The roles of Azazel and Semjaza, as depicted in various ancient texts, particularly the Book of Enoch, are distinct yet interconnected in the narrative of the Watchers' descent and its consequences. While both are prominent figures among the fallen angels, their primary functions and ultimate fates differ significantly.

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Semjaza is consistently portrayed as the leader and instigator of the Watchers' descent to Earth.[1] He is depicted as the one who proposes the oath on Mount Hermon, binding the Watchers to their collective transgression of taking human wives and teaching forbidden knowledge.[2] His role is primarily organizational and leadership-oriented in the initial act of rebellion. The Book of Enoch states, "And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty for this great sin.'"[3] This highlights his position as the one who rallies the others and takes responsibility for their collective action. His rebellion is epitomized by the union with human women, leading to the birth of the Nephilim.[4]

Azazel, on the other hand, is primarily characterized as the teacher of corruption and the source of various illicit arts and technologies.[5] He is credited with teaching humanity how to make weapons, armor, jewelry, cosmetics, and other forms of adornment, which are seen as leading to moral decay and violence.[6] The Book of Enoch explicitly states, "And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures and the alteration of the species."[7] This teaching of forbidden knowledge is directly linked to the spread of unrighteousness and bloodshed on Earth. Consequently, "to him all sin is ascribed" (1 Enoch 10:8), making him a central figure in the proliferation of evil among humankind.[8] The scapegoat motif in Leviticus 16, where a goat is sent into the wilderness for Azazel, further reinforces his association with sin and its removal or export, symbolizing the purification of the community from its transgressions.[9]

Regarding their status, Azazel is depicted as being bound hand and foot and cast into the darkness of the desert, specifically in Dudael, where he is to remain until the day of judgment.[10] The text states, "And the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein.'"[11] This punishment emphasizes his isolation and containment. Semjaza, along with the other Watchers, is also imprisoned, but their imprisonment is often described as being under the earth or in specific abysses, awaiting their final judgment.[12] The Book of Enoch mentions that "all the others together with them were bound in the valleys of the earth until the day of their judgment."[13] While both face divine retribution, Azazel's specific desert-bound fate and his direct association with the scapegoat ritual highlight his unique role in the narrative of sin and atonement.

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