The Book of Enoch-pages

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Page 74 of 129
The Book of Enoch-pages

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unaquaeque res visibilis in hoc mundo habet potestatem angelicam sibi praepositam. Cf. also Sir. xxix. 28, 29 and Langen, p. 306 sqq. Weighing, not in the moral and judicial sense, but rather, as in 43:2, to indicate that these phenomena receive each only a certain mass of substance and degree of power, as in Job xxviii. 25. Power of the lights of the moon, i.e. in the different phases of her appearance; cf. 43:2. Power of justice, i.e. that even these natural phenomena, and not only the moral world, are guided by a certain power of justice. Divisions and the following are still objects of showed in vs. 11; cf. 82:9 sqq.—13. Cf. Job xxxvii. 1-514. Places of rest are not repositories. Thunder and lightning originate together, but the former must wait a certain time before it can resound, and this waiting is done in the places of rest —15. The whole government of these two phenomena is in the hands of their angel. Divides equally allows them to appear only in a certain number and at a certain time.—16. This explains the tide and ebb of the sea —17. Is his (own) angel, i.e. has his own peculiar (GTR) angel (Dillmann). The spirit of hail is good to show that this generally injurious phenomenon is not under a demon.—18. Left go, i.e. allowed him to be independent, but strangely on account of its strength! —19. The fog he especially enlarges on, on account of its frequent occurrence. It can appear both in clear and in dark weather, and at all times. The rest of the sentence is mysterious.—20. That the dew is closely connected with both rain and fog is easily understood—21. As the rain is so important for the world, even ethically (Job xxxvii. 12, 13), its guidance is entrusted not to its own spirit, but to the angels; cf. Job xxviii. 26; xxxviii. 25-27, 33-38.—24. Now first comes the answer to Noah’s question, vs. 9. These monsters will be fed by those destroyed in the deluge, as God has determined, according to his greatness, and thus the punishment will not be in vain. According to other apocryphal and rabbinical writings these two monsters are to be the food of the just in the Messianic times; cf. Drummond, p. 355.—25. Cf. Gen. viii. 21, rae a at ae a was measured. The account is, then, in full harmony with the object of the third Parable, 58:1, and rests on Zech. ii. 5-9; also cf. Ezek. xl. 3 sqq. and xlvii. 3 sqq. Those angels, i.e. those will-known angels, already mentioned so frequently. Took wings is especially added because the Old Testament does not represent angels as possessing wings. Towards the north, of uncertain meaning; but cf. 25:5.—2. The angel here asked is the angel of peace; cf. 40:2. Went out to measure, the object is supplied further on in stating that they will measure the future home of the just.—3. Therefore they are called the measures of the just. The result will be that the just will lean firmly on the Lord4. After the future Messianic kingdom has been measured out, then the chosen will dwell there with the chosen, no longer mixed and interfered with by the unjust; cf. 38:1; 53:6; 62:8; the reward promised to fidelity will be given them, and righteousness during the time of oppression will now receive its reward, and be manifested as being will founded.—5. On the day of the Chosen One, which is the day of the realization of the prophecies just stated, the departed saints shall return and take part in the happiness. As he speaks here only of the bliss of the saints, and not of the condemnation of the sinners, he mentions only the resurrection of the former, but thereby in no wise contradicts his previous doctrine of a general resurrection, 51:1. By the sea and by beasts, to show that God will fulfil his promises to all, even to those who according to human ideas could not possibly rise again. If we were allowed to believe that the author taught the resurrection of the body as well as of the soul, the force of this clause would be greatly increased. Unless the word earth in 51:1 is simply used rhetorically to round off the sentence we might believe that the earth there is the receptacle for the bodies and Sheol and hell for the souls, and that the bodily resurrection is there taught also.—6. All who dwell in heaven, i.e. the angels. Received command, as the following shows, to praise and to exalt.—7. That one, i.e. the Messiah. It may be that instead of Kal we should read bakdla, i.e. jussu, agreeing with verse 6, and thus translate: And that one, according to the command, they praised first; cf. 40:5. Spirit of life, undoubtedly an expression for their enthusiasm.—8. Modeled after Ps. cx. 1. The words as they stand indicate that the Messiah is to judge the angels also, as they alone are called holy ones in the high heavens. But in verse 10 those here judged are distinctly separated from the host of heavens, and then it is against the spirit of the book that the good angels should be judged. In high heavens is, beyond all doubt, an addition of the translator. The idea of angels was still in his mind from vs. 6 and 7,