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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 61

1 And I saw in those days how long cords were given to those angels, and they took to themselves wings and flew,⁠ heading north.⁠ 2 I asked the angel, 'Why have those angels taken these cords and departed?' And he replied, 'They have gone to measure.'⁠ 3 The angel who accompanied me said, 'These shall bring the measures of the righteous, and the ropes of the righteous to the righteous, so that they may rely on the name of the Lord of Spirits forever and ever.' 4 The chosen will begin to dwell with the chosen, and these are the measures which shall be given to faith and which shall strengthen righteousness. 5 And these measures shall uncover all the secrets of the depths of the earth, and those who were destroyed in the wilderness, and those devoured by beasts, and those eaten by the fish of the sea,⁠ so that they may return⁠ and rely on the day of the Chosen One;⁠ for none shall be destroyed before the Lord of Spirits, nor can any be destroyed.⁠ 6 And all who dwell above in heaven received a command and power and one voice and one light like fire.⁠ 7 And with their first words, they blessed, extolled, and praised with wisdom, and they were wise in speech and in the spirit of life. 8 And the Lord of Spirits⁠ placed the Chosen One on the throne of glory, and he shall judge all the works of the holy above in heaven, and in the balance their deeds shall be weighed. 9 And when he lifts up his face to judge their secret ways according to the word of the Lord of Spirits, and their path according to the way of the righteous judgment of the Lord of Spirits, then they all shall speak and bless with one voice, and glorify, exalt, and sanctify the name of the Lord of Spirits. 10 And He will summon all the armies of the heavens, and all the holy ones above, and the army of God, the Cherubic, Seraphim, and Ophanim, and all the angels of power, and all the angels of principalities, and the Chosen One, and the other powers on the earth and over the water.⁠ 11 On that day, they shall raise one voice, and bless and glorify and exalt in the spirit of faith, wisdom, patience, mercy, judgment, peace, and goodness, and shall all say with one voice: 'Blessed is He, and may the name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed forever and ever.' 12 All who do not sleep above in heaven shall bless Him: all the holy ones in heaven shall bless Him, and all the chosen who dwell in the garden of life: and every spirit of light who is able to bless, glorify, exalt, and sanctify His blessed name, and all flesh shall immensely glorify and bless His name forever and ever. 13 For the mercy of the Lord of Spirits is great, and He is long-suffering, and all His works and all that He has created He has revealed to the righteous and chosen in the name of the Lord of Spirits.

Texts in conversation

Compare Zechariah 2:2 and 1 Enoch 61:2

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

Zechariah describes a divine figure measuring Jerusalem’s dimensions, a symbolic act that depicts its rebuilding. 1 Enoch similarly shows angelic figures with measuring tools, echoing this prophetic imagery and applying it to an apocalyptic tradition.

Passages

Zechariah 2:2

Hebrew Bible
1 I looked again, and there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 I asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To measure Jerusalem in order to determine its width and its length.” 3 At this point the angelic messenger who spoke to me went out, and another messenger came to meet him 4 and said to him, “Hurry, speak to this young man as follows: ‘Jerusalem will no longer be enclosed by walls because of the multitude of people and animals there. 5 But I,’ the Lord says, ‘will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem and the source of glory in her midst.’”
500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Zechariah

1 Enoch 61:2

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And I saw in those days how long cords were given to those angels, and they took to themselves wings and flew, heading north. 2 I asked the angel, 'Why have those angels taken these cords and departed?' And he replied, 'They have gone to measure.' 3 The angel who accompanied me said, 'These shall bring the measures of the righteous, and the ropes of the righteous to the righteous, so that they may rely on the name of the Lord of Spirits forever and ever.' 4 The chosen will begin to dwell with the chosen, and these are the measures which shall be given to faith and which shall strengthen righteousness.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

"... The city will be rebuilt after having been destroyed by enemies, and there is the promise of ‘holiness’ after a time of enormous defilement because of the proliferation of corpses. The perimeters of Jerusalem will be determined with a measuring line, thus indicating where the new walls will be built. For a similar act, see Ezekiel 40:3, 5; 42:16, 19; Zechariah 2:1–2. The tower of Hananel is situated on the north-east side of the city and is also mentioned in Nehemiah 3:1; 12:39; and Zechariah 14:10. The Corner Gate is probably north-west of the city (see 2 Kings 14:13; 2 Chronicles 26:9; Zechariah 14:10). Gareb and Goa are unknown. The valley is most probably the Valley of Ben Hinnom (see 2 Kings 23:10–14 where the Kidron Valley is also mentioned; see also Jeremiah 7:31–32; 19). The whole area that was so defiled will be holy to the LORD, which is an enormous contrast with the past (compare Zechariah 14:10–11, 20–21) ..."
Hetty Lalleman-de Winkel, Jeremiah and Lamentations: An Introduction and Commentary (Nottingham: Inter-Varsity, 2013), 232.

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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Zechariah 2:2 and 1 Enoch 61:2

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