Evidence #490 | April 16, 2025

Book of Moses Evidence: Enoch's Divine Favor

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Scripture Central

Enoch being shown favor by the Lord among the heavenly hosts. Image generated via AI.

Abstract

The Book of Moses declares that Enoch found “favor” in the sight of God. While this idea could possibly have been derived from the Bible, it better matches extrabiblical Enochic accounts.

In the Book of Moses, after Enoch was given his prophetic commission by the Lord, Enoch protested declaring, “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?” (Moses 6:31).1

The idea of God favoring individuals can be found in other scriptural passages. For instance, “Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?” (Numbers 11:11).2 We also read that “the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men (1 Samuel 2:26). Similarly, one of the first things that Nephi declared about himself was that he had been “highly favored of the Lord in all my days” (1 Nephi 1:1).

That being said, relatively few prophets or other individuals throughout scripture are designated in this manner.3 One might therefore wonder what prompted Joseph Smith to apply this description specifically to Enoch in his prophetic introduction.

The Significance of Hebrews 11:5

For those who assume the Book of Moses isn’t a divinely revealed text and that Joseph Smith was deriving much of its contents from his environment, the most likely source for this information would be Hebrews 11:5: “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.”4

It should be pointed out, however, that this is the only passage which provides this detail in the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). It isn’t mentioned in Jude, nor is it found in the account of Enoch in Genesis 5:18–24 (which relies on the Hebrew Masoretic text). Thus, although present in the KJV, Enoch’s favored status is quite obscure, being tucked away in a single verse as part of a conversation about faith in the New Testament.

In contrast, the version of Genesis 5 found in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) repeats this concept twice as part of with Enoch’s scriptural introduction: “Now Henoch was well pleasing to God after he became the father of Mathousala, for two hundred years, and had sons and daughters. And all the days of Henoch amounted to three hundred sixty-five years. And Henoch was well pleasing to God, and he was not found, because God transferred him” (LXX Genesis 5:21).5

With this in mind, the passage in Hebrews 11:5 takes on added significance, as it seems to be alluding back to a detail already embedded in the Greek version of the Old Testament. When commenting on Genesis 5, various extrabiblical sources likewise mention this detail, suggesting ancient authors were likely familiar with this LXX variant. For instance, according to the early Christian theologian Ephrem Syrus, “It is written about Enoch that ‘he was pleasing to God, and then he was not (here).’”6

The point here is simply that the allusive nature of Hebrews 11:5 would be lost on any reader who was strictly working from the KJV, as Joseph Smith likely was in 1830.7 The statement that Enoch “pleased God” would be both less significant and less memorable under those circumstances.

Enoch’s Favor Over “All”

Joseph Smith also couldn’t have guessed how frequently and emphatically Enoch’s favored status would turn up in ancient and medieval sources, including longer works such as 2 Enoch and 3 Enoch (see Appendix). In a number of instances, the wording and context of these details correlate better with Moses 6:31 than Hebrews 11:5.

For example, Enoch’s protest that he was hated by “all the people” in Moses 6:31 corresponds, to some extent, with Enoch being favored over “all the people” in 2 Enoch 65:5:8

Moses 6

2 Enoch

31 Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

65:5 For you will be glorified in front of the face (|of the Lord for eternity|), because you are the one whom the Lord chose in preference to all the people upon the earth

While it isn’t directly stated in Moses 6:31 that Enoch is favored over others, as is the case in 2 Enoch 65:5, such an interpretation isn’t necessarily unwarranted. This is because Enoch’s complaint that “all the people hate me” comes alongside his worries that he is comparatively unfit to fulfill his prophetic commission, due to his slow speech and relative youth.

A related idea turns up in 3 Enoch, where the favor shown to Metatron (Enoch in his angelic state) is given in comparison to “all” of the various sorts of heavenly beings:9

Moses 6

3 Enoch

31 Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

4:1–2 I asked Meṭaṭron … [Why] are you greater than all the princes, higher than all the angels, and more beloved than all the ministering angels, and more glorious than all the heavenly host, and mightier than all the powers in respect to rulership, greatness and glory? Why are you called “Lad” in the heights of heaven?

4:7–10 When they saw me they said before him, ‘Lord of the Universe, what is the nature of this one who has ascended to the highest of heights? Is he not from among those who perished in the flood? Why is one of his nature in the heavens?’ Again the Lord, blessed be he, answered: ‘What is your nature that you interrupt my words? For I take more delight in this one than in all of you. He shall be prince (sar) and ruler (nagid] over you in the heavenly heights.’ Immediately they went forth toward me and prostrated themselves before me and said: “Blessed are you and blessed are your parents for your creator has favored you.” And because I was the youngest among them and a “lad” amongst them with respect to days, months, and years, therefore they called me “lad.’”

As can be seen, Enoch’s status as a “lad” becomes the primary issue of debate in 3 Enoch. The other angels appear to despise Enoch and feel he is unworthy, partially because of his relative youth, a detail which is surprisingly congruent with Moses 6:31. The other remarkable resemblance comes from the fact that each text specifically involves a question about Enoch’s favored status. Notably, neither of these two elements show up in Hebrews 11:5.

It should also be pointed out that Enoch’s favored position, compared to “all” of the various angelic beings, is repeatedly emphasized throughout 3 Enoch:10

Moses 6

3 Enoch

31 Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

5:8–9 Again the Holy One, blessed be he, replied, and said to them, ‘What right have you to interrupt me? I have chosen this one in preference to all of you, to be a prince and a ruler over you in the heavenly heights.’ At once they all arose and went to meet me and prostrated themselves before me, saying, ‘Happy are you, and happy your parents, because your Creator has favored you.’

6:3 And this one whom I have removed from them is the choicest of them all and worth them all in faith, righteousness, and fitting conduct. This one whom I have taken is my sole reward from my whole world under heaven.

8:2 and I was honored and adorned with all these excellent, praiseworthy qualities more than all the denizens of the heights.

12:1 Metatron, Prince of the Divine Presence, said to me: Out of the love which he had for me, more than for all the denizens of the heights, the Holy One, blessed be he, fashioned for me a majestic robe.

13:1 The angel Metatron, Prince of the Divine Presence, the glory of highest heaven, said to me: Out of the abundant love and great compassion wherewith the Holy One, blessed be he, loved and cherished me more than all the denizens of the heights.

In light of this repeated element, Enoch’s concern that “all the people” hate him in Moses 6:31 takes on added significance, as ancient texts likewise emphasizes the totality of the beings who opposed him or with whom he was being compared.

Enoch, the Favored “Servant”

Enoch is never described as a “servant” of the Lord in the Bible. Yet this element turns up repeatedly in extrabiblical Enochic traditions, sometimes in connection with his favored status, just as it does in Moses 6:31. For instance, in both 3 Enoch and in a text from the Cairo Genizah collection, Enoch’s favored status over the heavenly beings is accompanied by a description of him as a “servant”:11

Moses 6

3 Enoch

31 Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

48D:9 I ordered it, and entrusted it to Metatron [Enoch] my servant alone, because he is unique among all the denizens of the heights.”

Moses 6

Cairo Genizah

31 Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

I adjure you [Metatron/Enoch], more beloved and dear than all heavenly beings, [Faithful servant] of the God of Israel, the High Priest, chief of [the priest]s, you who poss[ess seven]ty names; and whose name [is like your Master’s] … Great Prince, who is appointed over the great princes, who is the head of all the camps.

A similar description, although without Enoch being favored over others, is found in 2 Enoch:12

Moses 6

2 Enoch

31 Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

And they made a |great| festival, rejoicing and making merriment for three days, |praising God who had given them such a sign through Enoch, his own favored servant, even so that they might hand it on to their own sons, from generation to generation, from age to age. AMEN|

As explained by Philip Alexander, “One of Meṭaṭron’s most distinctive titles is Na‘ar. Originally this was used in the sense of ‘servant’ and it referred to Meṭaṭron’s role as the high priest of the heavenly sanctuary; its equivalent in one Aramaic text is šammāšā reḥimā = ‘the beloved servant.’ (Cf. Meṭaṭron’s common title ‘ebed = ‘servant’.)”13

“Favor In Thy Sight”

Finally, it should be noted that some ancient texts have wording that, when compared with Hebrews 11:5 (“Enoch . . . pleased God”), more closely matches that found in Moses 6:31 (“Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight”). This can be seen in a Jewish commentary that explains Enoch’s favor as being partly due to his placement in the seventh generation from Adam (seven being a symbolically holy number). Specifically, the text mentions that Enoch “found favor in the sight of the Lord,” which provides a nearly verbatim match with Moses 6:31:14

Moses 6

Baḥya b. Asher ad Gen 5:24

31 Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

These seven lights are the same ones which are termed “bundle of the living” (1 Sam 25:29). This righteous one [Enoch] became attached to them because he found favor in the sight of the Lord, and therefore it was fitting that he should be the seventh of the (initial human) generations and thereby correspond to the seventh day (of the week), for it is the day of revitalization which is entirely (made up) of cessation from labors and of rest. For this reason he won everlasting life.

Commenting on how the record of Enoch might have been preserved through the flood, the early Christian father Tertullian gives a similar description:15

Moses 6

Tertullian, De cultu feminarum 1.3

31 Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

I am aware that the scripture of Enoch, which has assigned this role to angels, is not acceptable to some because it is not admitted into the Jewish canon. I suppose they thought that, having been published before the Flood, it could not have safely survived that world-wide calamity, the destroyer of all things. If such is the reason (for rejecting it), let them remember that Noah, the survivor of the Flood, was the great-grandson of Enoch himself; and he, of course, had heard and remembered, from familial renown and inherited tradition, about his great-grandfather’s “favor in the sight of God.”

Conclusion

In light of this data, it is clear that Enoch’s favored status in Moses 6:31 is abundantly attested in ancient and medieval sources. One might suppose that Joseph Smith simply derived this idea from Hebrews 11:5, but that explanation has several shortcomings.

First, the probability of Joseph Smith paying attention to this detail would be improved if he had been familiar with the Greek version of Genesis 5. Yet there is no historical evidence that he utilized or even had direct access to an English translation of the Septuagint. Assuming the KJV was his sole guide, the idea that Enoch “pleased God” is confined to a single New Testament verse about faith (Hebrews 11:5). Considering the sparsity of textual data and Joseph Smith’s fairly limited understanding of the Bible at the time, it is questionable whether he would have noticed this particular detail before or during 1830.16   

Second, the wording in Hebrews 11:5 (“Enoch . . . pleased God”) is not the same as found in Moses 6:31 (“Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight”). If Joseph Smith really had been drawing from Hebrews 11 and wanted to establish a consistency between it and his own fabricated text, it seems more likely that he would have retained the same (or similar) verbiage.

Third, when this concept arises in extrabiblical Enochic sources, the specific phrasing and contextual details sometimes match up with Moses 6:31 better than they do Hebrews 11:5. This provides reason to suspect that Joseph’s Smith’s text preserves an authentic tradition that is related to, but independent from, the content in Hebrews 11.

Fourth, without access to the many Enochic sources that are available today, Joseph Smith couldn’t have known how prevalent this detail would be in the extant Enochic literature. Its presence in numerous texts from different times and places lends credibility to its inclusion in the Book of Moses. For additional examples not presented in this analysis, see the Appendix.

To be sure, this singular textual element doesn’t prove the Book of Moses is an authentic ancient text. And it is still possible that Joseph Smith could have derived this idea from Hebrews 11 and unwittingly adapted it to match nuanced details that would turn up in genuine Enochic traditions discovered after 1830. Nevertheless, this subtle detail adds plausibility to Joseph Smith’s prophetic claims, especially when viewed in light of so many other consistencies between the Book of Moses and ancient Enochic traditions.17  

Further Reading
Appendix
Relevant Scriptures
Endnotes