This verse cites the two halves of Genesis 5.24, but in reverse order, to emphasize the fact that Enoch pleased God.

Kept Enoch from dying: Revised Standard Version‘s “see death” is a literal translation of a Hebrew idiom meaning “experience death” (compare Phillips) or simply “die.” The first sentence of this verse, namely, It was faith that kept Enoch from dying, may be rendered as “Because Enoch trusted God, he did not die.”

This verse contains some repetition: the writer first states he was taken up to God, and then cites the verse from Genesis on which this statement is based. It is difficult to make this clear in translation without producing a heavy sentence. “Instead, he was taken up to God; ‘nobody could find him, because God had taken him up’ ” gives the meaning, but quotation marks cannot be read aloud. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is similar, but without quotation marks, and with a full stop instead of the semicolon.

Taken up to God is unusual in English; Bijbel in Gewone Taal has “taken him away,” and Bible en français courant adds “(to be) with him,” that is, with God. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says explicitly “was taken to God.” The statement he was taken up to God might be assumed to mean “the angels took Enoch up to God,” but this is contradicted by the later clause because God had taken him up. It may be necessary to combine the two clauses referring to Enoch’s being taken up, translating the second sentence of verse 5 as “Instead, God took him up to heaven, and therefore no one could find him.”

And before nobody should be omitted in most languages, since it misleadingly prepares the reader for new information. The function of and in the text is simply to introduce the quotation.

Nobody could find him uses an active verb in place of Revised Standard Version‘s literal passive, “he was not found,” which is less clear in English. The Hebrew for nobody could find him is literally “and he was not.”

The scripture says is the translation generally adopted in modern versions. The literal translation is “it has been witnessed.” This renders a Greek verb used in 7.8, 17 and 10.15 of the direct “witness” of Scripture, and in 11.2, 4 of the “witness” or “approval” of God (probably also in Scripture). The tense of the Greek verb here suggests the meaning The scripture says. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible renders the last half of this verse as “before his taking up … he had received the witness that ‘he had been pleasing to God.’ ”

As in other instances, the statement The scripture says may have to be modified; for example, “As one may read in the Scriptures” or “As it is written in the Scriptures.”

The clause before Enoch was taken up may be made active by rendering it as “before God took Enoch up to heaven.”

The meaning of the Greek for pleased God is very close to the expression rendered God’s approval in verse 4. The writer as usual follows the Septuagint; the Hebrew text has literally “Enoch walked with God.” He had pleased God may be rendered as “he had caused God to be pleased with him,” “he had caused God to be happy because of what he, Enoch, had done,” or “he had pleased God’s heart.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .