Abrahamic / Middle Eastern Christianity

Enoch in the Bible Was a

Man Who Did Not Die
Meet the man who walked with God

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Greg Rakozy / Unsplash

By Jack Zavada
Updated March 06, 2020

Enoch in the Bible holds a rare distinction in

the human story: he did not die. Instead, God
"took him away." Although the Scriptures do
not reveal a whole lot about this remarkable
man, we find Enoch's story in Genesis 5, in a
long list of the descendants of Adam.

FAST FACTS

Enoch

Known for: A faithful follower of

God and one of only two men in
the Bible who did not die.

Bible References: Enoch is

mentioned in Genesis 5:18-24, 1
Chronicles 1:3, Luke 3:37, Hebrews
11:5-6, Jude 1:14-15.

Hometown: Ancient Fertile

Crescent, although the exact
location is not given in Scripture.

Occupation: Jude 14-15 states that

Enoch was a preacher of
righteousness and a prophet.

Father: Enoch’s father was Jared

(Genesis 5:18; cf. 1 Chronicles 1:3).

Children: Methuselah, and

unnamed sons and daughters.

Great-grandson: Noah

Enoch Walked With God

Enoch was born seven generations from
Adam, so he was an approximate
contemporary with Lamech of Cain’s line.

Only a short sentence, "Enoch walked

faithfully with God," in Genesis 5:22 and
repeated in Genesis 5:24 reveals why he was
so special to his Creator. In this wicked
period before the Flood, most men did not
walk faithfully with God. They walked their
own path, the crooked way of sin.

Enoch did not keep silent about the sin

around him. Jude says Enoch prophesied
about those evil people:

"See, the Lord is coming with thousands

upon thousands of his holy ones to
judge everyone, and to convict all of
them of all the ungodly acts they have
committed in their ungodliness, and of
all the defiant words ungodly sinners
have spoken against him." (Jude 1:14-15,
NIV)

According to Genesis 5:23, Enoch’s life-span

was 365 years. Throughout those years, he
walked in faith, and that made all the
difference. No matter what happened, he
trusted God. He obeyed God. God loved
Enoch so much he spared him the
experience of death.

Hebrews 11, that great Faith Hall of Fame

passage, says Enoch's faith pleased God:

For before he was taken, he was

commended as one who pleased God.
And without faith it is impossible to
please God, because anyone who
comes to him must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who
earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:5-6, NIV)

What happened to Enoch? The Bible gives

few details, other than to say:

"...then he was no more, because God

took him away." (Genesis 5:24, NIV)

Such terminology is not typical of the Bible

and implies that Enoch did not die a natural,
physical death. He was taken up by God so
that he was no longer present on earth. Only
one other person in Scripture was honored
this way: the prophet Elijah. God took that
faithful servant to heaven in a whirlwind (2
Kings 2:11).

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God took Enoch. High

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Enoch's great-grandson, Noah, also "walked

faithfully with God" (Genesis 6:9). Because of
his righteousness, only Noah and his family
were spared in the Great Flood.

The Books of Enoch

In the period between the Old and New
Testament, several books credited to Enoch
appeared, however, they are not considered
part of the canon of Scripture. These books
of Enoch describe in great detail various
events in Genesis chapters 1-6. They also tell
of a tour by Enoch of heaven and hell. The
prophetic passage in Jude 14–15 is actually a
quote from one of the books of Enoch.

Life Lessons From Enoch

Enoch was a loyal follower of God. He told
the truth despite opposition and ridicule and
enjoyed close fellowship with God.

Enoch and the other Old Testament heroes

mentioned in the Faith Hall of Fame walked
in faith, in the hope of a future Messiah. That
Messiah has been revealed to us in the
gospels as Jesus Christ.

Enoch was faithful to God, truthful, and

obedient. When we follow his example by
walking with God and trusting Christ as
Savior, we will die physically but will be
resurrected to eternal life.

Key Bible Verses

Genesis 5:22-23
After he became the father of Methuselah,
Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years
and had other sons and daughters.
Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.
(NIV)

Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he
was no more, because God took him away.
(NIV)

Hebrews 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so
that he did not experience death: "He could
not be found, because God had taken him
away." For before he was taken, he was
commended as one who pleased God. (NIV)

Meet Methuselah: The Oldest Man

Who Ever Lived

Heroes of Faith in the Book of

Hebrews

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