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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 41

1 And then I witnessed all the mysteries of the heavens, how the kingdom is divided, and how the actions of people are weighed on a scale.⁠ 2 There, I saw the dwellings of the chosen and the holy, and my eyes saw all the sinners being expelled, those who deny the name of the Lord of Spirits, dragged away, unable to endure the punishment from the Lord of Spirits. 3 My eyes also saw the mysteries of lightning and thunder, and the secrets of the winds,⁠ how they are distributed to blow across the earth, and the mysteries of the clouds and dew,⁠ observing where they originate and how they moisten the dusty earth.⁠ 4 I saw hidden chambers from which the winds are dispersed, the chamber for hail and winds, the chamber for mist, and of the clouds, with the cloud above floating over the earth since the beginning of time. 5 I observed the chambers of the sun and moon, where they emerge and return, their magnificent reappearance,⁠ how one surpasses the other in splendor, their majestic orbit, and how they remain faithful to their orbit, adding nothing and taking nothing from it, keeping their promise to each other, as per the oath that binds them. 6 First, the sun emerges and follows its course as commanded by the Lord of Spirits, whose name is mighty forever and ever. 7 Then I saw the hidden and visible paths of the moon, as it completes its journey day and night—one position opposing the other—before the Lord of Spirits, offering thanks and praise without rest, for their rest is in their thanksgiving. 8 For the sun often changes for a blessing or a curse, and the path of the moon brings light to the righteous and darkness to the sinners in the name of the Lord, who separated the light from the darkness,⁠ divided the spirits of people, and strengthened the spirits of the righteous in the name of His righteousness.⁠ 9 No angel can hinder nor any power obstruct; for He appoints a judge for them all and He judges them all before Him.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 19:4 and 1 Enoch 41:5

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

1 Enoch describes the sun emerging to run its course across the sky, echoing Psalm 19 where the sun is compared to a groom leaving a chamber. Both follow ancient Near Eastern cosmology, where the celestial lights follow a fixed path in the firmament.

Passages

Psalm 19:4

Hebrew Bible
2 Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness. 3 There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard. 4 Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant horizon. In the sky he has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 Like a bridegroom it emerges from its chamber; like a strong man it enjoys running its course. 6 It emerges from the distant horizon, and goes from one end of the sky to the other; nothing can escape its heat.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

1 Enoch 41:5

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
4 I saw hidden chambers from which the winds are dispersed, the chamber for hail and winds, the chamber for mist, and of the clouds, with the cloud above floating over the earth since the beginning of time. 5 I observed the chambers of the sun and moon, where they emerge and return, their magnificent reappearance, how one surpasses the other in splendor, their majestic orbit, and how they remain faithful to their orbit, adding nothing and taking nothing from it, keeping their promise to each other, as per the oath that binds them. 6 First, the sun emerges and follows its course as commanded by the Lord of Spirits, whose name is mighty forever and ever.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

"... Like the winds and the various forms of moisture, the two great luminaries emerge from their storehouses and, moreover, return to begin the process again. The imagery is different from (though not necessarily incompatible with) chapters 72-73, where the luminaries emerge from gates in the firmament. The imagery here, especially in relation to the sun, is reminiscent of Psalm 19:4-5 ..."
George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 37-82 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012), 144.

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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Psalm 19:4 and 1 Enoch 41:5

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