What happened to Enoch? (Part I)

The actual story of Enoch in the Bible is as short as it is fascinating. His father was a man by the name of Jared, and his lifespan was among the longest (Gen 5:18-20). Methuselah, the son of Enoch, outlived his grandfather Jared by seven years, reaching the ripe age of 969 (Gen 5:25-27). In the Book of Genesis, Enoch’s brief story is sandwiched between accounts of his father (Jared) and his son (Methuselah), and it reads as follows:

21 Now Enoch (וַיְחִי חֲנוֹךְ) lived sixty-five years and fathered Methuselah (וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת-מְתוּשָׁלַח). 22 Then Enoch walked with God (וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים) three hundred years after he fathered Methuselah, and he fathered sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God (וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים); and he was not (וְאֵינֶנּוּ), for God took him (כִּי-לָקַח אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים). (Gen 5:21-24)

(We will provide our commentary on this key text slightly later; for now we just want you to see the big picture).

Enoch is mentioned in the Bible several more times. In 1 Chronicles, just as in Genesis, he is listed as the seventh in the list tracing the descendants of Adam. It sets forth a beautiful symmetry of six generations preceding and six following Enoch, highlighting Enoch’s importance, if not centrality. We read:

Adam, Seth, Enosh,  Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (1 Chron 1:1-3)

This structural pattern (chiasm) is a hallmark of Hebrew literary style, where pivotal figures or events are strategically positioned at the center of a list to underscore their significance. Although this passage may not form a perfect chiasm—which typically involves mirrored, parallel elements—the deliberate numerical and positional symmetry strongly implies an intentional design. By placing Enoch at the heart of this unit, the text emphasizes his central role and importance.

The Gospel of Luke basically retells the same story (Luke 3:37). The Epistle to the Hebrews slightly expands it by featuring Enoch as one of the key people who displayed great faith that made his exit from earthly life extraordinary. We read:

By faith Enoch was taken up (Πίστει Ἑνὼχ μετετέθη) so that he would not see death; and he was not found (καὶ οὐχ ηὑρίσκετο) because God took him up (διότι μετέθηκεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεός); for before he was taken up, he was attested to have been pleasing to God. (Heb 11:5)

In other words, the Epistle to the Hebrews interprets the phrase “Enoch walked with God” as Enoch displaying extraordinary faith commitment.

Jude and Enoch

The truly significant New Testament mention is in Jude, where the letter seems to quote directly from the book attributed to Enoch’s authorship. There we read:

It was also about these people that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord has come with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 14-15)

The quoted text is in the first chapter of 1 Enoch. There we read:

The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation… And behold! He cometh with ten thousand of His holy ones to execute judgement upon all and to destroy all the ungodly. And to convict all flesh of all the ungodly works they have committed, and of all the hard things ungodly sinners have said against Him. (1 Enoch 1:1-2, 9)

The Epistle of Jude, a brief but powerful New Testament letter, calls first-century Christ followers to stand firm against false teachings. Jude’s mission is clear: “Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). He warns of deceptive, godless people who twist God’s grace and face certain judgment. Jude uses vivid examples of rebellion from history and beyond, including angels who abandoned their divine roles, to emphasize his point. This imagery comes from 1 Enoch, a text widely respected in Jude’s time, emphasizing God’s punishment for those who defy His order.

Jude’s quote from 1 Enoch doesn’t mean he saw it as Scripture—canonicity wasn’t as well-defined an idea in Jesus’ day as it is now—but it shows the cultural world he lived in. Texts like 1 Enoch shaped Jewish apocalyptic thought, blending cosmic drama with warnings of divine justice.

Other New Testament passages also echo Enochic themes, hinting that Jesus and the apostles were familiar with and believed in these ideas. While this article focuses on the person of Enoch and not the writings attributed but never authored by him, let’s briefly consider a few examples to spark curiosity before we refocus our discussion.

The Books of Enoch influenced Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity. For instance, in Matthew 22:29–30 (cf. Mark 12:24–25, Luke 20:34–36), Jesus says angels don’t marry, aligning with 1 Enoch 15:4–7, which contrasts pure angels with the fallen Watchers who took human wives (1 Enoch 6–7, cf. Genesis 6:1–4). The idea that resurrected humans will be “like angels” reflects 1 Enoch 104:2–6, where the righteous are exalted to angelic glory. Similarly, 2 Peter 2:4–5 describes God chaining rebellious angels in Tartarus, a dark prison, until judgment—a vivid image from 1 Enoch 10:4–6, 10:11–12, and 88:1–3, not found in Genesis but central to Enochic stories. These are a few examples among many.

Let us now focus on the actual topic of our current study regarding what happened to Enoch. Here we will consider only the Biblical account before moving on in follow-up studies to extra-Biblical accounts pseudepigraphically claiming Enoch’s authorship.

The Biblical Enoch

But let us, in the space we have remaining, focus on the main Biblical text that we quoted above, which features the foundational story of Enoch.

First, note that Enoch and Noah are the only two individuals in the entire Torah for whom the phrase “he walked with God” was used. While Noah was the only person in the Torah who was called righteous, Enoch was the only one in the Torah who was taken up by God. Later in the Bible other people are also called righteous (for example, Mat 1:19, Luke 2:25) and at least one is taken up by God, perhaps, in a similar way (for example, Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11). Jesus, after His resurrection, ascended into heaven, taken up to God in the presence of His disciples (Acts 1:9, Luke 24:51). The two witnesses in the Book of Revelation are resurrected and then taken up to heaven in a cloud (Revelation 11:11-12). Paul envisions believers who are alive at the time of Christ’s return being “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air, taken to be with God (1 Thess 4:16-17).

Second, Enoch’s lifespan of 365 years corresponds precisely to the number of days in the solar calendar used by some ancient Jewish communities. It likely symbolized completeness and alignment with God’s created order. While speculative, this connection is intriguing, particularly given the Egyptians’ use of a 365-day solar calendar. In the minds of the ancient Israelites, the number 365 may have resonated with the Egyptian calendar.

Third, the phrase, “and he was not (וְאֵינֶנּוּ), for God took him (כִּי-לָקַח אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים)” is very mysterious and extremely short. It does, however, indicate some kind of extraordinary departure from life not typical for Genesis 5. It is unclear exactly what happened to Enoch, but in some way suddenly, “he was no more; he was not found; he was not.” What is clear is that God took him.

But where? To Himself? Where exactly? How? Why? Was it because he was so close with God? Or because God in his mercy spared him from some future sin, as many have suggested?

We will not know on this side of eternity.

Conclusion

It is precisely the ambiguity and the terseness of this intriguing narrative that inspired Jewish religious imagination about what happened to Enoch after he was taken by God (Gen 5:21-24). Suffice to say, Enoch’s story, though brief, radiates profound inspiration, capturing the imagination of believers across centuries and religions. As the seventh from Adam, his life stands as a testament to extraordinary faith, symbolized by the rare biblical phrase, “he walked with God.” Unlike others in Genesis, Enoch’s departure was unique—marked by divine mystery, as “he was not, for God took him.” This enigmatic exit, coupled with his 365-year lifespan mirroring the solar calendar, underscores a life perfectly aligned with God’s order. Celebrated in the Epistle to the Hebrews for his faith and quoted in Jude for his prophetic voice, Enoch emerges as a pivotal figure, centrally positioned in the genealogy of faith. His story invites us to pursue a life of unwavering devotion, trusting in God’s purpose, even in the middle of life’s uncertainties. Enoch’s legacy endures, inspiring us to walk closely with the God, embracing the mystery of a faith that transcends the ordinary. This is what happened to Enoch according to the Bible, but can we learn anything else from various Jewish traditions that did not make it into the Bible for one reason or another? Perhaps. Perhaps not. We will consider this topic in our next study.