I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from Heaven. It goes on to relate their judgment against him, and ends with, “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the holy ones”.
There are more references to watchers at the Tower of Babel, and a suggestion of their presence when God spoke to Abraham about going to Sodom and Gomorrah to see for Himself regarding the cry of it.
It is interesting to me that King Nebuchadnezzar had no worry that the use of the term “watchers” would be misunderstood by Daniel and future generations. He uses the term “watchers” as we, today, would assume that people would understand what we mean when we say Chevy Nova. Evidently it was a commonly used term at the time, and commonly understood knowledge of what a "watcher" was. Does this have anything to do with UFO's? I have no idea but it's something interesting to ponder.
From some notes I had on the angelic heralds..
Watchers are associated with the Grigori/Nephilim/half angel-half human forms. Some debate may exist on the topic.
THE NINE CHOIRS
The Building Blocks of Creation
Though there are many differentiating versions, the most commonly accepted model of the angelic heirarchy is the Throne of Glory model, as found in the Celestial Hierarchies of Dionysius, and the Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas.
This model deals with the idea that God is the center of all creation, encompasing the universe as a whole. The nine ranks of angels are split into three triads, which radiate outward from God’s focal point at the center of all being.
THE HIGHEST TRIAD
Choir One: The Seraphim
Seraphs are accepted as the highest ranking angel in God’s service. They have several reported duties, prime among which is ceaselessly chanting “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth if full of His Glory”. The reason for this monotony is to perpetuate the song of creation, which reverberates love in His kingdom.
In appearance they are quite unsettling. The prophet Isaiah saw a Seraph, who was reported to have six wings - two covering the face, two covering the feet, and two used for flying. They earned the popular title of “fiery flying serpents of lightning”, who roar like lions when aroused. They are more equated with dragons or serpents, which may bring proof of Satan’s position as a Seraph when he was an angel in Heaven.
HERBREW ORIGINS:- ser (doctor, surgeon) rapha (higher being)
CHOIR TWO: THE CHERUBIM
Newcomers , the Cherubim have managed to find their place in the celestial heirarchy. This is because of a famous quote, stating that God stationed “East of Eden the Cherubim and the Ever Turning Sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life”.
Immortalized also by common dipiction found in Baroque ceilings, as I have stated earlier their image in historical lore is less than demure. Other reports state that a Cherub has four faces and four wings. As fearful as they may appear, the Cherubim are beings of great knowledge and wisdom. They are also known as God’s charioteers.
HERBREW ORIGINS:- kerub (one who intercedes)
CHOIR THREE: THRONES
In Jewish lore the Thrones are also known as the great wheels, or “many eyed ones”. While the Cherubim are God’s charioteers, the Thrones seem to be the chariots themselves.
Their appearance was initially explained only as “like buring coals of fire”. Later sightings proved them to be a fiery wheel with four faces. Such sightings have caught the eyes of UFO buffs, for they can closely mirror such sightings of flying saucers.
The Thrones are to express God’s Divine Will as constantly flowing waves of creativity. The ruling prince of the Thrones is said to be the angel Raphael, though is later found in the ranks of the Archangels.
HERBREW ORIGINS:- galgal (pupil of the eye) (alternate name of the Thrones - Galgallin)
THE MIDDLE TRIAD
CHOIR FOUR: DOMINATIONS
Described as Dominations, Dominions, Lords, or by the Hebrew “Hashmallim”. According to Dionysius, the Dominations regulate the duties of angels. Some say that they are channels of mercy within the second Heaven.
CHOIR FIVE: VIRTUES
Known as the Malakim, Dunamis, or the Tarshishim, these angels bestow blessings from God, usually in the form of miracles. They are associated with heroes, and are said to instill courage into the hearts of those who fight for good.
CHOIR six: POWERS
Also called the Dynamis, Potentiates and Authorities, they are said to be the first angels created by God. They are the spirit guides who assist those who have left the body and have lost their way in the astral plane. Perhaps a divine aide to misguided ghosts?
THE lower TRIAD
CHOIR SEVEN: Principalities
Princedoms are the protectors and regulators of earthly boundaries, as well as crown kings, emperors, and powerful rulers, if only in sublime ways. Later they were also reportedly charged with the preservation of religion, and were subsequently forced to take an objective veiw of the concepts of good and evil.
CHOIR eight: ARchangels
Archangels are a confusing breed. They encompass what has been referred to as “the magnificent seven”, yet these names are held in such high esteem that you would think they belonged in the highest rank (known as the Seraphim). Some beleive they do, whilst others maintain that their place is among the Archangels. Nevertheless, the Archangels are God’s messengers, who carry out His decrees. They are also His warriors, for it was the archangels who battled Satan’s uprising.
The “magnificent seven” include the following Archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Sariel, Uriel, Raziel, and Metatron.
CHOIR nine: Angels
Though used as a generalization for the species as a whole, an Angel is the simplest depiction and presence of God’s servant. They are messengers, emissaries, and mediators. They guard mankind from evil influences, and their sheer numbers are incombrehensible. The Talmud speaks of there being one thousand angels assigned to every one child born. Christian tradition, however, is uncharacteristic in their surprising leniency. They state that there are only two angels assigned to each man, woman, and child - one for the right hand, inspiring goodness, and one for the left, influencing him with evil.
NOTE: Some consider the Nephilim to be the one and only rank among the supposed Tenth Choir, though there is little to support this thought. The Nephilim are cross-breeds - half human and half angel.
The Nephilim - Grigori (The Watchers)
In Hebrew lore they were known as giants, the offspring of fallen angels (”the sons of God”) and the daughters of men. (Genesis 6). Apparently not a pleasant merging of species, the Nephilim - or Grigori, which means “one who watches” - created havoc upon the earth, going so far as eating people. Some say it was this attrocioty that urged God to create the flood that Noah saw out.
Information on the angelic hierarchies chart are from Gustav Davidson’s “A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels”, copyright 1967. The Free Press - A Divison of Macmillan, Inc.
This is a very recommended book.
In depth information found after was drawn from Malcom Godwin’s “Angels - An Endangered Species”, copyright 1990. Simon and Schuster Inc.
A great book covering both sides of the story, so to speak.
Matthew 7;7,8
Ezekiel 1 describes a UFO. Come on let’s try to think outside the box...
In Sumerian, the "watchers" were called the "igigi". They were stationed in the "heavens" to keep an eye on things below for the annunaki. You are correct that it was a commonly understood term at the time.