Gadrel: Another Name For Satan?

The Forgotten Serpent of Eden

Introduction: Who Really Deceived Eve?

For centuries, many have assumed the serpent in Eden was Satan. The traditional Christian view holds that the deceiver of Eve was the rebellious angel who later ruled hell. But what if "Satan" was not the original identity of this figure?

The Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish text, introduces a different name for the deceiver—Gadrel. In this account, Gadrel, not Satan, led Eve astray. Since "Satan" in Hebrew is a title meaning "the adversary," could Gadrel and Satan be the same entity? Was Gadrel an earlier name for the enemy of God?

This article explores Enoch, Genesis, and other biblical texts to uncover whether Gadrel was simply another identity of Satan—one lost to history.

The Book of Enoch: Gadrel as the Deceiver of Eve

The Book of Enoch, a non-canonical Jewish text, details the Watchers, fallen angels who corrupted humanity. In Enoch 69:6-7, we find a shocking claim:

“And the third was named Gadreel: he it is who showed the children of men all the blows of death, and he led astray Eve, and showed the weapons of death to the sons of men; the shield and the coat of mail, and the sword for battle, and all the weapons of death to the children of men.”

This passage attributes two key actions to Gadrel:

1. Leading Eve astray, mirroring the serpent’s role in Genesis 3.

2. Introducing weapons of war, contributing to humanity’s downfall.

Since the Hebrew Bible never explicitly names the serpent as Satan, could this passage reveal the true name of the deceiver? If later traditions gave different names—such as Lucifer, Nakash, or Gadrel—to the same being, then this text may preserve a forgotten identity of Eden’s adversary.

Is "Satan" a Name or a Title?

In Hebrew, śāṭān (שָּׂטָן) originally functioned as a title, not a proper name. It means "adversary" or "accuser" and appears in several passages:

• Job 1:6-7 – haśśāṭān ("the Satan") serves as a divine prosecutor, testing Job’s faith under God's permission.

• Zechariah 3:1-2 – haśśāṭān opposes the high priest Joshua but is rebuked by the Lord.

• 1 Chronicles 21:1 – śāṭān incites King David to take a census, possibly indicating a personal adversary rather than a specific being.

Not until the intertestamental period and early Christianity did Satan become a specific name for God’s great enemy. Before that, multiple adversarial figures existed—some of whom may have been different names for the same being.

Applying this to Gadrel suggests that the figure who deceived Eve was not originally called Satan—Gadrel may have been an earlier identity.

Genesis 3: Who or What Was the Serpent?

Genesis 3 describes the deceiver of Eve as the serpent (Nakash נָחָשׁ) but never calls it Satan. Instead, nakash has three potential meanings in Hebrew:

• A literal serpent.

• A deceiver or diviner (verb form).

• A shining one (adjective form).

The last definition is intriguing. Many biblical texts describe divine beings as luminous or radiant:

• Isaiah 14:12 calls Lucifer "the shining one."

• Ezekiel 28 portrays Eden’s fallen figure adorned with brilliant gemstones.

• Numbers 21:9 describes Moses raising a "bronze serpent" (nachash nehoshet), reinforcing nakash as more than a literal snake.

Could this mean the deceiver in Eden was not a talking snake but a fallen, radiant celestial being? If Gadrel is named as the deceiver in Enoch, then Gadrel may be an ancient name for the being later called Satan.

The Watchers: Was Gadrel One of Them?

The Book of Enoch describes the Watchers, angels who descended to earth and defied God. Among them were:

• Semjaza, their leader.

• Azazel, who taught forbidden knowledge.

• Gadrel, who led Eve astray.

Could Satan himself have been one of the Watchers? If Satan is a title, then Lucifer, Azazel, and Gadrel may represent different aspects of the same adversary.

Further evidence comes from their punishment. According to Enoch and other apocryphal texts, the Watchers were cast into Sheol, bound in chains—a fate resembling the serpent’s curse in Genesis 3:14:

“On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.”

This suggests the serpent was cast down, aligning with Satan’s later depiction in Revelation 12:9 as "thrown down" from heaven.

Was Gadrel Just Another Name for Satan?

If "Satan" was originally a title meaning "adversary," then earlier figures such as Gadrel, Lucifer, or Azazel may have been different names for the same being. The Book of Enoch may preserve an older tradition where the deceiver of Eden was not called Satan but Gadrel.

This does not contradict traditional theology—it deepens it, revealing the many identities this ancient adversary has held throughout history.

What do you think? Could Gadrel be an ancient name for the being now called Satan?