1 Enoch 20
Study resource: not ScriptureR. H. Charles translation (1917) · public domain
1And these are the names of the holy angels who watch.
2Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is over the world and over Tartarus.
3Raphael, one of the holy angels, who is over the spirits of men.
4Raguel, one of the holy angels who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries.
5Michael, one of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind and over chaos.
6Saraqâêl, one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit.
7Gabriel, one of the holy angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim.
8Remiel, one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise.
The chapter, studied
The Seven Who Watch
Enoch lists seven holy angels and the office each one holds: Uriel over the world and Tartarus, Raphael over the spirits of men, Raguel who avenges wrongs against the heavenly lights, Michael over the greater part of mankind, Saraqael over spirits that sin, Gabriel over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim, and Remiel over those who rise.
This short roster is a hinge in the book: it names the angelic guides who speak through the long cosmic tour that follows, Uriel and Raphael especially reappear constantly, and it gives 1 Enoch's angelology a structure, seven named "holy angels" each with a defined charge, rather than an undifferentiated angelic host.
Two of the names, Michael and Gabriel, carry directly into the 66 books and give the reader a bridge: the picture of specialized, named archangels assigned to specific tasks is the same picture Daniel and Luke work with, even though the particular offices named here: "over Paradise and the serpents," "over those who rise" — are not attested in Scripture and belong to this book's own development.
Doors into the 66
- Daniel 10:13 — stands beside Michael named as 'one of the chief princes'
- Daniel 9:21 — stands beside Gabriel sent to Daniel with understanding
- Luke 1:19 — stands beside Gabriel identifying himself as one 'that stand in the presence of God'
- Jude 1:9 — stands beside Michael named 'the archangel'
Teachers on this ground
R. H. Charles
The Book of Enoch (1917)
The public-domain translation this shelf reads, with the critical introduction the field still builds on.
Johnny Enlow
The Book of Enoch: Paraphrase and Commentary (2025)
A living teacher's paraphrase of the whole book with his own running commentary, from the prophetic stream.
Michael S. Heiser
A Companion to the Book of Enoch: A Reader's Commentary, Vol. I — The Book of the Watchers (2019)
A verse-by-verse reader's commentary on chapters 1–36: the closest thing in print to a study Bible for this section.
1And these are the names of the holy angels who watch.
2Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is over the world and over Tartarus.
3Raphael, one of the holy angels, who is over the spirits of men.
4Raguel, one of the holy angels who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries.
5Michael, one of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind and over chaos.
6Saraqâêl, one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit.
7Gabriel, one of the holy angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim.
8Remiel, one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise.
The language it was written in
Aramaic (the Qumran fragments' language); parts possibly Hebrew. The Parables (chs. 37–71) have no Qumran witness and their original language is debated.
What survives, and where
Aramaic: Dead Sea Scrolls
Eleven fragmentary manuscripts from Qumran Cave 4 covering every section except the Parables (3rd c. BC – 1st c. AD).
Greek
Substantial portions: chs. 1–32 (Codex Panopolitanus), quotations in Syncellus, and the Chester Beatty papyrus of the Epistle.
Ge’ez (Ethiopic)
The only complete text, preserved by the Ethiopian church, whose canon receives the book; the base of every full translation.
What you are reading here
R. H. Charles's 1917 English translation, made from the Ge’ez against the Greek and Aramaic evidence then known — public domain, quotable in full.
No tagged word floor exists for the Aramaic or Ge’ez text; word-by-word study on this shelf awaits a future ingest. What stands here is the manuscript story itself.