Armisael is addressed as an angel governing the womb in a childbirth appeal reproduced by Joshua Trachtenberg. The passage belongs to his historical study of magic and folk religion, rather than a scene in a biblical narrative.
A childbirth appeal in Jewish Magic and Superstition
In chapter 13, Medicine, Trachtenberg discusses Scripture and sacred names as elements of historical healing practices. His childbirth example combines a psalm recital with an appeal to Armisael to help the woman and the child in her body attain life and peace.
The prayer’s emphasis is the welfare of both mother and child. It supplies the name and a womb-related office, but no physical description, celestial rank or extended biography. Trachtenberg’s reproduced material is the basis for this specific association.
What kind of source is this?
Trachtenberg’s book is a scholarly account of historical beliefs and practices, drawing on earlier texts. His discussion places the appeal within the use of biblical words and angelic names. It should not be silently recast as a direct Talmudic statement naming Armisael or as a claim that the procedure has established medical effects.
This setting differs from Laylah’s presentation of a drop before God in Niddah 16b. Armisael’s childbirth appeal and Laylah’s account in Niddah 16b both speak of human generation, but they give the figures different roles in different sources. Here, the prayer asks for life and peace for mother and child.
Explore related entries
Read Laylah, Akriel, the angel names A–Z index, or the guide to source traditions.