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Enoch in the Bible
Last updated: May 31, 2026
Written by Blake Boege
Enoch is a biblical patriarch who appears in the genealogies of the Book of Genesis as the son of Jared and the father of Methuselah. In a brief but notable passage, Genesis five states that Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him, indicating he ascended to heaven without dying. In the New Testament, Enoch is praised in the Book of Hebrews as a hero of faith and is quoted in the Epistle of Jude as a prophet. Readers and scholars search for this topic to examine early Jewish traditions of bodily translation, study apocryphal works bearing his name, and analyze theological themes of intimacy with God.
Enoch is one of two figures in the Bible described as not experiencing a normal death. Genesis 5 says he walked with God and God took him; Hebrews 11 names him among the heroes of faith; Jude 14-15 quotes a prophecy attributed to him.
Quick Answer
Enoch was an early biblical patriarch, descendant of Seth, who is famously described in Genesis as walking with God and being taken directly by God without experiencing death.
Direct answer
Enoch was a descendant of Seth in the genealogy of Genesis 5, the great-grandfather of Noah. He walked with God for 365 years and was taken by God without dying (Genesis 5:24).
Hebrews 11:5 names him among the heroes of faith, and Jude 14-15 quotes a prophecy attributed to him. The biblical Enoch should be distinguished from the much longer non-canonical Book of Enoch, which is not part of the standard Protestant or Catholic Bible.
Examples
Walked with God
Genesis 5:21-24
Hero of faith
Hebrews 11:5-6
Prophecy of judgment
Jude 14-15
Not the same as Cain's son
Genesis 4:17 vs Genesis 5
How it works
The page surveys what Scripture itself says about Enoch and distinguishes the biblical figure from the much longer non-canonical Book of Enoch. References are KJV.
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.Genesis 5:24, KJV
Genesis 5: walked with God
The Sethite genealogy in Genesis 5 reports the lifespans of ten men from Adam to Noah. Almost every entry follows the same pattern: he lived, he had children, he died. Enoch breaks the pattern. The text says: 'And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him' (Genesis 5:24). The phrase 'walked with God' appears again only of Noah (Genesis 6:9) and signals close fellowship with the Lord.
Hebrews 11: hero of faith
Hebrews 11:5-6 explains the meaning of Genesis 5:24: 'By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.' The writer of Hebrews adds that without faith it is impossible to please God. Enoch is therefore presented as a model of faith from the earliest pages of history.
Jude 14-15: a prophecy of judgment
Jude quotes a prophecy attributed to Enoch: 'Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them' (Jude 14-15). The wording closely matches 1 Enoch 1:9. Quoting a non-canonical work does not by itself make that work Scripture; Paul does the same with pagan Greek poets in Acts 17:28 and Titus 1:12.
Biblical Enoch vs the Book of Enoch
The biblical portrait of Enoch is short, dignified, and centered on his walk with God. The non-canonical Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) is a much larger, later work containing apocalyptic visions, angelology, and astronomical material. It is not part of the Protestant Old Testament or the Catholic deuterocanon, but it is included in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo canon. Christians read the biblical material as Scripture and the non-canonical Enoch as a window into Second Temple Jewish thought.
Related Bible pages
- Who wrote the Bible for an overview of the human authors and inspiration.
- Books of the Bible in order for the canonical book list and groupings.
- Nephilim in the Bible for the related discussion in Genesis 6 and Numbers 13.
- All Bible pages and tools.
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Frequently asked questions
Enoch was a descendant of Seth in the genealogy of Genesis 5, the great-grandfather of Noah. Genesis records that he 'walked with God: and he was not; for God took him' (Genesis 5:24). He lived 365 years before being taken. Hebrews 11:5 names him among the heroes of faith. Jude 14-15 quotes a prophecy attributed to him about the Lord coming with his saints to execute judgment.
Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5 both say Enoch was taken by God without dying. Hebrews 11:5 puts it directly: 'By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him.' Together with Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), Enoch is one of two figures in the Bible described as not experiencing a normal death.
The Book of Enoch (also called 1 Enoch) is an ancient Jewish work, written in stages between roughly the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD. It is not part of the Protestant or Catholic Old Testament. It is included in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo canon. Jude 14-15 in the New Testament appears to quote from 1 Enoch 1:9, but quoting a book does not by itself make that book Scripture, just as Paul quotes pagan Greek poets in Acts 17:28 and Titus 1:12 without making those works Scripture.
No. The Bible does not contain a book authored by Enoch. The non-canonical Book of Enoch is attributed to him by later Jewish writers but is not Scripture in the standard Protestant or Catholic Bibles. The biblical Enoch is known through what Genesis, Hebrews, and Jude say about him, not through anything he himself wrote.
Yes. There is also an earlier Enoch in Genesis 4:17, the son of Cain, and a city named Enoch that Cain built. The Enoch known for walking with God and being taken is a different person, descended from Seth, listed in Genesis 5.
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