Enoch (ancestor of Noah) - Enoch in Judaism

Enoch in Judaism

The brief account of Enoch in Genesis 5 ends with the note that he "was not" and that "God took him." The question of what became of Enoch puzzled later generations. The 3rd century translators who produced the Greek Septuagint rendered the phrase "God took him" with the Greek verb metatithemi (μετατίθημι) meaning moving from one place to another. The Sirach 44:16, from about the same period, states that "Enoch pleased God and was translated into paradise that he may give repentance to the nations." The Greek word used here for paradise, 'paradeisos' (παραδεισος), was derived from an ancient Persian word meaning "enclosed garden"), and was used in the Septuagint to describe the Garden of Eden. Later, however, the term became synonymous for heaven, as is the case here.