The hidden figure of Isaiah 51:16 and the preexistence of the son of man in the Parables of Enoch

Abstract

Scholars have long puzzled over the Parables of Enoch’s depiction of the figure identified as the Son of Man as existing before creation. Previous proposals have suggested that this idea derives from the influence of the depiction of wisdom in Prov 8:22–31, the king in Ps 72:17, or the Servant of the Lord in Isa 49:1–2. In this article, I discuss these three proposals, rejecting the first entirely and suggesting that the latter two have some validity but fall short of explaining the key reason behind the Son of Man’s pre-creation existence. I then propose that the most important scriptural source for this idea is Isa 51:16, which has a syntactical ambiguity that allows it to be read as describing a figure hidden by God before the creation of the world. This verse shares significant parallels with Isa 49:2, and these texts were combined in 1 En. 48:6 and 62:7 in order to depict the Son of Man as a preexistent figure.