1 Enoch 40

After that I saw thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. I saw a crowd too large to count or number, and they were standing in front of the Lord of Spirits.

1And 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.

Note"Thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand" is not a count but a stock idiom for a number past counting; the same pair of phrases describes the heavenly court in Daniel 7:10. "Lord of Spirits" is this book's usual title for God, standing where other Jewish writings say "Lord of Hosts": he is the ruler of the spirits, meaning the angelic beings who surround him.

2And on the four sides of the Lord of Spirits I saw four beings who stand in his presence, and they were different from those who never sleep. I learned their names, because the angel who traveled with me told me their names and showed me all the things that are hidden.

2And 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 went with me made known to me their names, and showed me all the hidden things.

Note"Presences" is a technical term: these are angels of the presence, the ones whose station is directly before God's throne, here posted one on each of its four sides. "Those that sleep not" is the name of another rank of angels, beings who never break off from their watch and their praise. The verse says the four are different from them but does not say in what way.

3And I heard the voices of those four beings as they spoke praises in front of the Lord of glory.

3And I heard the voices of those four presences as they uttered praises before the Lord of glory.

4The first voice blesses the Lord of Spirits forever and ever.

4The first voice blesses the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.

NoteTo bless God means to praise or speak well of him. The word runs the opposite direction from the modern sense, in which a superior blesses an inferior.

5And I heard the second voice blessing the Chosen One and the chosen ones, who depend on the Lord of Spirits.

5And the second voice I heard blessing the Elect One and the elect ones who hang upon the Lord of Spirits.

Note"The Elect One" is a title, used through this part of the book, for a particular heavenly figure also called the Son of Man and the Righteous One. "The elect ones" are a different group, the chosen human community. "Hang upon" is an old idiom for leaning on someone, depending on them entirely for support.

6And I heard the third voice pray and plead for those who live on the earth, and beg in the name of the Lord of Spirits.

6And the third voice I heard pray and intercede for those who dwell on the earth and supplicate in the name of the Lord of Spirits.

NoteTo intercede is to plead with a ruler on someone else's behalf. The picture throughout is a royal court, with these angels acting as courtiers who speak for petitioners who cannot approach the throne themselves. To supplicate in someone's name is to make the request by appeal to his authority.

7And I heard the fourth voice driving back the Satans and refusing to let them come in front of the Lord of Spirits to bring charges against those who live on the earth.

7And 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.

Note"The Satans" is plural on purpose. In this book satan is not yet a proper name for one being but a job description, adversary or accuser, and a whole class of such spirits work as prosecutors in the heavenly court. To accuse here is a legal act: bringing formal charges against a person before a judge. The fourth angel's work is to bar them from the courtroom.

8After that I asked the angel of peace who traveled with me, the one who showed me everything that is hidden, 'Who are these four beings that I have seen, whose words I have heard and written down?'

8After that 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?’

Note"The angel of peace" is Enoch's recurring guide in these chapters, the one who escorts him through the visions and answers his questions.

9And he said to me, 'This first one is Michael, who is full of mercy and slow to become angry. The second one, who is put in charge of every disease and every wound of human beings, is Raphael. The third one, who is put in charge of all the powers, is Gabriel. And the fourth one, who is put in charge of the turning from sin that leads to hope for those who receive eternal life, is named Phanuel.'

9And 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.’

NoteMichael and Gabriel appear in the book of Daniel, and Raphael in the book of Tobit. Phanuel appears in no book of the Hebrew Bible, and other parts of Enoch name Uriel as the fourth instead. All four names end in the element -el, meaning God: Michael is roughly "who is like God," Gabriel "strength of God," Raphael "God heals," which matches his charge over disease and wounds, and Phanuel "face of God," the same element behind the place name Peniel in Genesis 32:30. "Long-suffering" means slow to anger and patient under provocation, not suffering for a long time. "Set over all the powers" is ambiguous in the original and can mean either the ranks of heavenly beings or forces in general. Repentance means turning away from wrongdoing.

10And these are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits, and these are the four voices I heard in those days.

10And these are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits and the four voices I heard in those days.