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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 9:4 and Sirach 36:22

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Deuterocanon

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Summary

1 Enoch 9 and Sirach 36 both address God with a title that calls him eternal and stresses that he rules forever. The title reflects a common Jewish tradition that describes God with an authority lasting through every age.

Passages

1 Enoch 9:4

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
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.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Sirach 36:22

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
20 Give testimony to those who were your creatures in the beginning, and fulfill the prophecies that have been spoken in your name. 21 Reward those who wait for you, and men will put their trust in your prophets. 22 Listen, O Lord, to the prayer of your servants, according to the blessing of Aaron concerning your people; and all those who are on the earth will know that you are the Lord, the eternal God. 23 The belly will eat any food, but one food is better than another. 24 The mouth tastes game taken in hunting, so does an understanding heart detect false speech.
195–180 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Sirach

References

"... The final title, “God of the ages” (θεὸς τῶν αἰώνων), occurs also in Sirach 36:22 in a prayer and is paralleled by the title “the God of eternity” (see 1 Enoch 1:4) and the formula “the God who lives forever” (1 Enoch 5:2). It forms a transition to the second and third lines of the strophe, which emphasize God’s eternity. The superlative “generation of the generations” and the double occurrence of “all/every” stress the totality of the conception ..."
George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 1-36, 81-108 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001), 212.

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 9:4 and Sirach 36:22

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