1 Enoch / Chapter 40

1 Enoch 40

10 verses • Ge'ez (Ethiopic)

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Enoch sees innumerable thousands standing before the Lord of Spirits. He observes four presences (archangels) on the four sides of the Lord of Spirits and learns their identities and functions: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Phanuel. Each has a distinct role in cosmic governance and intercession.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

This is one of the earliest texts to name and systematize the four archangels with specific portfolios. Michael defends Israel, Raphael heals and oversees spirits of humanity, Gabriel governs paradise and the heavenly serpents/cherubim, and Phanuel oversees repentance and the hope of the eternally inheriting. Phanuel is largely unique to the Enochic tradition and rarely appears in other Jewish or Christian texts.

Translation Friction

The identification of the fourth angel varies across manuscripts and traditions. Charles reads 'Phanuel' but some manuscripts have 'Uriel' (who appears prominently in earlier sections of 1 Enoch). Gabriel's association with 'serpents' (śerāwe) or 'cherubim' is textually uncertain — the Ge'ez may be corrupt here.

Connections

The four archangels parallel the four living creatures of Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4. Michael as Israel's defender connects to Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1. Raphael's healing role is developed in Tobit 3:17; 12:15. The throne-room scene anticipates Revelation 4-5's heavenly worship.

1 Enoch 40:1

Ge'ez: wa-'em-de'eri zeku re'iku — 'and after this I saw'

After this I saw thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand — a multitude beyond number or reckoning — standing before the Lord of Spirits.

REF And after that I saw thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, I saw a multitude beyond number and reckoning, who stood before the Lord of Spirits.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The numerical formula 'thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand' is drawn from Daniel 7:10, where it describes the heavenly court. The Enochic author deliberately places his vision in the same cosmic courtroom as Daniel's.
1 Enoch 40:2

Ge'ez: wa-re'iku ba-'arba'etu 'agānenihu — 'I saw on his four sides'

On the four sides of the Lord of Spirits I saw four presences, distinct from those who never sleep. I learned their names, because the angel who accompanied me revealed their names to me and showed me all hidden things.

REF And on the four sides of the Lord of Spirits I saw four presences, different from those that sleep not, and I learnt their names: for the angel that came with me made known to me their names, and showed me all the hidden things.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'four presences' (Ge'ez: 'arba'etu gāṣṣ) stand on the four sides, creating a spatial arrangement around the divine throne that mirrors the four living creatures of Ezekiel 1:5-12. The interpreting angel (angelus interpres) who accompanies Enoch is a standard feature of apocalyptic literature, appearing also in Zechariah 1-6 and Revelation 17:1.
1 Enoch 40:3

Ge'ez: wa-sem'iku qāla — 'and I heard the voice'

I heard the voices of those four presences as they offered praises before the Lord of glory.

REF And I heard the voices of those four presences as they uttered praises before the Lord of glory.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The title 'Lord of glory' (Ge'ez: Egzi'a sebḥat) appears alongside 'Lord of Spirits' in the Parables. It emphasizes the visible, radiant majesty of God — his kavod/glory — rather than his sovereignty over angelic beings. Paul uses the same title in 1 Corinthians 2:8 ('the Lord of glory').
1 Enoch 40:4

Ge'ez: qadāmāwi qāl yebarreku — 'the first voice blesses'

The first voice blessed the Lord of Spirits forever and ever.

REF The first voice blessed the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Each of the four archangels is identified by his 'voice' — what he speaks — before being named. This literary technique emphasizes their function over their identity.
1 Enoch 40:5

Ge'ez: wa-kāle'u qāl — 'and the second voice'

The second voice I heard blessing the Chosen One and the chosen ones who depend on the Lord of Spirits.

REF And the second voice I heard blessing the Elect One and the elect ones who hang upon the Lord of Spirits.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'Chosen One' and 'chosen ones' (same root, singular vs. plural) are blessed together — the messianic figure and his community are bound in a shared identity. This corporate-yet-individual messianism is distinctive of the Parables.
1 Enoch 40:6

Ge'ez: wa-śālasu qāl — 'and the third voice'

The third voice I heard petitioning and interceding for those who dwell on the earth, pleading in the name of the Lord of Spirits.

REF And the third voice I heard petition and intercede for those who dwell on the earth and supplicate in the name of the Lord of Spirits.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Angelic intercession for earthly dwellers is a major theme in 1 Enoch (see also 9:1-11; 15:2). The idea that angels petition God on behalf of humanity influenced later Jewish and Christian intercessory theology.
1 Enoch 40:7

Ge'ez: wa-rābe'āwi qāl — 'and the fourth voice'

I heard the fourth voice fending off the satans and forbidding them from coming before the Lord of Spirits to accuse those who dwell on the earth.

REF And I heard the fourth voice fending off the Satans and forbidding them to come before the Lord of Spirits to accuse them who dwell on the earth.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

śayṭān
"satans" — adversary, accuser, opponent, prosecutor

Used in the plural here, indicating a class of accusing spirits rather than a single arch-adversary. The role is juridical — they seek to accuse humans before God's court. The development from plural accusers to singular Satan spans the Second Temple period.

Translator Notes

  1. The 'satans' (plural, lowercase in the Ge'ez) function here as accusers in the heavenly court — the role attested in Job 1-2 and Zechariah 3:1. They are not yet consolidated into a single Satan figure but represent a class of accusing angels. The fourth archangel's role as defender against accusation parallels Zechariah 3:2 where YHWH rebukes the satan.
  2. This verse is crucial for understanding the development of the satan concept: here the satans are angelic prosecutors whom another angel can block from making their case.
1 Enoch 40:8

Ge'ez: wa-'em-de'eri zeku — 'and after this'

After this I asked the angel of peace who accompanied me and showed me everything hidden: 'Who are these four presences whose words I have heard and recorded?'

REF After this I asked the angel of peace who went with me, who showed me everything that is hidden: 'Who are these four presences which I have seen and whose words I have heard and written down?'

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'angel of peace' (Ge'ez: mal'aka salām) is Enoch's interpreting guide throughout the Parables. The title may identify this angel as Phanuel or may simply be a functional description. The 'angel of peace' also appears in the Testament of Dan 6:5 and other Second Temple texts.
1 Enoch 40:9

Ge'ez: wa-yebēlani — 'and he said to me'

He told me: 'The first is Michael, the merciful and patient. The second, who is placed over all diseases and all wounds of the children of humanity, is Raphael. The third, who is placed over all powers, is Gabriel. The fourth, who is placed over repentance leading to the hope of those who will inherit eternal life, is named Phanuel.'

REF And he said to me: 'This first is Michael, the merciful and long-suffering: and the second, who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children of men, is Raphael: and the third, who is set over all the powers, is Gabriel: and the fourth, who is set over the repentance unto hope of those who inherit eternal life, is named Phanuel.'

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

Phanuel
"Phanuel" — face of God

The fourth archangel in the Enochic system, largely absent from other Jewish traditions (which typically use Uriel as the fourth). His name means 'face of God,' connecting him to the Peniel tradition of Genesis 32:30. His portfolio — repentance and hope of eternal inheritance — makes him uniquely relevant to human salvation.

Translator Notes

  1. Michael is characterized by mercy and patience — a departure from his warrior role in Daniel 10-12, though his protective function is implied. Raphael ('God heals') lives up to his name as overseer of healing. Gabriel ('strength of God') governs 'all powers' — possibly military or cosmic forces. Phanuel ('face of God') oversees repentance and eternal inheritance, a role unique to the Enochic tradition.
  2. The phrase 'repentance leading to hope of those who inherit eternal life' is remarkably close to New Testament language (cf. Acts 11:18, 'repentance that leads to life'; Titus 3:7, 'heirs according to the hope of eternal life').
1 Enoch 40:10

Ge'ez: wa-'ellu 'emuntu 'arba'etu — 'and these are the four'

These are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits, and these are the four voices I heard in those days.

REF And these are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits and the four voices I heard in those days.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The concluding identification formula closes the angelological unit. The number four — corresponding to the four directions/sides of the throne — establishes a complete cosmic administration under God's sovereignty.
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