ENOCH

(Eʹnoch) [initiated, dedicated].

1. Son of Cain and father of Irad. Enoch was born in the land of Fugitiveness after Cain had killed his brother Abel.—Gen. 4:17, 18.

2. The son born to Jared at the age of 162; the seventh man in the genealogical line from Adam. In addition to Methuselah, who was born to him when he was sixty-five years old, Enoch had other sons and daughters. Enoch was one of the “so great a cloud of witnesses” who were outstanding examples of faith in ancient times. “Enoch kept walking with the true God.” (Gen. 5:18, 21-24; Heb. 11:5; 12:1) As a prophet of Jehovah, he foretold God’s coming with His holy myriads to execute judgment against the ungodly. (Jude 14, 15) Likely persecution was brought against him because of his prophesying. However, God did not permit the opposers to kill Enoch. Instead, Jehovah “took him,” that is, cut short his life at an age far below that of most of his contemporaries. Enoch was “transferred” in that he apparently did not experience the pangs of death, although he died at the age of 365. (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5, 13) However, he was not taken to heaven, in view of Jesus’ clear statement at John 3:13. It appears that, as in the case of Moses’ body, Jehovah disposed of Enoch’s body, for “he was nowhere to be found.”—Deut. 34:5, 6; Jude 9.

Enoch is not the writer of the “Book of Enoch.” This is an uninspired, apocryphal book written many centuries later, probably sometime during the second and first centuries B.C.E.

3. The first city mentioned in the Bible. Cain built this city in the land of Fugitiveness to the E of Eden, calling it by the name of his son Enoch.—Gen. 4:17.