“Sirens” in the Book of Enoch?
“Sirens” in the Book of Enoch? By James Scott Trimm In the Book of Enoch we read: “And the women also of the angels who went astray shall become sirens .” (1Enoch 19:2). Although the Ethiopic text has “ salamaweyan ” (“peaceful”) which is widely regarded as a corruption with the original reading being that found in the Greek εις σειρηνας “into sirens.” This is certainly a passage which we would like to see in the Aramaic, much less the lost original Hebrew, but unfortunately the Aramaic for this passage has not survived. In Greek mythology, the Sirens were beautiful yet dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. So why would the Book of Enoch refer to “sirens”. Why would an ancient Hebrew text refer to “sirens” and what was the original Hebrew word(s) behind “sirens”? “Sirens” in the LXX In the Greek Septuagint the Greek word σειρηνας (sirens) does...
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