The Two-Hundred-Seventy-Fifth (Jude Part 3)

So sorry for the late post!  It was a crazy week for us last week!  We will be finishing our study of Jude this week to close out from our last two weeks of studying this letter.  There are some very interesting references and key differences between the Hebrew and Greek versions for us to take a look at in these last eleven verses.  Jude even included a quote from a controversial source, so let’s get into it!

As a reminder of the last couple weeks of our study, we are not only studying what Jude wrote in his letter, but also the differences there are between the Greek version and a Hebrew version that was translated from a few different, recently identified sources.  These sources had been in various libraries for a long time, but were not considered meaningful for various reasons.  The Hebrew manuscripts included more New Testament books than just Jude’s letter, and from my study of all the books included, I’ve found that the content of the Hebrew version suggests they preceded the Greek manuscripts from which today’s standard English bible was translated.  That’s not to say the Hebrew version is better or worse, but only that they should certainly be used as another tool for our studies of scripture.

We’re starting this week off with Jude’s quote of what I call a controversial source (Jude 14-15).  The reason I call it controversial is because other than a reference to the man named Enoch (actually a couple men named Enoch), the scripture we have today does not include any writings from Enoch.  There are however, existing writings that have been attributed to Enoch.    

The controversy comes in where despite Jude’s reference to something written by Enoch, as well as other references in our traditional canon of scripture to books like Jubilees, when the decision was made almost two thousand years ago of what books to include in our scriptural canon, these books were left out.  Some believe that was a mistake, and they still use these books to try and help them in their study of scripture.  Others see that act as heresy because these books were determined by a council of men to not be texts inspired by YHWH.  

Wherever you land on that spectrum, you cannot deny that Jude quoted from something written by Enoch.  You also cannot deny that other scriptural canons, such as the Ethiopian Bible, include these books and many others, thereby making them as equal and valid as the books of the Bible you and I are familiar with today.  For historical reference, the Ethiopian Christians trace their history back to the Ethiopian eunuch converted by Philip (Acts 8:26-39).  There’s even concepts from Yeshua Himself and New Testament phrases that line up perfectly with concepts and identical statements made in the book of Enoch.  

Both the Greek and Hebrew versions of Jude’s letter include the quote from Enoch, and with a couple small exceptions both of the quotes match each other.  They both talk about a significant number of “holy ones” that will come to execute judgment on the wicked.  In the Greek, the implication is that everyone will be judged, although it goes on to specify the ungodly, but in the Hebrew it is less ambiguous and only specifies the “set-apart ones” coming to execute judgment on the wicked because of their evil deeds.    

Whether it’s just the wicked or it’s everyone, the question remains as to who these holy ones are.  In the Berean Standard Bible that I normally use, the footnote says this quote is a reference to 1 Enoch 1:9, and what we find in that verse is very interesting when we compare it against the Greek and Hebrew versions of Jude.  We don’t have an interlinear version of the book of Enoch (or at least I haven’t found one), so we have to go with what translators translated it to in English.

Sometimes this can get a bit tricky in these situations because being quoted in Jude gives translators the temptation of translating it to what’s actually written in Jude instead of looking at it objectively and being more true to the text when there might be some differences between the two.  What’s interesting is that looking at a few different English versions, we have some that use “holy ones” and some that use “saints.”  Additionally, we have some that align almost identically with Jude’s quote, while others give a slightly different take.  

As far as our current study goes, it seems the Hebrew version gives a slightly paraphrased version of this writing, assuming the English translators of Enoch did not modify their translation to more closely align with the Greek version of Jude’s quote, since that’s what they would be familiar with.  However, it’s interesting to note that one of the translations of Enoch made it sound like the “saints” were going to execute judgment upon the Watchers (the fallen messengers referenced earlier in Jude’s letter) in addition to the wicked, vice that judgment being solely executed upon man.

This brings us to two key aspects of Jude’s quote of Enoch.  First, if we’re to go with the translation of “holy ones” we can see from other uses of this term in the book of Enoch that it refers to heavenly messengers, or angels.  This aligns with other prophecies, including those made by Yeshua, that at the time of Jude’s writing there was an expected future judgment event that involved heavenly messengers (Matthew 24:30-31, Mark 13:26-27, Revelation 19:11-15, 19-21).  Furthermore, based on other context in the book of Enoch, this judgment would be led by Yeshua Himself.

The second aspect of the Enoch quote is that Jude is using it to further reinforce his warning to believers about the unconverted Jews they were in close proximity to, and perhaps in some cases even closely related to.  Enoch’s prophecy was of a future judgment on the wicked, and Jude was saying that these individuals were a part of that group of wicked people that were going to be judged.  In the next verse of Jude’s letter, we find another significant difference between the Greek and Hebrew versions, and it is the difference alluded to last week which gives me high confidence that the Hebrew version is more true to Jude’s original writing.

In the next verse, Jude goes on about these wicked people, continuing to talk about why they are wicked (Jude 16).  The thing is, while the Greek version gives a pretty graphic description of their transgressions, the Hebrew version actually quotes a verse from Psalm 5 (Psalm 5:9).  As I said last week, if there were one “smoking gun” to prove the Hebrew version more accurate to Jude’s writing this would be it because it is highly unlikely that a translator would not only translate this verse from the Greek words to completely different Hebrew words, but also that the translator would take the time and effort to go find some random verse in the Old Testament to which he or she would translate it.

It's way more likely that Jude quoted this verse when writing his letter, especially after just quoting from Enoch, and when we look at the context of it we can see why.  The psalm Jude quoted is a psalm of David, and one in which he is asking for help with his enemies.  David is asking YHWH to lead him in righteousness because he can’t trust them, and he calls them “workers of iniquity” and liars (Psalm 5:5-6, 8).  He also calls them boastful, and all of these descriptors align perfectly with how Jude was describing the unbelieving Jews in his day.

As far as why the Greek version is so different than the Hebrew, unless we get really deep into the weeds of Hebrew to Greek translation and manuscript analysis we can’t really know for sure.  My initial thoughts though, are that it has to do with something we identified last week.  We saw last week that the Greek version has some near-verbatim phraseology as the second chapter of Peter’s second epistle.  While this verse in Jude isn’t a direct copy from Peter’s work, the references to lust, arrogance, and flattery align with what Peter wrote as well as some aspects of the scriptural examples Jude was using.  As we continue to the next couple verses of Jude’s letter, we actually see a direct quote from Peter’s second epistle, and I think verse 16 of Jude in the Greek was another effort by the translator to move away from referencing unbelieving Jews and move towards Peter’s reference to false teachers.

The next two verses also are the same between the Greek and Hebrew versions (Jude 17-18).  In them, Jude reminds the believers of a very specific message.  While he does not specify who it came from, and actually suggests this was a message from multiple apostles, we find the exact same words written in Peter’s second epistle (2 Peter 3:3).  This message was that “scoffers” would follow “their own…desires,” or in the Hebrew “their lusts.”  

I think it’s highly likely that this message was not one that only Peter had.  It was a message that all the apostles had, and spread, because it was a message that Yeshua gave them.  A lot of Christians point to “the days of Noah” that Yeshua spoke of (Matthew 24:38-39), but in terms of reveling in personal, fleshly desires He also spoke of wicked servants eating and drinking with drunkards, and getting drunk with them, while their master is away a long time (Matthew 24:48-50, Luke 12:45-46).  Note also, that in Luke’s version of the giving of that parable, Peter specifically asks who Yeshua is talking to, and Yeshua makes it clear that it’s whoever is entrusted with doing the work of the master while the master is gone.  That means all believers are being addressed in His parable.

Some other context regarding this warning that we can find in Peter’s epistle involves a couple things.  First, we see that Peter is also reminding the reader of this warning, and that it was not only given by Yeshua to the apostles but it was also foretold by the prophets (2 Peter 3:1-2).  And second, we find out some of the things these people are scoffing about.

These scoffers are questioning the legitimacy of prophecies about the “promise of His coming” (2 Peter 3:4).  The interesting thing about this question, as presented by Peter, is that it actually doesn’t specify which coming these scoffers were referring to.  Is it the first coming, because the scoffers are actually unbelieving Jews?  Or is it the second coming, because the scoffers are believers that have started to question whether or not Yeshua would return?  The former aligns with why Jude was using it in his letter, by the way.

To me, it seems plausible, if not actually proven, that Peter is talking about unbelieving Jews here.  The reason being that he goes on to talk about the scoffers’ raising this question based on the fact that nothing has changed in the world since “our fathers” died.  This is clear language used all throughout scripture by Israelite/Jewish writers to refer to their ancestors.  Additionally, Peter suggests that these scoffers knew of, and believed in, the writings in Genesis of creation and the flood (2 Peter 3:5-6).  That is not something that new, non-Jewish believers were aware of, let alone believed, because that was not part of the gospel message being spread by the apostles.

In other words, it seems both Peter and Jude were talking about unbelieving Jews in their warnings to the believers, but that doesn’t mean that the message is any less applicable to believers today.  While believers in the time of Peter and Jude were living, working, and worshipping in close proximity to unbelieving Jews, and thus needed this warning, today we see not only unbelieving Jews with the same attitude but some Christians as well.  In fact, these Christians are, in some ways, more heinous in this than the unbelieving Jews.

While professing their belief in Yeshua, these Christians question and even outright refute the account of creation in Genesis as well as the possibility of a global flood killing all mankind except Noah and his family.  Whereas, at least the unbelieving Jews hold the Torah in such high regard as YHWH’s Word that they are less likely to question such things.  Yes, I am aware that there are some prominent Jews out there that are just as “scientific” as these Christians and can’t put YHWH’s Word above what science tells them, but I’m referring to the devout Jews that, while they are blinded by the religion of Judaism, still hold YHWH’s Word above anything science might claim as fact.

The point is that we can still apply Peter and Jude’s warning to our lives today by distancing ourselves from those that question YHWH’s Word, both the Jews and those that aren’t.  We know our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, will return to rule on earth because everything must be subject to Him and then He will give everything to YHWH so that YHWH will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:20-28) so we are not the scoffers being referred to.  I think it’s clear from what we see in the world today and throughout history, that the only way for everything to truly be put under Yeshua, so it is subject to Him and in obedience to Him, is if He is physically present on earth.  His presence in heaven for two thousand years has not resulted in all the world being obedient to Him thus far.

In Jude’s warning, in the Greek, he goes on to state that these scoffers cause division and are devoid of the Holy Spirit (Jude 19).  In the Hebrew, it’s essentially the same message except it follows some of the concepts presented by Paul in his letters.  The Hebrew states that these scoffers are in the flesh and not in the Spirit.  

This is one of the coolest aspects of the Hebrew version of Jude to me, because it shows that Paul was not the only one talking about walking in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.  This is a concept that is kind of hard for some to understand because there’s not a blatant “how to” in scripture about it.  Paul talks about the fruits of the spirit and the works of the flesh, and that gives us an idea of how to identify when we’re walking in one or the other, but as far as a sort of, “Step 1, pray like this, Step 2, listen for this…” it doesn’t exist.  We have to come up with that on our own based on our study of scripture and our relationship with YHWH.

Jude goes on to allude to that fact in the next couple verses.  In both the Greek and Hebrew, he talks about strengthening in faith through the Holy Spirit and staying in the love of YHWH, waiting on Yeshua’s mercies for eternal life (Jude 20-21).  This is another example in scripture where we can see that the apostles saw eternal life as some future event.  Some believers today see the spiritual aspect of our eternal life, which we obtain once we come to faith in Yeshua and begin to walk in obedience to Him (John 5:24, 6:47), as the complete fulfillment of His promise of eternal life, but it’s verses like this one from Jude that support the view that there will be a future version of eternal life in which we will again have bodies similar to what we have today rather than simply existing as a spirit.

In Jude’s final portion of his letter, he tells the believers to be merciful just like Yeshua, but his follow on statement to this again differs between the Hebrew and Greek versions (Jude 22-23).  In the Greek, Jude talks about having mercy on doubters, which context seems to suggest are different than the scoffers referred to earlier.  It then goes on to talk about saving them in different ways depending on the situation.  Some you save by “snatching” from the fire, suggesting those individuals are more receptive to warnings of judgment.  Some you save by fear, somehow, which seems to involve hating clothing (which generally represents works as we’ve seen in previous studies) that is from the flesh.

The Hebrew version, on the other hand, tells the reader to have mercy, but then praises some believers for having good works while warning them to stay away from sinners.  This seems to be a troubling statement at first, because we know that in His ministry, Yeshua Himself sat with sinners.  When you keep that context in mind, and remember the whole context of Jude’s letter, it’s clear he’s again talking about the unbelieving Jews here.  He wants to emphasize to believers that it’s good to perform good works towards the unbelieving Jews, but you must remain distanced from them in terms of their teachings, beliefs, actions, and attitudes.  The same goes for us today.  We certainly want to witness to unbelievers, both of the Jews and of the non-Jews, but we do not want to incorporate any of their views or beliefs so we can preserve what we have come to find as the truth through the Holy Spirit.

The last couple verses of his letter are Jude’s praise of YHWH and His kingship, that it continues forever (Jude 24-25).  These verses are almost exactly the same between the Hebrew and Greek, and are pretty self explanatory as far as our study goes.  I hope this study of Jude has been a blessing to you, and I bet you never thought it would take three weeks to get through it even though it’s such a short letter!  

I hope you have a great week! YHWH bless you!  

-Rob and Sara Gene

---

The Gospel

We are born sinful as a result of Adam and Eve's sin (Genesis 2:17, 3:6, 1 John 1:8)

The consequence of sin, which is unavoidable through our own works, is death (Romans 6:23)

Yeshua, the Son of YHWH, lived sinless and was put to death (Hebrews 4:15)

His death, therefore, cleanses us of sin that would have required our death

(2 Corinthians 5:21)

He rose on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4)

Because of His resurrection, we are confident in our future resurrection and eternal life

(1 Corinthians 15:17-18, John 3:16)