1 Enoch

About this book

Chapter 49

1 For wisdom is poured out like water, and glory never fades before him forever. 2 For he is mighty in all the secrets of righteousness, and unrighteousness shall disappear like a shadow, and have no continuity; because the Elect One stands before the Lord of Spirits, and his glory lasts forever and ever, and his power through all generations. 3 And in him dwells the spirit of wisdom, the spirit that gives insight, the spirit of understanding and of might,⁠ and the spirit of those who have fallen asleep in righteousness.⁠ 4 And he shall judge the hidden matters, and no one will be able to speak falsely before him; for he is the Elect One before the Lord of Spirits according to His good pleasure.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 42:1 and 1 Enoch 49:4

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

Summary

1 Enoch 49 describes the messianic Chosen One having divine favor, echoing the prophetic language from Isaiah 42 where God calls the servant his chosen one in whom he takes pleasure.

Passages

Isaiah 42:1

Hebrew Bible

1 “Here is my servant whom I support, my chosen one in whom I take pleasure. I have placed my Spirit on him; he will make just decrees for the nations. 2 He will not cry out or shout; he will not publicize himself in the streets. 3 A crushed reed he will not break, a dim wick he will not extinguish; he will faithfully make just decrees. 4 He will not grow dim or be crushed before establishing justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait in anticipation for his decrees.”

740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

1 Enoch 49:4

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

2 For he is mighty in all the secrets of righteousness, and unrighteousness shall disappear like a shadow, and have no continuity; because the Elect One stands before the Lord of Spirits, and his glory lasts forever and ever, and his power through all generations. 3 And in him dwells the spirit of wisdom, the spirit that gives insight, the spirit of understanding and of might, and the spirit of those who have fallen asleep in righteousness. 4 And he shall judge the hidden matters, and no one will be able to speak falsely before him; for he is the Elect One before the Lord of Spirits according to His good pleasure.

300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

"... That the 'Chosen One' has its source in Second Isaiah's oracles about the Servant of YHVH is evident from two texts. The clearest of these is 1 Enoch 49:3-4, which is, in part, a paraphrase of Isaiah 42 ... The second passage (48:1-7) describes the naming of the Son of Man, drawing a number of phrases from Second Isaiah's description of the call of the Servant in Isaiah 49. Although the passage employs the designation 'Son of Man, it states that 'he was chosen and hidden in his presence before the world was created' (48:6, compare Isaiah 49:1-2) ..."

George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 37-82 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012), 117.

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

1 Enoch108 chapters

Compare Isaiah 42:1 and 1 Enoch 49:4

Summary

Passages

Isaiah 42:1

1 Enoch 49:4

References

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