The Location of the Garden of EdenGenesis 2:8-15"And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold; And the gold of that land [is] good: there [is] bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river [is] Gihon: the same [is] it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel: that [is] it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river [is] Euphrates. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." |
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Genesis 2:14 - Euphrates and Hiddekel (Tigris)
The Euphrates (horizontal in view) and Tigris Rivers (vertical in view) meet at this point where some believe the Garden of Eden must have been located that was spoken about in the Word of God at Genesis 2:14. Genesis 2:8-14 places the Garden of Eden in the vicinity of the four rivers, Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, Euphrates, and three regions of Havilah, Assyria, and Cush (Ethiopia). The Hiddekel River is known as the Tigris River in present-day times and flows for 1,900 km in a generally southeasterly direction from the Taurus Mountains in Eastern Turkey until it joins the Euphrates near al-Qurnah in southern Iraq. The Euphrates River retains its name; it is 2,781 km in length and originates in the mountains of Turkey. When it joins with the Tigris, it forms the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which empties into the Persian Gulf. The location of the other two rivers, the Pison and Gihon are unknown today. We have marked this location as one reference to explore; the actual location of the Garden of Eden cannot be determined, however, most Biblical Scholars agree that it is in the vicinity of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Some believe that Eden was located at the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq (Mesopotamia), and some suggest it is within the close proximity of the rivers at their origins within Turkey; both speculations are inconclusive. The Fertile Crescent and the first known civilizations of mankind lend some credence to this generally marked area as being worthy of consideration for the beginnings of mankind. One thing is generally agreed upon by Biblical Scholars...look to the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers to define the general area spoken about in the Bible. Since the actual location is not known, we will place our mark at the juncture where the Euprates River and the Tigris River join, and leave it to you to explore the Mideast region where certainly the beginning of Creation was focused. Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians |
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MLA Style Citation: About the Author Kathy L. McFarland is a Becker Bible Studies Teacher and Author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She has received her Bachelor of Science degree in Religious Studies from Liberty University, and is currently seeking her Master of Divinity (Professional Ministries Track) degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary & Graduate School. Kathy is also a Hebrew language student attending an Israeli taught Ulpan and a noted expert on Old Testament exegesis, Christian apologetics, and Bible typology and mysteries. |
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