His countenance was like lightning,.... There was such a lustre and brightness in his face, that it glittered like lightning: such a description is in Dan 10:6,

and his raiment white as snow: the word "white" is left out in the Vulgate Latin, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel: the angel appeared clad in white, as a token of the purity and innocence of his nature; and because of the victory and triumph of Christ over death and the grave; and that he might be known and taken by the women for a good angel, it being a commonly received notion of the Jews, that ministering angels were clothed in white (b).

"Said R. Ame to R. Levi, show me the Persians; he said to him, they are like to the mighty men of the house of David: show me the Chaberin, (another nation near the Persians,) they are like to destroying angels: show me the Ishmaelites, they are like to devils of the house of Hacsa: show me the disciples of the wise men in Babylon, they are like to the ministering angels.''

Upon which the gloss says,

""to the devils", because they are clothed in black, and are like to devils; to "the ministering angels", "they are clothed in white", and veiled like the ministering angels; as it is written in Eze 9:2, "and the man was clothed with linen": and it is said (c) of R. Judah, that he was veiled, and sat in fine linen fringed, and was like to an angel of the Lord of hosts: and elsewhere (d) it is said, who are the ministering angels? the Rabbins: and why are they called ministering angels? because they are fringed, as the ministering angels, in beautiful garments.''

(b) T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 72. 1. (c) T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 25. 2. (d) T. Bab. Nedarim, fol. 20. 2.

His countenance--appearance.

was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow--the one expressing the glory, the other the purity of the celestial abode from which he came.