3 Enoch 37
3 Enoch 37
Section: Metatron’s Rank and Cosmic Form
Translated by Hugo Odeberg (1928)
CHAPTER XXXVII The four camps of Shekina and their surroundings
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence, said to me: |
(1) In the seven Halls there are standing four chariots of Shekina, and before each one are standing the four camps of Shekina. Between each camp a river of fire is continually flowing.
(2) Between each river there are bright clouds [surrounding them], and between each cloud there are put up pillars of brimstone. Between one pillar and another there are standing flaming wheels, surrounding them. And between one wheel and another there are flames of fire ‘round about’. Between one flame and another there are treasuries of lightnings; behind the treasuries of lightnings are the wings of “the stormwind. Behind the wings of the storm-wind are the chambers of the tempest; behind the chambers of the tempest there are winds, voices, thunders, sparks *[upon] sparks and earthquakes [upon] earthquakes®.
1-1 E: ‘riding’ 2-2, 3-3 E om. 4-4 E om. 5-5 E: ‘and behind the sparks there are earthquakes’
Ch. xxxvii. This chapter belongs to the same category as ch. xxxiv. Cf. notes, ib. The reason why it was placed in its present context is probably the mention in vs. I of ‘the four camps of Shekina’ since the ‘camps’ are understood of the song- uttering angels.
(1) seven Halls, in ‘Araboth, the highest of the heavens. Cf. note on ch. xviii. 3. ‘The camps are conceived of as filling all the Halls, radiating from the centre of the Throne of Glory. The chariots of Shekina are here four, corresponding to the four Chayyoth of the Divine Chariot, an amplification of the One Chariot similar to that of one fiery river into four or seven. four camps of Shekina. See note on chh. xviii. 4, xxxv. 3. E misreads ‘seven’, probably by false analogy to the seven Halls,
(2) The text has probably suffered a confusion. Instead of ‘between…and’ read throughout ‘behind’ as in the latter part of the verse and as in the parallels of Midrash Kénén and Seder Rabba di Bereshith Rabba referred to note on ch. xxxiv, Introduction. The reading ‘ between. . .and’ was presumably caused by the use of this expression with reference to the rivers as flowing between the camps of ministering angels. Cf. how in ch. xxxiii it is said about the fiery rivers: “each river turns round in a bow in…‘ Araboth Ragia‘”. The original intent of the chapter was to picture the concentric circles of flames, treasuries of lightnings, chambers of the tempest etc. surrounding the Throne of Glory and the camps. The confusion is, even after the suggested emendation, too great as to allow any clear reconstruction of the intended picture.
122 THE HEBREW BOOK OF ENOCH [CH. XXXVIII