The mystery of Enoch

Going cross-country with God means never walking alone.

By DAVID NEKRUTMAN
UK landscape_300 (photo credit: Thinkstock/Imagebank)
UK landscape_300
(photo credit: Thinkstock/Imagebank)
In the fifth chapter of the Book of Genesis, Scripture goes through a series of “begots” and life spans. In the midst of generations being born and passing away, a peculiar verse appears – “And Enoch walked with God and was no more, for God took him.”
Did Enoch die?
In the Christian Testament, Enoch was transported to heaven without dying – “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death” (Hebrews 11:15). Commentators interpret “Enoch’s walk with God” in the Book of Genesis as eminent piety in a generation of great wickedness.
Some Jewish commentators, too, believe that Enoch was assumed into heaven due to his piety and became God’s witness. In fact, they interpret Job’s proclamation “my witness is in heaven” (16:19) to be referring to Enoch.
Jewish biblical hermeneutics includes the system of gematria, in which a different numerical value is assigned to each of the Hebrew letters. The numerical value of Enoch’s name is 84 (het - 8; nun - 50; vav - 6; kaf - 20), and the expression “my witness” equals 84 (ayin - 70; daled - 4; yud - 10).
“God took one person before the Generation of the Flood and one after (Phinehas) and elevated them into the heavens to bear witness for Him” (Seforno).
This biblical insight, common in both faith communities, is based upon the emphasis of Enoch’s walk with God and the assumption that he was a pious worshiper. However, an understanding of context is a vital part of hermeneutics. It is generally obvious that words and events are related to their immediate context. What is not always fully appreciated is the need to consider the relation of the whole background to the immediate context.
Enoch is taken at the age 365, far younger than anyone else on the generational list. Why was his life cut short? In addition, the verse uses an atypical word to describe his departure from the world – ve’einenu (and he was no more). Why couldn’t the verse simply say that God took him? In most Judeo-Christian circles the book of Enoch is not part of the biblical canon. However, a glimpse into this literary work demonstrates the incredible sights in Enoch’s walking tour of Heaven. It seems that Enoch preferred a monastic expression of faith, withdrawing from humanity.
Enoch’s walk with God, structurally speaking, is different than that of his great grandson Noah (Genesis 6:9). In Hebrew, Enoch is mentioned first and then his walk; in the case of Noah, God is mentioned first and then Noah’s walk with Him. Even though the translation is the same – both walked with God – it seems that Enoch’s walk was a conscious decision to connect to the Divine Presence but not to bring anyone else under those wings.
The word ve’einenu could mean more than a quick departure to heaven but a complete loss of legacy. The word also appears when Solomon addresses the complete pursuit of wealth: “You cast your eyes upon it, and it is gone – ve’einenu” (Proverbs 23:5). Enoch removed himself from the world in his complete pursuit of God. There was no one who could walk in his footsteps. It was only then that the Lord took him.
Both interpretations of how to look at Enoch’s life are valid. In most cases in the Bible, we are just given the story, without judgment from the Almighty. In our pursuit to understand God’s Word, we seek to learn the message(s) from the episode.
In following the latter interpretation, I would like to point to another “walk with God” – namely, in Genesis 17:1.
This time it takes place with Abraham.
This walk is quite different from others; it’s covenantal. It is a walk that requires bringing others into a relationship with God and following His blueprint. It is a walk that others could follow; indeed, Abraham’s legacy continues on until this day.
Some religious communities within different faith movements tend to build high walls to keep the imperfect world at bay. But if we are to be true to our biblical paradigm, our tent needs to be open to all.
Abraham and Sara greeted visitors with kindness regardless of their background, for they understood that the true definition of righteousness is to be engaged with our fellow human beings and the world around us. Going cross-country with God means never walking alone!
David Nekrutman is the executive director of Ohr Torah Stone’s Center for Jewish- Christian Understanding and Cooperation in Efrat. Comments should be directed to info@cjcuc.com