The passage speaking about the rivers must be taken just as literally as the passages about man's creation and the making of the garden. They refer to a reality which could be pointed out on a map of the world.Īs a matter of fact, the whole context does not speak symbolically. Both remarks intend to give geographical information. About the second river is said that it flows around the land Cush, and about the third river, that it flows east of Assyria. This is confirmed by the rest of the text. Therefore we have to think, not of four symbolical names, but of four existing rivers. Actually, this river is so well known that no further information is needed. The same is the case with the fourth river: the river mentioned is the Euphrates. And there is no doubt concerning the identification with the Tigris. The name for the third river is in Hebrew Hiddeqel. And since they sound fancy, are they not at the same time fantasy? Do we have here a description of an existing reality?īut the rest of the text denies such an explanation. The names of these rivers occur nowhere else in the Bible. This name goes back to a verb meaning: "to break out," a rendering could be: "Outbreaker."īut we do not know what rivers they were. The same applies to the second river: the Gihon. The name is derived from a verb which means: "to leap," and so "Pishon" could be translated as "Leaper." What feature has given rise to this name, is unknown to us. But the names of the four rivers which branch off from it, are mentioned. This could lead to the idea that the whole passage does not refer to a real situation, but only speaks symbolically. The identification of the rivers in this passage is very difficult. The rivers from paradise deserve our special attention. And thirdly, a river was made to flow through this garden, and subsequently to divide into four rivers. A part of the created world was made into a garden for man to live in. Man was created of dust from the ground and made alive. Then, in Genesis 2:4, the story begins where the creation ended – man. Now everything had been created, and God rested, and made the seventh day a special day. 1 In the preceding chapter the history has been told of the six days of creation, ending in the creation of man. The rivers are not mentioned in connection with another subject, they are the special subject of Genesis 2:10-14.Īctually, the river is the third main topic of Genesis 2. Here we do not find a historical detail which is carried along in the stream of the narrative. It is no more than a geographical detail, historically correct but without special significance. Then this incidental mention of Jeshimon is not of great importance to us. When the Ziphites say to Saul: "Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon." (1 Samuel 26:1) There are such rather unimportant side remarks in the Bible. We cannot brush off this part as unimportant. And connected with this, what can we do with it today. Many readers of the Bible will have wondered why this passage is included in the story of creation. The names of all four rivers are given, and except for the last one, the countries where they flow are mentioned. To be more precise, about one river, which divides and becomes four rivers. In the middle of Genesis' record of God's creation work we unexpectedly come across a passage about four rivers (Genesis 2:10-14).
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