Texts in Conversation
Genesis describes Enoch as one who walked with God and was then taken, using language that implies removal without death. Psalm 73 uses the same verb to describe the psalmist’s future, suggesting a similar outcome and a possible interpretation of the enigmatic Genesis passage.
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Genesis 5:24
Hebrew Bible
22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared because God took him away. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Psalm 73:24
Hebrew Bible
22 I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was as senseless as an animal before you. 23 But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me by your wise advice, and then you will take me* to a position of honor. 25 Whom do I have in heaven but you? On earth there is no one I desire but you. 26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.
Date: 6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Our actual experience of the world often contradicts the Torah and wisdom teaching about the two ways ... It is precisely this situation that leads to a crisis of faith in the case of the author of Psalm 73; he almost lost his footing when he saw the prosperity of the wicked, their this-worldly success despite their arrogance toward God and neighbor. At first the psalmist is dismayed and can make no sense of this injustice, but he comes to an understanding (while in the temple) that the wicked will ultimately receive what they deserve ... One of the fascinating details about Psalm 73 is the use of the verb “take”
(lāqaḥ) in verse 24 (rendered by most translations as “receive”). That God will “take” the psalmist seems to be an echo of Genesis 5:24, which states, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.” This same verb is used in Psalm 49, which, like Psalm 73, suggests that death is not the final end for the righteous ..."
Middleton, J. Richard
A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology
(pp. 135-136) Baker Academic, 2014
* 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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