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1 Enoch

About this book

The Rebellion of the Watchers

Chapter 6

1 And when the population of humans had increased during those times, beautiful and attractive daughters were born to them.⁠ 2 And the angels, the children of heaven, saw them and desired them,⁠ and said to each other: 'Come, let us choose wives from among the humans and father children.'⁠ 3 And Semjâzâ, their leader, said to them: 'I fear that you will not actually agree to do this, and I alone will have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' 4 And they all replied to him and said: 'Let us all take an oath, and all bind ourselves with a solemn promise not to abandon this plan but to carry out this act.' 5 Then they all took an oath together and bound themselves with a solemn promise to do so. 6 And there were in total two hundred who descended on the summit of Mount Hermon⁠ in the days of Jared, and they named it Mount Hermon because they had taken an oath and bound themselves with solemn promises there. 7 And these are the names of their leaders:⁠ Samîazâz, their leader,⁠ Arâkîba, Râmêêl, Kôkabîêl, Tâmîêl, Râmîêl, Dânêl, Êzêqêêl, Barâqîjâl, Asâêl, Armârôs, Batârêl, Anânêl, Zaqîêl, Samsâpêêl, Satarêl, Tûrêl, Jômjâêl, Sariêl.⁠ 8 These are their chiefs of tens.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 6:2 and Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 1.3

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Classical

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Summary

Josephus, in describing Jewish history and traditions for his Roman audience, interprets the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 as angels and includes details from traditions found in 1 Enoch, such as their desire to take human wives.

Passages

1 Enoch 6:2

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And when the population of humans had increased during those times, beautiful and attractive daughters were born to them. 2 And the angels, the children of heaven, saw them and desired them, and said to each other: 'Come, let us choose wives from among the humans and father children.' 3 And Semjâzâ, their leader, said to them: 'I fear that you will not actually agree to do this, and I alone will have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' 4 And they all replied to him and said: 'Let us all take an oath, and all bind ourselves with a solemn promise not to abandon this plan but to carry out this act.' 5 Then they all took an oath together and bound themselves with a solemn promise to do so.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 1.3

Classical
1 This lineage of Seth initially regarded God as the Master of the universe and held virtue in high esteem for seven generations; but over time they were corrupted and abandoned the conduct of their ancestors, neglecting the reverence for God that was required of them, and failing to be just to one another. In place of the devotion they once showed, they embraced double the degree of wrongdoing, causing God to become their adversary. For many of God’s angels joined with women and had sons who proved to be arrogant, unjust, and dismissive of all that was good, because of their confidence in their strength. According to tradition, their actions resembled those whom the Greeks call Giants. However, Noah was deeply troubled by their behavior, and, dissatisfied with their deeds, he tried to persuade them to change their intentions and lifestyles for the better. But seeing they did not obey and were enslaved by their wicked appetites, he feared they might murder him, together with his wife, children, and their spouses, so he left that land.
93–94 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews Book 1

References

"... In a few instances, interpreters of Israel’s scriptures view ‘sons of God’ as a reference to angelic beings (Stuckenbruck 2014). Beginning with the infamously arresting passage in Genesis 6:1–4, the ‘sons of God’ mate with the daughters of humanity to produce a renowned race of giants. For early interpreters, including 1 Enoch (6:2 in Codex Panopolitanus), Philo (Questions and Answers in Genesis 1.92; Philo 1993), and Josephus (Antiquities 1.3.1.73; Josephus 1926), these ‘sons of God’ were angels. Outside of antediluvian history, some Greek versions of Deuteronomy 32:43 invite the angelic sons of God to praise the Lord. Several instances of angels as ‘sons’ also appear in the Psalms, including Psalm 28:1 and Psalm 88:6, where again they are depicted as praising God. Psalm 81 depicts a heavenly court scene where the sons of God are punished with death (Psalm 88:6), which early Christian interpreters saw as a description of the rebellious angels’ punishment. This association between sons and angels seems clear in the early Hebrew portions of Job, where the ‘sons of God’ present themselves to God as a sort of heavenly council (Job 1:6; 2:1). Later these sons are mentioned as present with God at the beginning of creation (Job 38:7). Although a minor theme, angelic beings are therefore included within the category of ‘sonship’ ..."
Amy Peeler, Sonship in the Bible (St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, 2022), 1–20.

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 6:2 and Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 1.3

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