The book of Enoch : translated from Professor Dillmann's Ethiopic ...

Sect. IV.] Chapter XC. 10-17. 2 53
and cried that his succour should come unto him. 14. And
I saw till that man who wrote down the names of the shep-
herds and carried (them) up unto the presence of the Lord of
the sheep came, and he helped that ram and showed it every-
thing1
, that he had come down to help it. [15. And I saw
till that Lord of the sheep came to them in wrath, and all
who saw Him fled, and all cast themselves into the darkness
from before His face.] 16. All the eagles and vultures and
ravens and kites assembled together and brought with them
all the sheep of the field, and they all came together, and
helped each other to break that horn of the ram. 17. And
I saw that man who wrote the book according to the com-
With it. G reads 'with them.' 14. Helped. G adds
(Dhf?'?)*? ' helped and saved.' He had come down to help it.
So G, reading ([££:}*$. Din. 'that his help had come.' 15.
Cast themselves into the darkness from before His face. Din.,
1
fielen in seinem Schatten vor seinem Angesicht.' 16. Brought
with them all the sheep of the field. G reads ffDft-fr . . . Itfa
fiQ70 'all the sheep . . . went with them/ 17. Who wrote.
G reads Jlcn>; f^RttiQ. According to the command of the
heathen on the ' great horn.' Cried national significance : Israel avenges
that his succour should come itself on its heathen oppressors. In
unto him: cf. I Mace. vii. 41, 42 ; xci. 12, on the other hand, the period
11 Mace. xv. 8 sqq. 14. Earn. The of the Sword has an ethical and vin-
same word that is used in vv. 10, 11. dictive significance: Israel destroys
15. I feel convinced that this verse the unrighteous and those who have
is an interpolation, and that ver. 19 oppressed it. In this verse we pass
should be inserted before ver. 16, as over into the future. 16. The first
the destruction of the Gentiles in ver. great Messianic victories of Israel are
19 has already been consummated in the signal for the final assault of
ver. 18. Ver. 15 seems to be modelled all the Gentiles combined with the
on ver. 18. This twofold appearance apostate Jews (i.e. the sheep of the
of God is uncalled for, and only the field) against Israel. Israel is still
second appearance is effectual. The led by Judas, the great horn. Here,
help that is promised in ver. 14 is again, there is a loose use of symbols :
described in ver. 19 as the sword, the eagles, ravens, vultures, and kites
which is given to Israel for the represent all the hostile heathen
destruction of the Gentiles. We should nations in their last Gog and Magog
omit ver. 15 and insert ver. 19 before struggle against Israel. 17. The
ver. 16 in our interpretation. 19. fourth period of twelve shepherds is
The period of the sword here has a now at an end, and the period of