1 Enoch / Chapter 62

1 Enoch 62

16 verses • Ge'ez (Ethiopic)

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

The Lord of Spirits commands the kings and mighty ones to look upon the Chosen One seated on the throne of glory. They see the Son of Man for the first time and are filled with terror. They fall on their faces and beg for mercy, but it is too late. They are handed over to the angels of punishment. Meanwhile, the righteous and chosen are clothed in garments of glory and dwell with the Son of Man forever.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

This is the climactic judgment scene of the entire Parables. The moment when the powerful see the Son of Man on the throne of glory and realize their doom is one of the most dramatic passages in all apocalyptic literature. The direct parallel to Matthew 25:31-46 (the Son of Man separating sheep from goats from his glorious throne) is unmistakable. The garments of glory given to the righteous anticipate the white robes of Revelation 7:9-14. The kings' failed petition for mercy — acknowledging too late what they should have recognized — is devastating in its finality.

Translation Friction

The chapter raises theological questions about whether the judgment is predetermined or responsive to genuine moral failure. The kings seem genuinely surprised by the Son of Man's identity, raising the question of whether their ignorance mitigates their guilt. The Parables seem to answer no — they had opportunity to recognize God's sovereignty and chose not to.

Connections

Matthew 25:31-46 — the Son of Man on the throne of glory judging nations. Philippians 2:10-11 — every knee bowing. Revelation 6:15-17 — kings hiding from the wrath of the Lamb. Revelation 7:9-14 — white robes. Daniel 7:9-14 — the Ancient of Days and one like a son of man. Isaiah 52:15 — kings shut their mouths before the Servant.

1 Enoch 62:1

Ge'ez: wa-kama Egzi'a manfasāt azezomu — 'the Lord of Spirits commanded them'

The Lord of Spirits commanded the kings, the mighty, the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, saying: 'Open your eyes and lift up your horns, if you are able to recognize the Chosen One.'

REF And thus the Lord commanded the kings and the mighty and the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, and said: 'Open your eyes and lift up your horns if ye are able to recognize the Elect One.'

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The challenge 'if you are able to recognize' implies that they should have recognized the Chosen One all along but willfully refused. Their failure of recognition is moral, not intellectual. 'Horns' symbolize power and authority (Psalm 75:4-5; Daniel 7:8) — God invites them to deploy their full power and see if it helps.

1 Enoch 62:2

Ge'ez: wa-Egzi'a manfasāt 'anberahu — 'the Lord of Spirits seated him'

The Lord of Spirits seated him on the throne of his glory. The spirit of righteousness was poured out upon him, and the word of his mouth slew all sinners — all the unrighteous were destroyed from before his face.

REF And the Lord of Spirits seated him on the throne of His glory, and the spirit of righteousness was poured out upon him, and the word of his mouth slays all the sinners, and all the unrighteous are destroyed from before his face.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Three actions: enthronement, anointing ('spirit poured out'), and judgment by speech ('the word of his mouth slays'). The Son of Man judges by speaking, not by fighting — his word is his weapon. This directly parallels Isaiah 11:4 ('he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth') and Revelation 19:15 ('from his mouth comes a sharp sword').

1 Enoch 62:3

Ge'ez: wa-ba-ye'eti yom — 'and on that day'

On that day all the kings and the mighty, the exalted and those who possess the earth, will stand up. They will see and recognize how he sits on the throne of his glory — how righteousness is judged before him and no lying word is spoken in his presence.

REF And there shall stand up in that day all the kings and the mighty, and the exalted and those who hold the earth, and they shall see and recognize how he sits on the throne of his glory, and righteousness is judged before him, and no lying word is uttered before him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The powerful are forced to stand (they cannot sit in the presence of the enthroned Son of Man) and to 'see and recognize' — the recognition they refused is now compelled. The courtroom atmosphere is complete: truth is absolute, lies impossible.

1 Enoch 62:4

Ge'ez: wa-ḥazan yemasse'omu — 'and pain shall seize them'

Pain will seize them like a woman in labor — as she suffers when the child enters the birth canal and she struggles in delivery.

REF Then shall pain come upon them as on a woman in travail, and she has pain in bringing forth, when the child enters the mouth of the womb, and she has pain in bringing forth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The labor-pain simile is a classic prophetic image for sudden, unavoidable distress (Isaiah 13:8; Jeremiah 6:24; 1 Thessalonians 5:3). The kings' anguish at seeing the Son of Man is as involuntary and overwhelming as birth contractions.

1 Enoch 62:5

Ge'ez: wa-yenasseru kāle'omu — 'and they shall look at one another'

They will look at one another in terror. Their faces will fall, and pain will seize them when they see that Son of Man sitting on the throne of his glory.

REF And one portion of them shall look on the other, and they shall be terrified, and they shall be downcast of countenance, and pain shall seize them, when they see that Son of Man sitting on the throne of his glory.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The powerful exchanging terrified glances — each reading their doom in the other's face — is a vivid dramatic detail. The 'downcast countenance' reverses 46:5 where they caused others' faces to fall.

1 Enoch 62:6

Ge'ez: wa-negaśtāt māxazent — 'the kings and mighty'

The kings, the mighty, and all who possess the earth will bless, glorify, and exalt the one who rules over all, who was hidden.

REF And the kings and the mighty and all who possess the earth shall bless and glorify and extol him who rules over all, who was hidden.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The kings now worship the one they formerly denied — but this worship comes too late to save them. The Son of Man 'who was hidden' has now been revealed, and their prior failure to recognize him is exposed as willful blindness, not innocent ignorance.

1 Enoch 62:7

Ge'ez: 'esma 'em-qedma — 'for from the beginning'

From the beginning the Son of Man was hidden, and the Most High preserved him in the presence of his might and revealed him to the chosen.

REF For from the beginning the Son of Man was hidden, and the Most High preserved him in the presence of His might, and revealed him to the elect.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The hiddenness of the Son of Man is God's deliberate action — he was 'preserved' (protected, kept secret) in God's presence until the appointed time. Revelation is selective: 'revealed to the chosen' means the wicked had no access to this knowledge through their own resources.
This verse directly parallels Colossians 1:26 ('the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints').

1 Enoch 62:8

Ge'ez: wa-mak'ānenā ṣādeqān — 'the congregation of the righteous'

The congregation of the chosen and holy will be established, and all the chosen will stand before him on that day.

REF And the congregation of the elect and holy shall be sown, and all the elect shall stand before him on that day.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The elect 'stand before him' while the kings fall in terror — contrasting postures that embody contrasting destinies. Standing implies confidence and acceptance; falling implies shame and condemnation.

1 Enoch 62:9

Ge'ez: wa-kwellomu negaśtāt — 'and all the kings'

All the kings, the mighty, the exalted, and those who rule the earth will fall on their faces before him. They will worship and set their hope on that Son of Man, petitioning him and begging for mercy at his hands.

REF And all the kings and the mighty and the exalted and those who rule the earth shall fall down before him on their faces, and worship and set their hope upon that Son of Man, and petition him and supplicate for mercy at his hands.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The kings' petition for mercy is one of the most dramatic moments in the Parables. Those who denied the Lord of Spirits now worship the Son of Man and beg for mercy. The irony is complete: the ones who granted or denied mercy to others now desperately seek it for themselves.

1 Enoch 62:10

Ge'ez: wa-Egzi'a manfasāt yedaffe'omu — 'the Lord of Spirits will drive them'

But the Lord of Spirits will press them so that they flee hastily from his presence. Their faces will be filled with shame, and darkness will deepen on their faces.

REF Nevertheless that Lord of Spirits will so press them that they shall hastily go forth from His presence, and their faces shall be filled with shame, and the darkness shall grow deeper on their faces.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The petition is denied. They are pressed out of God's presence — the opposite of the elect who stand confidently before the throne. The 'darkness deepening on their faces' is the visible mark of judgment, a physical darkening that mirrors their spiritual condition.

1 Enoch 62:11

Ge'ez: wa-ye'ahhezomu mal'akta qeṣṣā — 'the angels of punishment shall receive them'

He will hand them over to the angels of punishment, to execute vengeance on them because they oppressed his children and his chosen ones.

REF And He will deliver them to the angels for punishment, to execute vengeance on them because they have oppressed His children and His elect.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The explicit cause of judgment: oppression of God's children and chosen ones. The Parables consistently ground divine punishment in concrete injustice rather than abstract theological offense. The powerful are judged for what they did to the powerless.

1 Enoch 62:12

Ge'ez: wa-yekawwenu māxazent — 'and they shall be a spectacle'

They will be a spectacle for the righteous and his chosen ones, who will rejoice over them, because the wrath of the Lord of Spirits rests upon them and his sword is drunk with their blood.

REF And they shall be a spectacle for the righteous and for His elect: they shall rejoice over them, because the wrath of the Lord of Spirits resteth upon them, and His sword is drunk with their blood.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The righteous rejoicing over the destruction of the wicked is uncomfortable for modern sensibilities but consistent with the psalmic tradition (Psalm 58:10, 'the righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance'). In a context of real persecution, the visible defeat of oppressors is experienced as vindication, not cruelty.
The sword 'drunk with blood' echoes Isaiah 34:5-6 and Deuteronomy 32:42 — archaic divine warrior imagery expressing the thoroughness of judgment.

1 Enoch 62:13

Ge'ez: wa-ṣādeqān wa-xeruyān — 'and the righteous and chosen'

The righteous and chosen will be saved on that day, and from that point on they will never again see the face of sinners and the unrighteous.

REF And the righteous and elect shall be saved on that day, and they shall never thenceforward see the face of the sinners and unrighteous.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Permanent separation — the righteous will never again encounter the wicked. This is not merely physical distance but the elimination of evil's presence from the lives of the redeemed. The promise addresses the deepest longing of the persecuted: a world without oppressors.

1 Enoch 62:14

Ge'ez: wa-Egzi'a manfasāt yenabber — 'the Lord of Spirits shall dwell'

The Lord of Spirits will dwell over them, and with that Son of Man they will eat, lie down, and rise up forever and ever.

REF And the Lord of Spirits will abide over them, and with that Son of Man shall they eat and lie down and rise up for ever and ever.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The three activities — eating, lying down, rising up — describe the totality of daily life. The righteous share every aspect of existence with the Son of Man. This domestic intimacy (shared meals, shared rest) transcends the formal throne-room imagery and portrays eschatological life as deeply communal.
The shared meal with the Son of Man anticipates the messianic banquet tradition (Isaiah 25:6; Matthew 8:11; Luke 22:30; Revelation 19:9).

1 Enoch 62:15

Ge'ez: wa-ṣādeqān wa-xeruyān qāmu — 'the righteous and chosen have risen'

The righteous and chosen will have risen from the earth, and their downcast faces will be no more. They will have been clothed with garments of glory.

REF And the righteous and elect shall have risen from the earth, and ceased to be of downcast countenance. And they shall have been clothed with garments of glory.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The righteous 'rising from the earth' may describe resurrection or social exaltation from their formerly lowly state. The end of 'downcast countenance' reverses the condition of the oppressed throughout the Parables. The 'garments of glory' are heavenly clothing that replaces the rags of earthly suffering — cf. Revelation 7:9 (white robes) and 2 Corinthians 5:4 (heavenly dwelling).

1 Enoch 62:16

Ge'ez: wa-zeku yekawwen lebs — 'and these shall be garments'

These will be the garments of life from the Lord of Spirits. Your garments will not grow old, and your glory will not fade before the Lord of Spirits.

REF And these shall be the garments of life from the Lord of Spirits: and your garments shall not grow old, nor your glory pass away before the Lord of Spirits.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

'Garments of life' that never age — a contrast with mortal clothing that wears out. The promise echoes Deuteronomy 29:5 (Israel's clothing not wearing out in the wilderness) elevated to an eternal scale. The imperishable garment represents the imperishable resurrection body (1 Corinthians 15:53).

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