MYTH: Enoch was carried bodily into heaven while he was still alive.

"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; or God took him." (Gen. 5:21-24)

For centuries biblical scholars and pastors have taught that because of what the ungodly people were doing to God's people, and because of Enoch's faith, God took him away. God would not let Enoch live amongst his enemies, or suffer their fate of drowning in the flood.

Like Elijah, as seen in this depiction, God took his body and soul into heaven to be with him. (Henry)

This interpretation is inferred from previous lines of scriptures. The genealogical listing of patriarchs from Adam to Jared have no variation in how their life and death is written. Adam was 930 years and he died. Seth was 912 and he died. Enos was 905 and he died. Cainan was 910 and he died. Mahalaleel was 895 and he died. Jared was 962 and he died. But when Enoch is named the repetition stops. The author writes that when Enoch was 365 years, "he was not; for God took him." (Gen. 5:1-24)

In order to have a better understanding of what the author is saying, it is necessary to understand the meaning of the words written. Throughout the Bible the expression "was not" or "is not" is used when speaking of the dead. Examples of this can be found in such scriptures as when Jacob believed that both his sons Joseph and Simeon were dead. "And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye brereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me." (Gen. 42:36). After Jesus birth, Herod the king ordered that all the children in Bethlehem and in all the coast, two years old and under were to be killed. And so, Jeremiah's prophesy came to pass. "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." (Jer. 31:15; Mat. 2:18)

When the scripture states, "for God took him," the word laqach, which means took, is used. The word laqach is used when speaking of actually taking something or someone, or to receive. It also means to fetch or carry away, to take away, to take out or to be removed (Gesenius 441). The later meaning, removing him from life, or that he died is in harmony with other scriptures of the Bible. Consider the writing in the chapter of faith in the book of Hebrews. It tells about Abraham, the father of the Hebrew people, and his strong faith in God. It tells of his faith in the promise of an ingeritance he shared with Isaac and Jacob. It also tells of Abraham's wife Sara, and because of her faith, she had the strength to conceive and bare a child that God had promised her. Even with their strong faith and devotion to God, these rightous people including Enoch, "all died in faith." (Heb. 11:13)

The author writes about Enoch's faith in God. It is written, "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" (11:5). The Greek word for the term "translated," is Metatithemi, which refers to transferring from one place to another; to change; or of things institued or established. The primary meaning is to transpose, where one thing is put in place of another (Thayers). In other words, his life was replaced by death.

The author states that Enoch did not see death. The Greek word of "see," which is eido has several meaning. Some of which include: to see; to perceive with the eyes; to perceive by any of the senses; to experience any state or condition. Here again, the most likely meaning of the word, is that he did not experience any of the conditions that so many experience when death approaches (Thayer 173). Although it is argued that "was not found," indicates that God took Enoch's body away, I believe these words are simply a conformation that when he died, he did not suffered from the maladies of death. (Henry; Brown)

To say that he went to heaven would be a contradiction to the words in the prophetic book of Isaiah. For it is written, "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. (Isa. 57:1)

The best summery on the end of Enoch's life that can be derived from the scriptures, is that Enoch's translation was from life to death. He did not experience the pain and suffering many go through in death. And so, although it is a pleasant thought, and as much as many would like to believe in the orthodox teaching, he did not go to Heaven to be with God. To teach that he did is not in harmony with the teachings of the Bible.

Brown, Victor L. "Falacies & Myths." Unpublished paper.
Seattle. 1990.

Gesenius, William DR. Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon
to the Old Testament.  Trans. Samuel Prideaux
Tregelles. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company.
1981.

Henry, Matthew. "Translation of Enoch." Matthew Henry's
Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. 2000.
On-line interet. 7 Mar. 2000. Available:
http://www.prophezine.com/bible/mhc/genesis.html.

Pisan, Heliodore J. Elijah's Ascent in a Chariot of Fire. Meredith's Bodd of Bible Lists. Ed. Joel Meredih. Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, Inc. 1980.

Strong, James. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. 1980.

Thayer, Joseph H. Thayers Greek-English Lexicon of the
New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House
Company. 1981.

The Bible.