Texts in Conversation
1 Enoch 71 ends with language from Psalm 19, showing the psalm was already being used as a liturgical closing prayer. This early use points to a pattern later followed in Jewish and Christian traditions.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Psalm 19:14
Hebrew Bible
11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; those who obey them receive a rich reward. 12 Who can know all his errors? Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of. 13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins; do not allow such sins to control me. Then I will be blameless and innocent of blatant rebellion. 14 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my sheltering rock and my redeemer.
Date: 600–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
1 Enoch 71:12
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
10 With them was the Head of Days, whose head was white and pure as wool, and whose garments were beyond description. 11 Overcome, I fell on my face, my whole body went limp, and my spirit was transformed; I cried out with a loud voice, blessing, glorifying, and exalting Him. 12 These blessings from my mouth pleased the Head of Days. 13 The Head of Days came with Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel, accompanied by thousands and tens of thousands of angels beyond number.
Date: 300 BCE – 100 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
“... The melting of the seer’s flesh notwithstanding, the immediate presence of the deity evokes from the seer an energetic response characterized by the repetitive “I cried out with a loud voice, with a spirit of power | I blessed and praised and exalted.” For this latter vocabulary in one place, see the description of the angelic praise in 61:6-12 and especially v. 6. Perhaps it is the transformation of Enoch’s spirit that overcomes his melting flesh and enables this worshipful outburst. Verse 12 may echo the wording of Ps 19:14 (Gk., Eth. 18:15): May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight (Eth. šemur qedma, as here), O YHWH, my rock and my redeemer. A paraphrase from this Psalm of cosmic praise would be appropriate in this context. ...”
George W. E. Nickelsburg and James C. VanderKam, 1 Enoch 2: A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch, Chapters 37-82 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012), 327.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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