Skip to Content
intertextual.bible
Go to Related Reading
About this book

1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 8

1 And Azâzêl taught men⁠ to make swords, knives, shields, and breastplates, and revealed to them the metals of the earth⁠ and how to work with them,⁠ as well as how to make bracelets, ornaments, and the use antimony, beautifying the eyelids, along with all kinds of precious stones and various dyes.⁠ 2 Widespread wickedness arose, and they engaged in fornication, were led astray, and corrupted all their ways. 3 Semjâzâ taught spells and the cutting of roots, Armârôs taught how to break spells, Barâqîjâl taught astrology,⁠ Kôkabêl taught about the constellations,⁠ Êzêqêêl taught about the clouds, Araqiêl taught the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl taught the signs of the sun, and Sariêl taught the course of the moon. 4 And as men died, they cried out, and their cries ascended to heaven.

Texts in conversation

What the Fallen Angels Taught Humanity in 1 Enoch and the 'Legends of the Jews'

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Rabbinic

Share:

Summary

In 1 Enoch 8, the Watchers teach humans skills such as metalwork, weapons, cosmetics, sorcery, and astrology, forbidden knowledge that brings divine judgment. The Legends of the Jews retells this same narrative as a late Jewish midrash.

Passages

1 Enoch 8:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, knives, shields, and breastplates, and revealed to them the metals of the earth and how to work with them, as well as how to make bracelets, ornaments, and the use antimony, beautifying the eyelids, along with all kinds of precious stones and various dyes. 2 Widespread wickedness arose, and they engaged in fornication, were led astray, and corrupted all their ways. 3 Semjâzâ taught spells and the cutting of roots, Armârôs taught how to break spells, Barâqîjâl taught astrology, Kôkabêl taught about the constellations, Êzêqêêl taught about the clouds, Araqiêl taught the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl taught the signs of the sun, and Sariêl taught the course of the moon. 4 And as men died, they cried out, and their cries ascended to heaven.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Legends of the Jews 3

Rabbinic · Midrash
Then the earth complained about the impious evil-doers. But the fallen angels continued to corrupt mankind. Azazel taught men how to make slaughtering knives, arms, shields, and coats of mail. He showed them metals and how to work them, and armlets and all sorts of trinkets, and the use of rouge for the eyes, and how to beautify the eyelids, and how to ornament themselves with the rarest and most precious jewels and all sorts of paints. The chief of the fallen angels, Shemhazai, instructed them in exorcisms and how to cut roots; Armaros taught them how to raise spells; Barakel, divination from the stars; Kawkabel, astrology; Ezekeel, augury from the clouds; Arakiel, the signs of the earth; Samsaweel, the signs of the sun; and Seriel, the signs of the moon. While all these abominations defiled the earth, the pious Enoch lived in a secret place. None among men knew his abode, or what had become of him, for he was sojourning with the angel watchers and holy ones.
1909 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Legends of the Jews

References

"... In the second version of the teaching tradition, Asael teaches the arts of civilization that lead people into sin. According to one of the Greek manuscripts of the Book of the Watchers, this form of instruction leads to women’s seduction of the angels. The translation of Syncellus implies that the women who learned the arts of beautification from Asael then turned around and seduced the other angels: 'And the sons of men made for themselves and for their daughters, and they transgressed and they led astray the holy ones.' In this case, when the women learned to adorn themselves with jewelry, precious stones, colored clothing, and makeup, they tempted the angels to sin with them. They are not innocent, as in the Shemi˙azah version, but share guilt with the angels for the downfall of humanity. The prophetic image of the foreign seductive woman who engages in witchcraft may have been a factor in the creation of this version. The idea that women were not innocent victims, but instead purposely lured the angels by their beauty is found in several sources dependent upon 1 Enoch and in rabbinic sources that incorporate earlier traditions ..."
Rebecca Lesses, “‘They Revealed Secrets to Their Wives’: The Transmission of Magical Knowledge in 1 Enoch,” in With Letters of Light: Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Early Jewish Apocalypticism, Magic, and Mysticism, ed. Daphna V. Arbel and Andrei A. Orlov (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2011), 196–222.

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

  • Is it right or lawful to read scriptures that are not in the Bible?

    Beth Craig, April 21, 2024

  • So it’s sin to use colorful clothes ?

    Anonymous, August 28, 2024

  • Hello. I work selling precious stones. There are versus in the Bible that speaks negatively about them and others that speak positively. Is it a sin too work with selling, cutting precious stones? Also, is it a sin to have natural essential oils? As for metals, I am confused about it because didn’t ...

    Charles Ferreira, January 26, 2025

  • So how did they teach them those things, like how to make magic?

    Enoch, September 19, 2025

  • The book of Enoch is a part of the Bible. The Bible was edited many times. Books have been taken from the Bible and things have been added. Which is a sin.

    Justice, December 19, 2025

  • It's just an argument of Canon. Enoch is Biblical, just not included due to questions of sourcing or tracing where the text exactly was handed down. Maybe it doesn't help that the exact understanding and the translation could be inaccurate as the original manuscripts in ancient Hebrew aren't known? ...

    Boltzsi, June 25, 2026

  • My question is is it ok to make jewelry and wear them too I like to know from Christian point of vew

    Loura Chakhlasyan, August 1, 2026

1 Enoch 8:1 and Legends of the Jews 3

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library