I discuss this chapter so often with friends that it seemed smart to post a copy of my (growing) notes here. I’ve shown the text of the chapter in black with a gray background, and have included my notes in blue font after each section of text. I’ve also highlighted some words in the text, to more easily match them with the notes that follow.
Bullets on what you’ll find here
- There were four chambers (see vs. 2) for the spirits of dead humans in Sheol, and not just the two that Jesus happened to mention in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
- These were all temporarily holding compartments—until “the great judgment”.
- Two held righteous people. (“Abraham’s Bosom”, and Abel and the other martyrs.)
- Two held sinners. (One for the regular sinners, and one for those who were so wicked that God had judged them while they were still alive. Think of Korah’s Rebellion here.)
- There is talk of the annihilation of some souls here, and the ongoing punishment of others.
Translations on this page
You can view an interlinear translation here. Meanwhile, you’ll find these three translations of Chapter 22 in their entirety on the remainder of this page, along with an occasional quote from The Hermeneia Translation (Nickelsburg/Vanderkam):
- Robert Henry Charles Translation
- Richard Laurence Translation
- George Henry Schodde Translation
RH Charles Translation
RH Charles translated from both Ethiopic copies and Greek copies. Where there was significant difference, he included both.
1And thence I went to another place, and he showed me in the west another great and high mountain {and} of hard rock.
The “he” here is the angel Uriel. In Chapters 17-37, Enoch is on an angel-guided tour of the creation, including Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld (Sheol/Hades).
| Ethiopic 2And there was in it four hollow places, deep and wide and very smooth. How smooth are the hollow places and deep and dark to look at. | Greek 2And there were four hollow places in it, deep and very smooth: three of them were dark and one bright; and there was a fountain of water in its midst. And I said: ‘How smooth are the hollow places and deep and dark to view.’ |
There were four compartments, and not just the two Jesus happens to mention in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
The one bright compartment, I believe, correlates to the place of the righteous, which is called “Abraham’s bosom” in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Of particular note is that it is also called “Paradise” in various writings, which will confuse us since the same term is also used of the Garden of Eden and of Heaven, or some particular place in Heaven. (I’m writing elsewhere about this and will say more about it soon.
See also: Luke 23:43 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23%3A43&version=NIV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="ek-link">Luke 23:43. — Apocalypse of Sedrach 16. — Recognitions of Clement Book 1, Chapter 52. — Secrets of Enoch 8:5 (and deeply consider the meaning of this sentence). — am 11 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1007.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="ek-link">Testament of Abraham 11 (Search for the word “paradise” throughout). — Also here: Word and Revelation of Esdras. — More references will be added when I have time.
3Then Raphael answered, one of the holy angels who was with me, and said unto me: ‘These hollow places have been created for this very purpose, that the spirits of the souls of the dead should 4assemble therein, yea that all the souls of the children of men should assemble here. And these places have been made to receive them till the day of their judgement and till their appointed period {till the period appointed}, till the great judgement [comes] upon them.’
So let’s notice that these holding compartments were only to be used temporarily. They were not the final place of the spirits of the dead.
| Ethiopic 5I saw the spirits of the children of men who were dead, and their voice went forth to heaven and made suit. 6Then I asked Raphael the angel who was with me, and I said unto him: “This spirit–whose is it whose voice goeth forth and maketh suit?” | Greek 5I saw [the spirit of] a dead man making suit, and his voice went forth to heaven and made suit. 6And I asked Raphael the angel who was with me, and I said unto him: ‘This spirit which maketh suit, whose is it, whose voice goeth forth and maketh suit to heaven?’ |
The economy of words here is difficult for us. Had we written this, we’d have probably added a bit of introduction to verse 5, saying something like, “Now, in one of those four compartments…”, but the author here expects us to be able to focus and to follow him, even though he doesn’t go to much trouble to spell things out in as many words as we might if we were writing this for our contemporaries. (And we’ll see some more of this terse presentation in the verses that follow.)
From here forward, then, I find it useful to imagine that we are standing with the author looking at the same scene he had in mind. When he says “such” or “this”, imagine him pointing to a particular compartment, and then talking about it a bit before he points to the next one .
For the record, these making suit (mentione here in verses 5 and 6) are mentioned again in verse 12, where it is obvious that they do indeed have a compartment for themselves, separate from that of the righteous.
7And he answered me saying: ‘This is the spirit which went forth from Abel, whom his brother Cain slew, and he makes his suit against him till his seed is destroyed from the face of the earth, and his seed is annihilated from amongst the seed of men.’
Let’s note that this complaining of Abel and his compartment-mates was also temporary. Apparently, at the great judgment, their suits would be heard and settled once and for all. Meanwhile, Cain and those like him were being kept prisoner in these compartments, and would be wiped out at the great judgment, never again to be seen on the Earth.
FIRST COMPARTMENT
| Ethiopic 8Then I asked regarding it, and regarding all the hollow places: ‘Why is one separated from the other?’ 9And he answered me and said unto me: ‘These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And such a division has been make [for] the spirits of the righteous, in which there is the bright spring of water. | Greek 8Then I asked regarding all the hollow places: ‘Why is one separated from the other?’ 9Then he answered me saying: “These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And this division has been made for the spirits of the righteous, in which there is a bright spring of water. |
So Enoch asks why they aren’t all together, and Uriel notes that one of the four is set apart for the righteous. It has the “bright spring of water”. Remember, I picture the “such” (Ethiopic) and the “this” (Greek) as the author pointing to one of the four as he talks.
The presence of this special compartment for the righteous raises the question of the whereabouts of Abel. It would appear that the compartment he was in (along with other martyrs) was not the one with the bright spring of water, but was separate from that. Both Jesus (Matthew 23:35 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2023%3A35&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="ek-link">Matthew 23:35) andHebrews 11:4 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2011%3A4&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="ek-link"> Hebrews 11:4 call Abel “righteous”, so why would he and other martyrs have been in his own compartment, and not in the one with the bright spring of water?
One wonders whether they had volunteered to go here instead, forgoing the paradise during this underworld experience in order to make their suit. It may be, however, that these were being held unjustly by Satan’s regime, who had (unjustly) judged them worthy of death, and had inspired their murders. It may also be that God had a special role in mind for Abel and the other martyrs. Search Testament of Abraham for the two “Abel” passages to read more. I’ll flesh this idea out more someday soon, hopefully.
Regarding this “bright spring of water”, much research could be done on this. (And I’ll document it someday, perhaps.) For now, though, let me mention that the Hermeneia Translation has verse 9 thus:
Next, we move along to another compartment, this one not for the righteous, but for sinners.
SECOND COMPARTMENT
| Ethiopic 10And such has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgement has not been executed on them in their lifetime. 11Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain till the great day of judgement and punishment and torment of those who curse for ever and retribution for their spirits. There He shall bind them for ever. | Greek 10And this has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgement has not been executed upon them in their lifetime. 11Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain, till the great day of judgement, scourgings, and torments of the accursed for ever, so that [there may be] retribution for their spirits. There he shall bind them for ever. |
The “such” and “this” of verse 10 are the author pointing to yet another compartment in Sheol. It’s the third of the four—the first having been that of the complaining martyrs, and the second being the one for the righteous, with the bright spring of water. In this third compartment, we see “sinners”, of the general sort. These are not those sinners on whom judgment had not been executed in their lifetime. (We’ll discuss those below after verse 12.)
This idea of being judged in their lifetime immediately sends us scurrying to discover what the author might be talking about. Short version: I am convinced this is talking about people like Korah and his family (Korah’s Rebellion), and King Herod (eaten by worms) and Ananias and Sapphira (who dropped dead at the apostles feet for lying). These people were not in this present compartment, but in one to be detailed as the reading of the chapter continues below.
Meanwhile, these not-already-judged, regular “sinners” were being kept here only temporarily, as we have been discussing.
Note that those in this compartment were in great pain, just like the man in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus was “in torments”. And note that the people in this compartment, too, were awaiting the great judgment. And here we come to the most packed sentence in the entire chapter. They were awaiting (Ethiopic) the “great day of judgment and punishment and torment of those who curse for ever and retribution for their spirits. Keep in mind that “forever” or “for ever” often meant in Hebrew scripture something like “to the age” or “until the end of the present age”. So, this passage might contain a hint (and some will adamantly reject it) that all this early torment (before the Great Judgment) was aimed at seeing which of them would continue to curse until the end of that age, and which of them might relent. (I’m still researching this possibility.) This will pique the interest of those who wonder just what Jesus said when he “preached to the spirits in prison” (if that is the right reading of 1 Peter 3:19)—and whether there might have been any change of those among the wicked repenting at that sermon.
Anyway, back to the text: Those who would go on to suffer under that final judgment would be bound forever—which I take to mean that they would be bound unendingly in that new, unending age (the age we are in now, I believe). That is, they were not ever going to have any chance of that verdict or sentence being reversed or stayed or suspended. There will be bickering about the language here, however, with some (who believe in the eternal conscious torment of all the wicked lasting forever) insisting that “bind them forever” means that they were to be tortured endlessly. I do not think it must mean that. And I have to wonder about the difference between the fate of these souls in that third compartment, and those in the one that follows:
THIRD COMPARTMENT
| Ethiopic 12And such a division has been made for the spirits of those who make their suit, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days of the sinners. | Greek 12And this division has been made for the spirits of those who make their suit, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days of the sinners. |
These are those who had already been mentioned in verses 5 and 6. That is, Abel and other martyrs. And I do note the similarity with those mentioned here:
Revelation 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.
I think it’s likely that this group is also one of the two groups mentioned here, on either side of the “and” that I have highlighted in boldface:
Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
To be clear, then, I believe that there are three groups in view here in Revelation 20:4. They are: 1) those on the thrones, 2) the martyrs (those in Abel’s compartment in Sheol
Matthew 19:28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
For the record, I think that these people all came to life again on the same day Jesus was resurrected from the dead. I have an article about that here. And the same article is in a podcast episode here. I strongly suspect that they were brought back into the land, and stayed there for 40 years, during the period of the reign of the apostles. Yes, this would have been a really big deal—and I think it was, right along with some other really big deals that the New Testament doesn’t mention directly, such as the destruction of the Temple in 70AD. (There’s more information on this at the two links earlier in this paragraph.)
FOURTH COMPARTMENT
| Ethiopic 13 Such has been made for the spirits of men who were not righteous but sinners, who were complete in transgression, and of the transgressors they shall be companions: but their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgement nor shall they be raised from thence.’ 14The I blessed the Lord of glory and said: ‘Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of righteousness, who ruleth for ever.’ | Greek 13And this has been made for the spirits of men who shall not be righteous but sinners, who are godless, and of the lawless they shall be companions: but their spirits shall not be punished in the day of judgement nor shall they be raised from thence.’ 14Then I blessed the Lord of Glory and said: ‘Blessed art Thou, Lord of righteousness, who rulest over the world.’ |
Now we come to one of the most intriguing parts, still with quite a stingy use of words. Those “complete in transgression” (Ethiopic)—who were they? I strongly suspect they were the ones hinted at earlier when we are told that the first compartment for “sinners” was for those on whom “judgment has not been executed on them in their lifetime“. I suspect that the ones in this present compartment were those that God had executed judgment on while they were still living—such as when the Earth had opened up to swallow Korah and his co-conspirators alive in Numbers 16 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2016&version=ESV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="ek-link">Numbers 16. There are several other such episodes in the writings, but I’ll include a mention here of the judgment (by God) of Herod (Antipas) the Tetrarch. A summary is given in Acts 12:19-24. Meanwhile, a satisfyingly thorough account is given by Josephus here.
I do wonder, too, whether what Paul was saying in the following passage had such things in mind:
1 Timothy 5:24 The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.
“Of the transgressors they shall be companions.” (Ethiopic). If you search for transgress/transgressor/transgression in the Charles Translation, you’ll find a fairly steady habit of using such words to refer to the rebel angels who had interfered with humankind from the beginning. These are the ones with whom those humans who were “complete in transgression” were going to become “companions”. And this raises the question, “for how long?”
ANNIHILATION
Some mentioned in this chapter were going to be annihilated (ceasing to exist) in that great judgment, but not these people, for it says “their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgment” (Ethiopic). I think it’s safe to assume that those whose spirits would be slain were those more ordinary sinners of verses 10-11, who were being kept until the great judgment. But not these whose transgression was considered by God to be “complete”.
The Schodde translation (below) has it thus:
…who were complete in their crimes… (Schodde)
And Laurence thus:
…those who have completed crime… (Laurence)
Meanwhile, the Nickelsberg/Vanderkam (Hermeneia) translation leaves out any explicit notion of completeness. (And it departs from the other versions considerably in ways I will not comment on here.)
And this was created for the spirits of the people who will not be pious, but sinners, who were godless, and they were companions with the lawless. And their spirits will not be punished on the day of judgment, nor will they be raised from there.
(Hermeneia Translation of 1 Enoch 22:13)
Since these people had their own separate compartment, it raises the question of just what it was that should set them apart from the common sinners. I want to research this further. At a glance, I’m not seeing any hint of “completeness” in the Greek, and it doesn’t seem that verse 13 is extant in the Ethiopic. Meanwhile, the Ge’ez in the online interlinear of 22:13, I cannot read!
I did just go digging, however, for a translation from Ge’ez to English, and found this 1978 translation by M. Knibb. You can read it online here, and can download a PDF including Knibb’s translations of all the Enochian works here. Here’s Knibb’s translation of 1 Enoch 22:13:
22.13 Thus a place has been created for the souls of men who are not righteous, but sinners, accomplished in wrongdoing and with the wrongdoers will be their lot. But, their souls will not be killed on the Day of Judgement, nor will they rise from here.”
(Knibb Translation. Ge’ez to English. 1978)
I could see where this word “accomplished” might carry the connotation of “complete” as rendered by Charles, Laurence, and Schodde. For what it’s worth, I searched the whole Knibb translation for “accomplished” to see whether there was a pattern of the connotation of completeness throughout the book. I found the following results, of which you can be the judge.
10.12 When all their sons kill each other, and when they see the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them for seventy generations under the hills of the Earth, until the day of their judgement, and of their consummation, until the Judgement, which is for all eternity, is accomplished. (Knibb)
16.1 And the death of the giants, wherever the spirits have gone out from their bodies, their flesh will be destroyed, before the Judgement. Thus they will be destroyed until the Day of the Great Consummation is accomplished, upon the Great Age, and upon the Watchers and the impious ones. ” (Knibb)
22.13 Thus a place has been created for the souls of men who are not righteous, but sinners, accomplished in wrongdoing and with the wrongdoers will be their lot. But, their souls will not be killed on the Day of Judgement, nor will they rise from here.” (Knibb)
29 July 2023. This is about all the work I’ve done to date. No notes exist in the two translations pasted below.
Richard Laurence Translation
22:1 From there I proceeded to another spot, where I saw on the west a great and lofty mountain, a strong rock, and four delightful places.
22:2 Internally it was deep, capacious, and very smooth; as smooth as if it had been rolled over: it was both deep and dark to behold.
22:3 Then Raphael, one of the holy angels who were with me, answered and said, These are the delightful places where the spirits, the souls of the dead, will be collected; for them were they formed; and here will be collected all the souls of the sons of men.
22:4 These places, in which they dwell, shall they occupy until the day of judgment, and until their appointed period.
22:5 Their appointed period will be long, even until the great judgment. And I saw the spirits of the sons of men who were dead; and their voices reached to heaven, while they were accusing.
22:6 Then I inquired of Raphael, an angel who was with me, and said, Whose spirit is that, the voice of which reaches [to heaven], and accuses?
22:7 He answered, saying, This is the spirit of Abel who was slain by Cain his brother; and who will accuse that brother, until his seed be destroyed from the face of the earth;
22:8 Until his seed perish from the seed of the human race.
22:9 At that time therefore I inquired respecting him, and respecting the general judgment, saying, Why is one separated from another? He answered, Three [separations] have been made between the spirits of the dead, and thus have the spirits of the righteous been separated.
22:10 Namely, [by] a chasm, [by] water, and [by] light above it.
22:11 And in the same way likewise are sinners separated when they die, and are buried in the earth; judgment not overtaking them in their lifetime.
22:12 Here their souls are separated. Moreover, abundant is their suffering until the time of the great judgment, the castigation, and the torment of those who eternally execrate, whose souls are punished and bound there for ever.
22:13 And thus has it been from the beginning of the world. Thus has there existed a separation between the souls of those who utter complaints, and of those who watch for their destruction, to slaughter them in the day of sinners.
22:14 A receptacle of this sort has been formed for the souls of unrighteous men, and of sinners; of those who have completed crime, and associated with the impious, whom they resemble. Their souls shall not be annihilated in the day of judgment, neither shall they arise from this place. Then I blessed God,
22:15 And said, Blessed by my Lord, the Lord of glory and of righteousness, who reigns over all for ever and for ever.
George Henry Schodde Translation
NOTE: The reference numbers higlighted in gray are Schodde’s own numbers. The non-highlighted ones are RH Charles’ numbers.
22:1 22:1 And from here I went to another place, and he showed me in the west a great and high mountain-chain and hard rocks
22:2and four beautiful places.22:2 And beneath them there were places deep and broad and entirely smooth, as smooth as if a thing were rolled, and deep and dark to look at.
22:3 22:3 And this time, Rufael, one of the holy angels, who was with me, answered and said to me: “These beautiful places are intended for this, that upon them may be assembled the spirits, the souls of the dead; for they have been created, that here all the souls of the sons of men might be
22:4 assembled. 22:4 These places have been made their dwellings till the day of their judgment, and to their fixed period; and this period is long, till the great judgment will come over them.” 22:5 And I saw the spirits of the children of men who had died,
22:5 and their voices reached up to heaven, and lamented. 22:6 At that time I asked the angel Rufael, who was
22:6 with me, and said to him: “Whose soul is that one whose voice thus reaches to heaven and laments?”
22:7 22:7 And he answered and said to me, saying: “That is the spirit that proceeded from Abel, whom his brother Cain slew; and it laments on his account till his seed be destroyed from the face of the earth and his seed disappear from among the seed of men.”
22:8 22:8 And at that time I therefore asked concerning him, and concerning the judgment of all, and said: “Why is one separated from the other?”
22:9 22:9 And he answered and said to me: “These three apartments are made in order to separate the souls of the dead. And thus are the souls of the just separated: there is a spring of
22:10 water, above it, light. 22:10 And thus also is one such apartment made for the sinners when they die, and are buried in the earth, without a judgment having been passed upon them during their
22:11 lives. 22:11 Here their souls are separated in this great affliction until the great day of judgment and punishment and affliction upon the revilers to eternity, and the vengeance for their souls, and here
22:12 he binds them to eternity. 22:12 And if it was before eternity, then this apartment has been made for the souls of those who lament and those who reveal their destruction when they were killed in the days
22:13 of the sinners. 22:13 And thus it has been created for the souls of men who were not just, but sinners, who were complete in their crimes; and they will be with criminals like themselves; but their souls will not be killed on the day of judgment and will not be taken from here.”
22:14 22:14 At that time I blessed the Lord of glory, and said: “Blessed is my Lord, the Lord of glory and of justice, who rules all things to eternity!”
