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About this book

1 Enoch

About this book

The Book of Parables

Chapter 37

1 The second vision which he saw, the vision of wisdom which Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, saw.⁠ 2 And this is the beginning of the words of wisdom which I raised my voice to speak and say to those who dwell on earth: Hear, you men of old time,⁠ and see, you who come after, the words of the Holy One which I will speak before the Lord of Spirits. 3 It would be better to declare them only to the men of old time, but even from those who come after, we will not withhold the beginning of wisdom. 4 Until this day, such wisdom has never been given by the Lord of Spirits as I have received according to my insight, according to the good pleasure of the Lord of Spirits by whom the lot of eternal life has been given to me. 5 Now three parables were imparted to me, and I raised my voice and recounted them to those who dwell on the earth.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 37:1 and LXX Isaiah 1:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Septuagint

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Summary

The opening of 1 Enoch 37 resembles the Greek Septuagint translation of Isaiah, including its reference to a list of kings. Hellenistic Jewish traditions likely shaped this section of 1 Enoch.

Passages

1 Enoch 37:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 The second vision which he saw, the vision of wisdom which Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, saw. 2 And this is the beginning of the words of wisdom which I raised my voice to speak and say to those who dwell on earth: Hear, you men of old time, and see, you who come after, the words of the Holy One which I will speak before the Lord of Spirits. 3 It would be better to declare them only to the men of old time, but even from those who come after, we will not withhold the beginning of wisdom.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

LXX Isaiah 1:1

Septuagint
1 The vision which Isaiah the son of Amos saw, which he saw against Judah, and against Jerusalem, in the reign of Uzziah, and Jotham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah, who reigned over Judea. 2 Hear, heaven, and listen, earth: for the Lord has spoken, saying, I have begotten and reared up children, but they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's crib: but Israel does not know me, and the people has not regarded me.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Isaiah

References

"... By inference, the superscription presents the book as a piece of prophecy, as is evident from its similarity to the wording of Isaiah 1:1... The LXX of Isaiah 1:1 is even closer to our Ethiopic, which can be retroverted... this similarity in word order might indicate that this verse in the Parables was translated into Greek with knowledge of Isaiah 1:1 LXX; see also the word order of Isaiah 13:1 in Hebrew..." ..."
George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 37-82 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012), 85.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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1 Enoch 37:1 and LXX Isaiah 1:1

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