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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 Psalm 37:11 and 1 Enoch 5:7

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

1 Enoch 5 says the righteous will inherit the earth. This develops the promise in Psalm 37 that the meek will inherit the land of Israel and turns it into a larger hope about the future reward given to faithful people.

Passages

Psalm 37:11

Hebrew Bible
9 Wicked men will be wiped out, but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. 10 Evil men will soon disappear; you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. 11 But the oppressed will possess the land and enjoy great prosperity. 12 Evil men plot against the godly and viciously attack them. 13 The Lord laughs in disgust at them, for he knows that their day is coming.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

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

References

"... Psalm 37:11 states: “But the meek shall possess the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” According to Fr. Daniel Harrington, S.J., “The Qumran community took Psalm 37:11 as a prophecy of their struggle with their enemies (4QpPsa). The land is not necessarily limited to the land of Israel. In apocalyptic literature (see 1 Enoch 5:7) the promise is widened to include the gift of the whole world to the just.” (Sacred Pagina, The Gospel of Matthew, pp.79) ... “As meek and gentle are key Matthean words that characterize the reversal of this worldly idea of kingship (Mt 11:29; 12:18-21; 21:5), Matthew may have formulated this saying himself. Meekness here is a synonym for poor in spirit and characterizes those who are aware of their identity as the oppressed people of God in the world, those who have renounced the violent methods of this worldly power.” (The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VIII, p. 179) ..."
Kurt Godfryd, “Blessed are the Meek,” Catholic Journal (2013): 1–4.

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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  • This is great help Pursuing the word of God for full understanding. Thank you for helps

    Nita kicinski, March 17, 2026

Psalm 37:11 and 1 Enoch 5:7

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