their general appearance was like “burning coals of fire” (Ezekiel 1:7 &13). We believe these descriptions are used in a symbolic way just as they were in the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy place in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:18-20). In this case, they represent God’s attributes of Love and Power, waiting until Justice is satisfied (the blood applied on the mercy seat between the cherubim) in order to wing their flight to uplift and restore the world.
So also in Ezekiel’s Temple, the cherubim are shown with wings outstretched, active on their errand of mercy, with faces of a man (Love) and a lion (Power). We read of seraphim in Isaiah 6. In this chapter, the seraphim take coals from the alter of the temple and place them in Isaiah’s mouth. This incident is obviously a vision and not literal because Isaiah speaks soon afterwards (verse 8). Just as the coals are not literal, the seraphim are not either. Can we take these symbolic creatures and apply their symbolic characteristics as literal elements of an angel? No. Angels are spirit beings and do not have wings.
Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast Episode #1043: “How Do Angels Help Us in Daily Life?”
Examining the interactions we should or shouldn’t have with angels
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
For children, parents and Bible class teachers:
Christian Questions CQ Kids video: “What does the Bible say about angels?”
