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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 9

1 Then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven⁠ and saw much blood being shed on the earth, and all the lawlessness being committed on the earth.⁠ 2 They said to one another: 'The earth, left without inhabitants, cries out, and the voice of their crying reaches the gates of heaven.'⁠ 3 'And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men plead, saying, "Present our case before the Most High."'⁠ 4 They said to the Lord of the ages:⁠ 'Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings,⁠ and God of the ages,⁠ the throne of Your glory stands through all generations,⁠ and Your name is holy and glorious and blessed through all ages!⁠ 5 You have created all things, and over all things You have power. All things are open and visible in Your sight, and You see everything, and nothing can hide from You.⁠ 6 You see what Azâzêl has done, who has taught all unrighteousness on the earth and revealed the eternal secrets that were kept in heaven,⁠ which men were eager to learn.⁠ 7 And Semjâzâ, to whom You gave the authority to rule over his companions. 8 They have gone to the daughters of men on the earth, have lain with the women, have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. 9 The women have borne giants, and as a result the whole earth has been filled with blood and unrighteousness. 10 And now the souls of those who have died are crying out and pleading at the gates of heaven, and their laments have risen up; they cannot stop because of the lawless acts committed on the earth.⁠ 11 You know all things before they happen, and You see these things and allow them, and You do not tell us what we should do about them.'⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 9:11 and Judith 9:5

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Deuterocanon

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Summary

1 Enoch and Judith use similar language to describe God’s knowledge of events before they occur, reflecting a later Jewish tradition that presents God as having complete knowledge of the world and its future.

Passages

1 Enoch 9:11

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
9 The women have borne giants, and as a result the whole earth has been filled with blood and unrighteousness. 10 And now the souls of those who have died are crying out and pleading at the gates of heaven, and their laments have risen up; they cannot stop because of the lawless acts committed on the earth. 11 You know all things before they happen, and You see these things and allow them, and You do not tell us what we should do about them.'
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Judith 9:5

Deuterocanon
4 and gave their wives for a prey, and their daughters to be captives, and all their spoils to be divided among your dear children; which were moved with zeal for you, and abhorred the pollution of their blood, and called upon you for aid. O God, O my God, hear me also who am a widow. 5 For you did the things that were before those things, and those things, and such as come after; and you planned the things which are now, and the things which are to come. The things which you planned came to pass. 6 Yes, the things which you determined stood before you, and said, ‘Behold, we are here; for all your ways are prepared, and your judgment is with foreknowledge.’
100 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Judith

References

"... 1 Enoch 9:11 ... In this final strophe, the author returns to the subject of God's omniscience (compare with verse 5). It is, first of all, construed as knowledge rather than sight; contrast verse 5. Moreover, God's omniscience is foreknowledge, a point made somewhat more strongly and with deterministic connotations in Judith’s prayer (Judith 9:5-6; compare also Testament of Moses 12:4-5). Verse 11 returns to the language of verse 5 and God's seeing the events on earth. What God sees are the specific events in question. Thus, the pattern of verse 5 + verses 6-8 is repeated: God's omniscience; his awareness of the specific events of concern to the person praying ..."
George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 1-36, 81-108 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001), 213.

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 9:11 and Judith 9:5

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