9 the archangel Michael. According to Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1, Michael is one of the chief angels and the special guardian of Israel. In Rev. 12:7, Michael leads the angelic host in war against the devil and his angels. See “Angels” at Zech. 1:9.

Evidence indicates that this incident is based on The Assumption of Moses, an apocryphal Jewish work (of which only fragments have survived), which expands on the narrative of the burial of Moses in Deut. 34:5, 6 (Introduction: Interpretive Difficulties). The story concerns a confrontation between the archangel Michael and the devil over possession of the body of Moses. As usually interpreted, Jude’s point is that the rash talk of the false teachers contrasts with the temperate speech of Michael (2 Pet. 2:10 and note). Others interpret Jude as contrasting Michael’s appeal to God’s authority with the false teachers’ claim to having their own spiritual authority.