1 Enoch 32

1(And after these fragrant odours, as I looked towards the north over the mountains I saw seven mountains full of choice nard and fragrant trees and cinnamon and pepper.)E (To the north-east I beheld seven mountains full of choice nard and mastic and cinnamon and pepper.)Gᵍ*The earthly Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge.*To the north-east Gᵍ, 'towards the North 'E. That Gᵍ is right appears from v. 2 'far towards the East' in both Gᵍ and E. So the Garden of Righteousness in lxx. 3, lxxvii. 3 in the NW. is distinct from the primitive earthly Garden of Righteousness or Eden in the NE. mentioned here. Also the seven mountains here in the NE. must be distinct from the seven mountains, one being God's throne, in the NW. in xviii. 6, xxiv, 2 seqq. The garden here seems not to be the abode of the departed righteous, unlike the garden in lx. 8, 23, lxi. 12, lxv. 2, lxx. 3, lxxvii. 3. Instead their souls have a division in Sheol. xxii. 9. 2And thence I went over the summits of ┌all┐ these mountains, far towards the east ┌of the earth┐, and passed above the Erythraean sea and went far from it, and passed over ╓the angel╖ Zotîêl.*The Persian and Indian Oceans. Cf. lxxvii. 6, 7.*Seemingly the angel who guarded the entrance to Paradise. 3(And I came to the Garden of Righteousness, and saw beyond those trees many large trees growing there and of goodly fragrance, large, very beautiful and glorious, and the tree of wisdom whereof they eat and know great wisdom.)E (And I came to the Garden of Righteousness, and from afar off trees more numerous than these trees and great—†two† trees there, very great, beautiful, and glorious, and magnificent, and the tree of knowledge, whose holy fruit they eat and know great wisdom.)Gg*Cf. lxxvii. 3; also lx. 8, 23, lxi. 12, with notes. This garden is in the East; that in lxxvii. 3 in a part of the North; in lxx. 3 in the NW. In xxxvii-lxx, as well as in the Noachic fragments, this garden is the abode of the departed righteous; while in i-xxxvi a special division in Sheol is assigned to their spirits. Can this division and the garden be the same place? Both are in the West lxx. 3, 4 and xxii. 1. See my Commentary in loc. 4┌That tree is in height like the fir, and its leaves are┐ like (those of) the Carob tree: and its fruit is like the clusters of the vine, very beautiful: and the fragrance of the tree penetrates afar. 5Then I said: ‘┌How┐ beautiful is the tree, and how attractive is its look!’ 6Then Raphael the holy angel, who was with me, answered me ╓and said╖: ‘This is the tree of wisdom, of which thy father old (in years) and thy aged mother, who were before thee, have eaten, and they learnt wisdom and their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked and they were driven out of the garden.’*xx. 7 leads us to expect Gabriel here.*Adam and Eve here seem to be still alive. If x. 1 belongs to this section the Samaritan chronology is followed. See lxv. 2 (note). Note that Adam's sin is not regarded as the cause of man’s fall.