In Jewish magical traditions documented by Joshua Trachtenberg, Gzrel is identified as an angel invoked to annul or countermand an evil decree issued in heaven. In Jewish Magic and Superstition (1939, chapter 7, printed pages 94–95), Trachtenberg records that the fifth term of a forty-two-letter divine name corresponds by gematria to Gzrel, as both yield the numerical value of 241. The passage concerns an evil decree, using the transliterated word gezerah.
The source treats Gzrel explicitly as an angel rather than solely as an abstract cipher, while noting that the connection rests on numerical equivalence rather than identical letter composition. In A Dictionary of Angels (page 128), Gustav Davidson provides a concise summary of this invocation. Trachtenberg connects Gzrel with numerical correspondences between angelic and divine names.
Explore related entries
Read about Raziel, Metatron, or consult the guide to source traditions.