Chazaqiel (, ), also Shahaqiel or ÃÂzêqêêl, was the 8th Watcher of the 20 leaders of the 200 fallen angels that are mentioned in an ancient work called The Book of Enoch. The name means "cloud of God", and it was said that Chazaqiel taught men the knowledge of the clouds, meteorology. Michael Knibb translates this angel as being the "Shooting star of God".
The name Chazaqiel is derived from ancient Aramaic, combining the root à ¡á¸¥q (shachaq), meaning "cloud" or "thin sky" with El, meaning "God". This has led most scholars to interpret the name as "Cloud of God," a reading supported by apocryphal accounts in which the angel imparts knowledge of weather and atmospheric phenomena.
A less common interpretation suggests the meaning "God Strengthens," though this view is debated. Scholars such as Michael A. Knibb argue, based on Aramaic textual fragments, that the name more likely relates to celestial or atmospheric associations rather than to roots implying strength.
In the context of the Second Temple Jewish angelic naming practices (circa 516 BCE-70 CE), names like Chazaqiel generally reflect divine attributes or the angel's celestial role. Such theophoric names, common in pseudepigraphal literature, emphasize a connection to God's essence or the being's sacred function.