Gabriel. [Heb. "man of God," or "God has shown Himself strong"] An angel who stands in the presence of God (Lk 1:19). He appeared to the prophet Daniel and explained to him the prophecy of the ram and the goat (Dan 8:16-26), and the 70-week prophetic period (ch 9:21-27). He announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zacharias (Lk 1:11-20), and informed Mary of the birth of Jesus (vs 26-38). Since he stands in the presence of God (Lk 1:19), post-Biblical tradition describes him as an archangel, but he is not thus designated in the Bible. He is also mentioned in Jewish apocryphal literature (Apocalypse of Moses 40:1; First Book of Enoch 9:1; 10:9; 20:7; 40:9; 54:6; etc.) -- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary.