1 Enoch 76
Study resource: not ScriptureR. H. Charles translation (1917) · public domain
1And at the ends of the earth I saw twelve portals open to all the quarters (of the heaven), from which the winds go forth and blow over the earth.
2Three of them are open on the face (i.e. the east) of the heavens, and three in the west, and three on the right (i.e. the south) of the heaven, and three on the left (i.e. the north).
3And the three first are those of the east, and three are of the north, and three [after those on the left] of the south, and three of the west.
4Through four of these come winds of blessing and prosperity, and from those eight come hurtful winds: when they are sent, they bring destruction on all the earth and on the water upon it, and on all who dwell thereon, and on everything which is in the water and on the land.
5And the first wind from those portals, called the east wind, comes forth through the first portal which is in the east, inclining towards the south: from it come forth desolation, drought, heat, and destruction.
6And through the second portal in the middle comes what is fitting, and from it there come rain and fruitfulness and prosperity and dew; and through the third portal which lies toward the north come cold and drought.
7And after these come forth the south winds through three portals: through the first portal of them inclining to the east comes forth a hot wind.
8And through the middle portal next to it there come forth fragrant smells, and dew and rain, and prosperity and health.
9And through the third portal lying to the west come forth dew and rain, locusts and desolation.
10And after these the north winds: from the seventh portal in the east come dew and rain, locusts and desolation.
11And from the middle portal come in a direct direction health and rain and dew and prosperity; and through the third portal in the west come cloud and hoar-frost, and snow and rain, and dew and locusts.
12And after these [four] are the west winds: through the first portal adjoining the north come forth dew and hoar-frost, and cold and snow and frost.
13And from the middle portal come forth dew and rain, and prosperity and blessing; and through the last portal which adjoins the south come forth drought and desolation, and burning and destruction.
14And the twelve portals of the four quarters of the heaven are therewith completed, and all their laws and all their plagues and all their benefactions have I shown to thee, my son Methuselah.
The chapter, studied
Twelve Gates for the Wind
Enoch sees twelve more portals at the ends of the earth, this time for the winds rather than the luminaries: three to each compass point. Four gates release winds of blessing (rain, dew, fruitfulness); the other eight release winds bringing drought, destruction, locusts, and desolation "on all the earth." Each portal's wind is named with its specific effect.
Where the previous chapters catalogued light, chapter 76 catalogues weather, and the pattern repeats: everything issues from a fixed gate, aimed by design rather than accident. The text carefully separates "winds of blessing and prosperity" from "hurtful winds" that "bring destruction," giving the created order a genuinely moral shape: good and harm both flow from ordained places, not chaos.
The recurring pairing of blessing-gates with harm-gates around the compass reads almost liturgically, and the chapter closes by naming Methuselah directly: "all their laws… have I shown to thee, my son Methuselah" — a reminder that the whole Astronomical Book is framed as a father's testimony handed down for his son to keep.
Scripture's own language of "the four winds of heaven" uses the same fourfold picture for sweeping, epoch-scale events: not because either text depends on the other, but because both draw on a shared ancient way of picturing the sky's edges as gated and governed.
Doors into the 66
- Daniel 7:2 — "The four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea" uses the same fourfold-wind picture for a vision of world history.
- Revelation 7:1 — Four angels hold back "the four winds of the earth" until the servants of God are sealed: the same gated-wind picture turned to final judgment.
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.
1And at the ends of the earth I saw twelve portals open to all the quarters (of the heaven), from which the winds go forth and blow over the earth.
2Three of them are open on the face (i.e. the east) of the heavens, and three in the west, and three on the right (i.e. the south) of the heaven, and three on the left (i.e. the north).
3And the three first are those of the east, and three are of the north, and three [after those on the left] of the south, and three of the west.
4Through four of these come winds of blessing and prosperity, and from those eight come hurtful winds: when they are sent, they bring destruction on all the earth and on the water upon it, and on all who dwell thereon, and on everything which is in the water and on the land.
5And the first wind from those portals, called the east wind, comes forth through the first portal which is in the east, inclining towards the south: from it come forth desolation, drought, heat, and destruction.
6And through the second portal in the middle comes what is fitting, and from it there come rain and fruitfulness and prosperity and dew; and through the third portal which lies toward the north come cold and drought.
7And after these come forth the south winds through three portals: through the first portal of them inclining to the east comes forth a hot wind.
8And through the middle portal next to it there come forth fragrant smells, and dew and rain, and prosperity and health.
9And through the third portal lying to the west come forth dew and rain, locusts and desolation.
10And after these the north winds: from the seventh portal in the east come dew and rain, locusts and desolation.
11And from the middle portal come in a direct direction health and rain and dew and prosperity; and through the third portal in the west come cloud and hoar-frost, and snow and rain, and dew and locusts.
12And after these [four] are the west winds: through the first portal adjoining the north come forth dew and hoar-frost, and cold and snow and frost.
13And from the middle portal come forth dew and rain, and prosperity and blessing; and through the last portal which adjoins the south come forth drought and desolation, and burning and destruction.
14And the twelve portals of the four quarters of the heaven are therewith completed, and all their laws and all their plagues and all their benefactions have I shown to thee, my son Methuselah.
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.