What does Gabriel do in the Bible?

Answer 1

Besides Michael, Gabriel is the only angel named in The Bible. He was used by God to deliver messages to various people on earth, separated by hundreds of years.

*OT Hebrew Scriptures:Twice he appeared to Daniel(Daniel 8:15-19)(Daniel 9:20-22)

*NT Greek Scriptures: To Zechariah (Luke 1:11-20) To Mary (Luke 1:26-27)

His name 'Garbiel' ("Gha'ver" in Hebrew) means 'like an able bodied man' or 'having the appearance of a man"(KJV).

Answer 2

Old Testament
The Book of Daniel(9:21) says that Gabriel gave Daniel skill and understanding. However, this passage should be read cautiously, since the Book was written in the second century BCE, hundreds of years after this unwitnessed event was supposed to have occurred.

New Testament Luke's Gospel (1:19) says that Gabriel told Zacharias that he and his elderly wife would have a son, John. Also, Luke's Gospel (1:28) says that Gabriel told Mary that she would have a son, Jesus. Once again, these passages should be read cautiously, not only because they were unwitnessed and are unattested elsewhere, but because they are directly in conflict with the nativity account of Matthew.

A comparison of the two gospels clearly shows that if the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would have a son, then Matthew's narrative, of the angel telling Joseph, must be wrong - and vice versa. It is not possible for both narratives to be true.