Go to Related Reading
About this book

1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 5

1 Observe how the trees clothe themselves in green leaves and produce fruit: therefore, pay attention and understand all His creations, and realize how the Eternal One has made them so.⁠ 2 And all His works continue year after year forever, and all the tasks they perform for Him, and their tasks do not change, but happen just as God has decreed. 3 And see how the sea and the rivers also fulfill their tasks unchangingly according to His commands.⁠ 4 But you have not remained faithful, nor have you obeyed the Lord's commandments. Instead, you have turned away and spoken arrogantly and harshly with your impure mouths against His greatness. Oh, you stubborn-hearted, you will find no peace.⁠ 5 Therefore, you will curse your own days, and the years of your life will vanish, and the years of your doom will increase in eternal condemnation, and you will find no mercy. 6 In those days, your names will become a curse forever to all the righteous, and all who curse will use your name, and all the sinners and the godless will swear by your name.⁠ And all the righteous will rejoice, and there will be forgiveness of sins, and every kind of mercy and peace and tolerance: There will be salvation for them, a splendid light. And for you sinners, there will be no salvation, but a curse will remain on you all. 7 And for you, the godless, there will be a curse. But for the chosen, there will be light, joy, and peace, and they shall inherit the earth.⁠ 8 And then wisdom will be granted to the chosen, and they will all live and never sin again, neither through ungodliness nor through pride; but those who are wise will be humble.⁠ 9 And they will not transgress again, nor will they sin all the days of their life, nor will they die of divine anger or fury, but they will complete the number of their days. And their lives will be lengthened in peace, and the years of their joy will be multiplied, in eternal happiness and peace, all the days of their life.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 5:7 and Matthew 5:5

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

Share:

Summary

In Matthew 5, Jesus echoes 1 Enoch 5 in the promise that the righteous will inherit the earth, linking both through shared eschatological language. This allusion suggests that the saying in Matthew is part of an existing Enochic interpretive tradition.

Passages

1 Enoch 5:7

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
6 In those days, your names will become a curse forever to all the righteous, and all who curse will use your name, and all the sinners and the godless will swear by your name. And all the righteous will rejoice, and there will be forgiveness of sins, and every kind of mercy and peace and tolerance: There will be salvation for them, a splendid light. And for you sinners, there will be no salvation, but a curse will remain on you all. 7 And for you, the godless, there will be a curse. But for the chosen, there will be light, joy, and peace, and they shall inherit the earth. 8 And then wisdom will be granted to the chosen, and they will all live and never sin again, neither through ungodliness nor through pride; but those who are wise will be humble.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Matthew 5:5

New Testament
2 Then he began to teach them by saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... Perrin notes that both the Matthean redactor and the Qumran community have cast the text into a decidedly eschatological perspective, and thus he suggests that there is a common link between the communities which is hinged upon this association. (Craigie notes that the interpretation of the text at Qumran indicates a neglect of "its primarily educational function". I would hold this also to be true with regard to the Matthean Gospel, though such an emphasis indeed is maintained in the Didache) Cross further emphasizes this view. He notes a perspective that is shared between the Qumran and the Matthean communities, i.e., that the poor will inherit the "Kingdom of the New Age," an age which is associated with the eschatological banquet, as is further suggested by parallels that are found in Luke 6:20-21 (Notice that in 1 Enoch 5-7 it is the elect who will inherit the earth) ..."
Clayton N. Jefford, The Sayings of Jesus in the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, VCSup 11 (Leiden: Brill, 1989), 75.

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

Your feedback

Comments

  • Where can I get a book of Enoch?

    Jeremiah, December 8, 2024

1 Enoch 5:7 and Matthew 5:5

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library