What does Genesis 5:24 mean?

This is one of the most mysterious verses in the Bible. Considering how amazing and unusual this event is, we might have hoped for more details. And yet, every word of the Bible is focused on a particular purpose. In this case, the real purpose is to explain the genealogy from Adam to Noah, through Seth. So far as that is concerned, exactly what happened to Enoch is beside the point.

What we do know is that Enoch "walked with God." In fact, this is such a crucial part of who Enoch was that it's repeated twice: here, and in verse 22. To walk with God means to make a relationship with God part of your everyday lifestyle, to honor God with your choices in every aspect of life. His case is unusual in all of Scripture and, possibly, in all of human history. The only other event which seems similar is when God did something similar to Elijah, who was taken to heaven by a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:9–12).

What does it mean that Enoch "was not, for God took him"? Apparently, in response to Enoch's walking with God, God prevented Enoch from dying. God just took him away, instead. Hebrews 11:5 says this: "By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God." This life of faith, Hebrews tells us, pleased God so much God prevented Enoch from passing from this life in the normal way.