Bible Characters
Who Was Enoch in the Bible? The Man Who Walked with God
Enoch was a descendant of Adam through Seth who lived before the flood. Genesis says he walked faithfully with God and then was no longer present, because God took him away (Genesis 5:22-24). He was the father of Methuselah, and Hebrews says he was taken from this life without experiencing death because he pleased God (Genesis 5:21; Hebrews 11:5).
The Bible says very little about Enoch. His life is summarized in seven verses (Genesis 5:18-24), and he is mentioned briefly in 1 Chronicles, Luke, Hebrews, and Jude.
Enoch at a Glance
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Name meaning | Commonly explained as "dedicated" or "trained" |
| Testament | Old Testament, with New Testament references |
| Key books | Genesis, Hebrews, Jude |
| Time period | Before the flood (the genealogy places him in the seventh generation from Adam) |
| Family | Father Jared; son Methuselah; great-grandson Noah |
| Known for | Walking with God, being taken by God without a recorded death |
Two Men Named Enoch
Genesis mentions two different men named Enoch. The first was the son of Cain. Cain built a city and named it after him (Genesis 4:17). Cain's line through this Enoch leads to Lamech, a man who boasted about killing a man who had wounded him (Genesis 4:18, 23-24).
The second Enoch, the one this article is about, was from the line of Seth. He is the son of Jared and appears in the genealogy from Adam to Noah (Genesis 5:18). This is the Enoch who walked with God and was taken away (Genesis 5:24).
What Genesis 5 Says About Enoch
Genesis 5 lists the generations from Adam to Noah. For most names the pattern is the same: the man lived a certain number of years, had a son, lived more years and had other children, and then he died (Genesis 5:6-8, for example). Enoch's entry breaks that pattern.
- Jared became the father of Enoch at 162 years old (Genesis 5:18).
- Enoch became the father of Methuselah at 65 (Genesis 5:21).
- After Methuselah was born, Enoch walked faithfully with God for 300 years and had other sons and daughters (Genesis 5:22).
- Enoch lived a total of 365 years (Genesis 5:23).
- Genesis 5:24 then says again that Enoch walked faithfully with God, and that he was no more because God took him away.
Every other completed entry in the chapter ends by saying the man died (Noah's entry stops at the birth of his sons and is finished in Genesis 9:28-29). Enoch's entry does not. The only other person in the Old Testament described as taken by God in this way is Elijah, who went up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).
What "Walked with God" Means
The same expression is used of Noah, who was righteous and blameless among the people of his time and walked faithfully with God (Genesis 6:9). The phrase describes a life lived in close relationship with God and obedience to him. God later told Abram to walk before him faithfully and be blameless (Genesis 17:1), and the prophet Micah described what God requires as acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8).
Genesis notes that Enoch's walk with God is mentioned after Methuselah's birth (Genesis 5:22). The text does not explain whether anything changed at that point. Enoch continued his normal life, including having more children, during those 300 years.
Enoch's Family Line
Enoch's son Methuselah lived 969 years, the longest lifespan recorded in the Bible (Genesis 5:27). You can read more about him in our article on the oldest person in the Bible. Methuselah's son was Lamech (not the same Lamech from Cain's line), and Lamech's son was Noah (Genesis 5:25-29).
That makes Enoch Noah's great-grandfather. The genealogy in 1 Chronicles lists him in the same line, spelled Enoch in the NIV (1 Chronicles 1:3). Luke traces the ancestry of Jesus back through Noah, Methuselah, Enoch, and Jared to Adam (Luke 3:36-38).
Enoch in Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11 lists people who lived by faith. Enoch appears right after Abel (Hebrews 11:4-5). The writer says that by faith Enoch was taken from this life so that he did not experience death, and that he could not be found because God had taken him away (Hebrews 11:5).
Hebrews adds that before he was taken, Enoch was commended as one who pleased God (Hebrews 11:5). The next verse explains why that matters: 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 11:6). Hebrews reads Genesis 5:24 as evidence of Enoch's faith.
Enoch in the Book of Jude
Jude calls Enoch the seventh from Adam (Jude 14). Counting Adam as the first, the line runs Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, and Enoch (Genesis 5:3-18).
Jude says Enoch prophesied about ungodly people in Jude's own day. The prophecy describes the Lord coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone and to convict the ungodly of their ungodly acts and harsh words (Jude 14-15). This is the only place in Scripture where words of Enoch are recorded.
The Book of Enoch Is Not Part of the Bible
The prophecy Jude cites closely matches a passage in a work known as 1 Enoch (1 Enoch 1:9). 1 Enoch is a Jewish writing compiled in stages from roughly the third century BC to around the time of Christ. It claims to be written by Enoch, but it was not written by the Enoch of Genesis.
The Book of Enoch is not part of the Bible. It is not in the Protestant canon of 66 books, and it is not in the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Bibles either. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church include it in their canon.
Jude's use of a line from 1 Enoch does not make the whole book Scripture. Jude affirms that this particular prophecy was true. Paul similarly quoted Greek poets in Acts 17:28 and Titus 1:12 without endorsing everything those poets wrote. Other books named for Enoch, such as 2 Enoch and 3 Enoch, are also outside the Bible.
Lessons from Enoch's Life
- A faithful life can be an ordinary one. Enoch walked with God while raising sons and daughters over three centuries (Genesis 5:22).
- Faith pleases God. Hebrews connects Enoch's walk with God to faith and says he was commended as one who pleased God (Hebrews 11:5-6).
- Death is not God's final word. In a chapter where the other completed entries close with the man's death, Enoch's entry ends differently (Genesis 5:5-24).
- God will judge ungodliness. Jude presents Enoch as warning of the Lord's coming judgment (Jude 14-15).
Where Enoch Appears in the Bible
- Genesis 5:18-24 (Enoch son of Jared)
- Genesis 4:17-18 (a different Enoch, son of Cain)
- 1 Chronicles 1:3
- Luke 3:37
- Hebrews 11:5-6
- Jude 14-15
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Frequently Asked Questions
Did Enoch die?
The Bible does not record Enoch's death. Genesis says God took him away (Genesis 5:24), and Hebrews says he was taken from this life so that he did not experience death (Hebrews 11:5).
How old was Enoch when God took him?
Enoch was 365 years old (Genesis 5:23). He had walked with God for 300 years after the birth of Methuselah (Genesis 5:22).
Who was Enoch's son?
Enoch's son was Methuselah, born when Enoch was 65 (Genesis 5:21). Enoch also had other sons and daughters whose names are not given (Genesis 5:22).
Is the Book of Enoch in the Bible?
No. The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) is not in the Protestant, Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox Bible. Jude 14-15 quotes a prophecy that also appears in it, but that does not make the book Scripture.
How was Enoch related to Noah?
Enoch was Noah's great-grandfather. Enoch's son was Methuselah, Methuselah's son was Lamech, and Lamech's son was Noah (Genesis 5:21-29).