The Origin of Sin
In the Bible, the fall of mankind is described through Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden when they ate the forbidden fruit after being deceived by the serpent. As a result, sin and death entered the world, bringing separation from God and a curse upon creation (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-21; Isaiah 59:2). Through Adam and Eve’s fall, sin entered the human race and spread to all their descendants.
The Bible later identifies the serpent of Genesis 3 as Satan working through the animal, with Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 explicitly calling him “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan.” This shows that Satan used the serpent as a medium to deceive Eve and bring sin into the world.
The Bible describes Satan’s fall as the result of pride and rebellion against God, leading to his expulsion from heaven along with a third of the angels (Isaiah 14:12–15; Ezekiel 28:12–17; Revelation 12:3–4,7–9).
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" Romans 5:12
This is a notable difference from the biblical account, where the tempter is Satan using the serpent as a medium, and the focus is on a single, shared act of disobedience by Adam and Eve. The Book of Enoch provides an angelic figure as the direct agent of temptation, making Eve's fall part of the larger narrative of angelic corruption and the introduction of forbidden knowledge to mankind.
The Watchers' Descent
The Book of Enoch describes how a group of 200 Watchers, celestial beings tasked with observing humanity, looked down from heaven and lusted after human women. Their leader, a figure named Semjaza, convinced them to swear an oath to descend to Earth and take wives. They landed on Mount Hermon and proceeded to have children with human women, giving birth to a race of monstrous giants known as the Nephilim.
The Watchers' sin was not limited to procreation. They also imparted forbidden knowledge to humanity, which led to widespread sin and corruption. The angel Gadreel is identified as the one "who showed the children of men all the blows of death" and who "led astray Eve." The text then connects this act to the angel's teaching of weaponry and warfare to humanity.
The Nephilim
The Nephilim, according to the Book of Enoch, are the offspring of the union between these fallen angels (the Watchers) and human women. They are described as giants; powerful, violent beings who spread corruption and destruction across the earth. Their existence is portrayed as a major reason for God sending the Flood in Noah’s day, to cleanse the earth of their influence.
"And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood." 1 Enoch 7:3-5*
This passage highlights a key difference from the biblical account in Genesis. In Enoch, the Nephilim are not just "men of renown" or "mighty men" but are depicted as monstrous, cannibalistic beings whose insatiable hunger directly leads to the suffering of humanity and the need for God's divine judgment through the flood.
The individual in the Bible whose height is most famously and explicitly given is Goliath of Gath, his height is described in 1 Samuel 17:4 as being "six cubits and a span." Based on the common cubit of about 18 inches (45 cm), Goliath's height would be 9 feet 9 inches (2.97 meters).
The colossal size of the Nephilim in Enoch is seen as highly fantastical and physically impossible within a biblical worldview. It stretches the boundaries of what is considered a plausible historical or physical event. The word translated “ells” is uncertain. Some scholars suggest it refers to cubits, others that it is a textual corruption. If taken literally, using the common the Nephilim would've been between 4,500 feet! To put that into perspective, the Pyramid of Giza today stands at approximately 455 feet, and the Statue of Liberty from base to top of torch measures 305 feet. The world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa is 2,717 feet tall.
Using scripture to interpret scripture the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 are the faithful line of Seth, contrasted with the ungodly line of Cain. This passage is describing intermarriage between the righteous and the wicked, leading to corruption, with “sons of God” meaning God’s covenant people rather than angels. (Check out "Who Are The Sons of God of Genesis 6?" for a more in depth study on the subject.)
The Birth of Noah
The Book of Enoch (specifically 1 Enoch and the related Book of Noah material embedded in it) gives a very unusual and supernatural description of the birth of Noah. This passage is found in 1 Enoch 106–107, often called the Apocalypse of Noah or Birth of Noah Narrative. It presents Noah not just as a human child, but as a figure of divine or angelic nature, which sets him apart from the rest of mankind.
Noah's father, Lamech, fears that the baby Noah is not his own but a child of the fallen angels known as the Watchers.The text presents Noah as born with skin and hair as "white as snow," and a face that is "red like the blooming of a rose." His eyes are said to illuminate the entire house "like the sun." Immediately upon birth, the infant Noah literally speaks to his father Lamech, and is already capable of comprehending and talking about God's righteousness. Lamech, terrified by his son's strange appearance and speech and goes to his own father, Methuselah, to seek an explanation. Methuselah then consults with the angelic figure of Enoch, who is now in heaven. Enoch reassures them that Noah is indeed a divinely chosen child, sent to be the righteous one who will survive the coming flood and "be preserved for all the generations of the world."
The Book of Enoch contradicts the Bible account of the life of Noah and the flood in numerous ways. The story, found in the book of Genesis, explains that God saw the wickedness and corruption of humanity and decided to destroy the earth with a flood. However, because Noah was a righteous man, God chose to save him and his family. God gave Noah, not Enoch or Methuselah, specific instructions to build a large ark to save himself, his family, and pairs of animals so that life could be preserved (Genesis 6:13–22).
Messianic Overtones
The Book of Enoch not only goes far beyond the biblical account in Genesis but also often portrays Enoch in messianic terms, assigning him roles and titles that Scripture reserves exclusively for Jesus Christ. In 1 Enoch 71, Enoch is explicitly identified as the “Son of Man,” enthroned in glory and given everlasting authority. This is a direct overlap with Jesus’ own self-identification in the Gospels (e.g., Matthew 26:64), where the “Son of Man” comes on the clouds of heaven as judge and king. By placing Enoch in this role, the book blurs the line between prophet and redeemer.
Enoch is also described as preexistent and chosen before creation to bring light and salvation to the nations (1 Enoch 48:2–6), language that mirrors the New Testament’s description of Christ (John 1:1–9; 1 Peter 1:20). Similarly, 1 Enoch 62:5–9 depicts all nations bowing before him and praising his name forever, which echoes the worship due only to God and, in the New Testament, to Jesus (Philippians 2:9–11; Revelation 5:12–14; Revelation 19:10; 22:8–9). Finally, 1 Enoch 69:26–29 describes Enoch as seated on the throne of glory with authority to judge the world, directly overlapping with Jesus’ role as the appointed Judge of all (John 5:22; Acts 17:31).
The worst offenders of this blurring between Enoch and Christ’s roles are found in 1 Enoch 48, 62, 69, and 71. Each of these passages assigns to Enoch divine prerogatives such as preexistence, universal worship, authority to judge, and enthronement as the Son of Man, which Scripture clearly reserves for Christ alone. In contrast, the Bible consistently affirms these roles for Jesus: He is the eternal Word (John 1:1–3), the light of the world (John 8:12), the Judge of all (John 5:22), and the one before whom every knee will bow (Philippians 2:9–11). (Read more on the what the final end of the wicked will be, "Does hellfire burn forever? ")
Summary of Errors
Other teaching in the Book of Enoch that differ sharply from Scripture. Below is a list of some of the most glaring contradictions between 1 Enoch and the Bible:
- Angels Marrying Women: Enoch says 200 angels ("Watchers") descended to Mount Hermon, married human women, and had giant offspring (Nephilim) (1 Enoch 6–7). Jesus clearly states angels "neither marry nor are given in marriage" (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25). Genesis 6 mentions "sons of God" but does not say angels married humans.
- Origin of Demons: Enoch claims demons are the disembodied spirits of the dead Nephilim (1 Enoch 15:8–12). The Bible teaches that demons are fallen angels (Revelation 12:9), not the spirits of hybrid giants.
- Enoch as Intercessor: Enoch is portrayed as a heavenly mediator and scribe of judgment, interceding with God on behalf of angels (1 Enoch 13–15). The Bible teaches the only mediator between God and man is Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). No human or prophet intercedes for angels.
- Calendar & Sun/Moon Cycles: Enoch promotes a solar calendar of 364 days (1 Enoch 72–82). In the Bible the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar (Genesis 1:14, Leviticus 23), not purely solar, and has 354–355 days.
- Enoch’s Role vs. Scripture: The Book of Enoch elevates Enoch almost to a messianic role—ruler, heavenly scribe, revealer of divine mysteries. The Bible describes Enoch only briefly—he "walked with God, and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). He is not exalted to a cosmic ruler or revealer of secret wisdom.
- Final Judgment Details: The Book of Enoch provides elaborate visions of multiple heavens, angelic prisons, and judgment of fallen angels. While the Bible describes the final fate of Satan and his angels as the same as the wicked and unrepentant of humanity, destruction in the Lake of Fire (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). The Bible states that believers will have a role in this judgment (1 Corinthians 6:3).
Enoch Fails The Test
The Book of Enoch fails the biblical test of divine inspiration and authority because it does not align with the standard set in Scripture. Isaiah 8:20 declares, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them,” meaning any true revelation must be consistent with God’s Word. Likewise, 2 Corinthians 13:1 affirms that truth is established “in the mouth of two or three witnesses,” yet many of Enoch’s narratives, such as its elaborate accounts of fallen angels and heavenly journeys, are not confirmed anywhere else in the Bible and often contradict biblical teaching. Because it adds details that oppose or go beyond Scripture, the Book of Enoch cannot be considered divinely inspired.
Enoch's Appeal to Gnostics
Gnosticism is a diverse religious movement from the early centuries of the common era that emphasizes secret knowledge (gnosis) as the path to spiritual salvation. Its core beliefs often include the idea that the material world is corrupt or evil, created by a lesser deity (the Demiurge), while the true God is transcendent and beyond the physical realm. Gnostics typically teach that humans contain a divine spark trapped in the material world, which can be freed through spiritual knowledge rather than faith or works.
The Book of Enoch is not a Gnostic book, but it shares several themes and ideas that likely influenced or were later adopted by Gnostic thinkers: it contains elaborate visions of heaven, angels, and secret knowledge that align with their emphasis on hidden or mystical revelation. Its detailed accounts of fallen angels, cosmic hierarchies, and the divine realm appeal to the Gnostic idea that the material world is corrupted and that salvation comes through special knowledge. Additionally, the book’s mystical and symbolic style makes it seem like an esoteric text reserved for those “in the know,” which fits the Gnostic preference for secret wisdom.
*R.H. Charles's 1912 translation of 1 Enoch (often reprinted by Dover Publications and others) has become the de facto standard for general readers. It is highly accessible, widely available online for free, and has been in circulation for over a century, making it the most familiar version to many people. It's often found in collections of biblical apocrypha and pseudepigrapha.