1 Enoch / Chapter 48

1 Enoch 48

10 verses • Ge'ez (Ethiopic)

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Enoch sees the fountain of righteousness surrounded by fountains of wisdom. The Son of Man is named before the Lord of Spirits before the creation of the sun and stars. He is the light of the nations and the hope of the troubled. Kings and mighty ones will fall before him and beg for mercy, but will be handed over to the angels for punishment.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The pre-existence theology in this chapter is extraordinary: the Son of Man was named 'before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of heaven were made.' This is among the strongest pre-existence claims for a messianic figure in pre-Christian Judaism. The 'light of the nations' (v. 4) echoes the Servant Songs of Isaiah (42:6; 49:6), and 'hope of the troubled' anticipates the Beatitudes. The kings' failed petition for mercy in verses 8-10 is one of the most dramatic scenes in apocalyptic literature.

Translation Friction

The pre-existence language is debated: does it mean the Son of Man literally existed before creation, or that his name/role was foreordained? Jewish theology generally prefers the latter ('ideal pre-existence'), while Christian interpretation tends toward the former ('real pre-existence'). The Ge'ez text supports either reading.

Connections

Isaiah 42:6; 49:6 — the Servant as 'light to the nations.' John 1:1-3 — the Word existing before creation. John 17:5 — 'the glory I had with you before the world existed.' Colossians 1:15-17 — Christ as firstborn of all creation. Micah 5:2 — the ruler whose origins are 'from of old, from ancient times.'

1 Enoch 48:1

Ge'ez: wa-ba-ye'eti be'esi — 'and in that place'

In that place I saw an inexhaustible fountain of righteousness, surrounded by many fountains of wisdom. All who were thirsty drank from them and were filled with wisdom, and their dwellings were with the righteous, the holy, and the chosen.

REF And in that place I saw the fountain of righteousness which was inexhaustible: and around it were many fountains of wisdom: and all the thirsty drank of them, and were filled with wisdom, and their dwellings were with the righteous and holy and elect.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The fountain imagery echoes Proverbs 18:4 ('the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook') and Jeremiah 2:13 (God as 'fountain of living water'). The thirsty drinking and being filled anticipates Jesus's declaration in John 7:37-38 ('if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink').
1 Enoch 48:2

Ge'ez: wa-ba-ye'eti sā'at — 'and at that hour'

At that hour the Son of Man was named in the presence of the Lord of Spirits — his name spoken before the Head of Days.

REF And at that hour that Son of Man was named in the presence of the Lord of Spirits, and his name before the Head of Days.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'naming' of the Son of Man before the Lord of Spirits and the Head of Days establishes his identity as divinely designated. In Semitic thought, to be named is to be given identity and purpose — the Son of Man's role was established in the divine council before creation.
1 Enoch 48:3

Ge'ez: 'em-qedma śaḥāy — 'before the sun'

Before the sun and the constellations were created, before the stars of heaven were made, his name was spoken before the Lord of Spirits.

REF Yea, before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of the heaven were made, his name was named before the Lord of Spirits.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This is the key pre-existence verse. The Son of Man was named — given identity and purpose — before the creation of the celestial bodies. Whether this constitutes 'real' pre-existence (he actually existed) or 'ideal' pre-existence (his role was foreordained) is the central interpretive question. The Ge'ez text says his 'name' was named, which could support either reading.
  2. The phrase echoes Jeremiah 1:5 ('before I formed you in the womb I knew you') but extends the concept far beyond an individual prophet to a cosmic figure named before the stars.
1 Enoch 48:4

Ge'ez: berhan la-'āḥzāb — 'light for the peoples'

He will be a staff for the righteous to lean on and not fall. He will be the light of the nations and the hope of the troubled in heart.

REF He shall be a staff to the righteous whereon to stay themselves and not fall, and he shall be the light of the Gentiles, and the hope of those who are troubled of heart.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Light of the nations' (Ge'ez: berhan la-'āḥzāb) translates the same concept as Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6 ('or lagoyim' — 'light to the nations'). The Isaianic Servant's mission to the nations is transferred to the Enochic Son of Man, fusing two messianic traditions.
  2. 'Hope of the troubled in heart' anticipates the first Beatitude: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit' (Matthew 5:3). The Son of Man's mission is directed toward the suffering, not the powerful.
1 Enoch 48:5

Ge'ez: wa-kwellu 'ella yenabberu — 'and all who dwell'

All who dwell on earth will fall down and worship before him, and will praise, bless, and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits.

REF All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him, and will praise and bless and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Universal worship — 'all who dwell on earth' — extends the Son of Man's authority over every nation. This universalism parallels Isaiah 45:23 ('every knee shall bow') and Philippians 2:10 ('at the name of Jesus every knee should bow').
1 Enoch 48:6

Ge'ez: wa-la-zeku taśayema — 'and for this he was chosen'

For this purpose he was chosen and hidden before him, before the creation of the world and forevermore.

REF And for this purpose he was chosen and hidden before Him, before the creation of the world and for evermore.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Son of Man was both 'chosen' and 'hidden' — elected for his role and concealed until the appointed time. The hiddenness motif explains why the messianic figure is unknown to the present world: he exists but is veiled until God reveals him.
  2. The 'hidden before creation' language closely parallels 1 Peter 1:20 ('He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times') and Colossians 1:26 ('the mystery hidden for ages and generations').
1 Enoch 48:7

Ge'ez: wa-ṭebbaba — 'and the wisdom'

The wisdom of the Lord of Spirits has revealed him to the holy and righteous, for he has preserved the portion of the righteous — because they hated and rejected this world of unrighteousness and despised all its works and ways in the name of the Lord of Spirits. In his name they are saved, and his good pleasure determines their life.

REF And the wisdom of the Lord of Spirits hath revealed him to the holy and righteous; for he hath preserved the lot of the righteous, because they have hated and despised this world of unrighteousness, and have hated all its works and ways in the name of the Lord of Spirits: for in his name they are saved, and according to his good pleasure hath it been in regard to their life.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The revelation of the Son of Man is selective — he is revealed 'to the holy and righteous,' not to the world at large. This exclusive revelation parallels Jesus's teaching that understanding the kingdom is given to the disciples but hidden from others (Matthew 13:11).
  2. 'In his name they are saved' is remarkably close to Acts 4:12 ('there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved'). Whether 'his name' refers to the Lord of Spirits or the Son of Man is ambiguous — the ambiguity may be theologically intentional.
1 Enoch 48:8

Ge'ez: wa-ba-ye'eti mawā'el — 'and in those days'

In those days the kings of the earth will be downcast, and the powerful who possess the land will despair — because on the day of their anguish and affliction they will not be able to save themselves.

REF In those days downcast in countenance shall the kings of the earth have become, and the strong who possess the land because of the works of their hands, for on the day of their anguish and affliction they shall not be able to save themselves.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The reversal begins: the 'downcast countenance' of kings mirrors the formerly downcast faces of the oppressed righteous. The Parables consistently present judgment as role-reversal — the powerful experience what they inflicted on the weak.
1 Enoch 48:9

Ge'ez: wa-'āhalewomu — 'and I will deliver them'

I will hand them over to my chosen ones. Like straw in fire they will burn before the face of the holy ones; like lead in water they will sink before the face of the righteous, and no trace of them will ever be found.

REF And I will give them over into the hands of Mine elect: as straw in the fire so shall they burn before the face of the holy: as lead in the water shall they sink before the face of the righteous, and no trace of them shall any more be found.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God speaks in first person, taking ownership of the judgment. The two similes — straw in fire and lead in water — emphasize total destruction: one consumed, one drowned, both leaving no trace. The imagery echoes Exodus 15:10 ('they sank like lead in the mighty waters') and Malachi 4:1 ('the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble').
1 Enoch 48:10

Ge'ez: wa-ba-yom ṣegātomu — 'and on the day of their affliction'

On the day of their affliction there will be rest on the earth. They will fall before the righteous and never rise again. No one will take them by the hand and raise them up, because they denied the Lord of Spirits and his Anointed. Blessed be the name of the Lord of Spirits.

REF And on the day of their affliction there shall be rest on the earth, and before them they shall fall and not rise again: and there shall be no one to take them with his hands and raise them: for they have denied the Lord of Spirits and His Anointed. The name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

masiḥ
"Anointed" — anointed one, messiah, christ

The Ge'ez equivalent of Hebrew māšîaḥ (Messiah) and Greek christos (Christ). This verse explicitly identifies the Son of Man / Chosen One as God's 'Anointed,' fusing the Danielic Son of Man tradition with the royal messianic tradition of the Psalms and Prophets.

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase 'the Lord of Spirits and his Anointed' (Ge'ez: Egzi'a manfasāt wa-masiḥu) is extraordinary — 'Anointed' is the Ge'ez equivalent of Hebrew 'Messiah' and Greek 'Christ.' This directly links the Son of Man / Chosen One with the Messiah, combining titles that other traditions kept separate.
  2. The parallel with Psalm 2:2 ('against the LORD and against his Anointed') is unmistakable. The Enochic author has fused the Danielic Son of Man with the Psalmic/Isaianic Messiah into a single figure.
  3. The concluding doxology ('blessed be the name') marks a literary boundary within the chapter.
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