Genesis 2:14
New International Version
The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

New Living Translation
The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates.

English Standard Version
And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Berean Standard Bible
The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

New American Standard Bible
The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

NASB 1995
The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

NASB 1977
And the name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the name of the third river is Tigris; it is the one that went east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Amplified Bible
The third river is named Hiddekel (Tigris); it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Christian Standard Bible
The name of the third river is Tigris, which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The name of the third river is the Tigris, which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

American Standard Version
And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth in front of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Contemporary English Version
The Tigris River that flows east of Assyria is the third, and the fourth is the Euphrates River.

English Revised Version
And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth in front of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The name of the third river is Tigris. This is the one that flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Good News Translation
The third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria, and the fourth river is the Euphrates.

International Standard Version
The third river is named the Tigris— it flows to the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Majority Standard Bible
The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

NET Bible
The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

New Heart English Bible
And the name of the third river is Hiddekel; this is the one which flows east of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Perath.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: which floweth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

World English Bible
The name of the third river is Hiddekel. This is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel, it [is] that which is going east of Asshur; and the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Young's Literal Translation
and the name of the third river is Hiddekel, it is that which is going east of Asshur; and the fourth river is Phrat.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the name of the third river, Hiddekel, that going forth east of Assyria. And the fourth river, Euphrates.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the name of the third river is Tigris: the same passeth along by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Truly, the name of the third river is the Tigris; it advances opposite the Assyrians. But the fourth river, it is the Euphrates.

New American Bible
The name of the third river is the Tigris; it is the one that flows east of Asshur. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

New Revised Standard Version
The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the name of the third river is Deklat (Tigris); it is the one which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the name of the third river is Deqlath—Tigris, that goes opposite Assyria, and the fourth river is Euphraates.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is it which goeth toward the east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Man and Woman in the Garden
13The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.…

Cross References
Revelation 22:1-2
Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb / down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Ezekiel 47:1-12
Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. / Next he brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and there I saw the water trickling out from the south side. / As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and led me through ankle-deep water. ...

Daniel 10:4
On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris,

Psalm 46:4
There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

Isaiah 11:15
The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men to cross with dry sandals.

Isaiah 19:5-10
The waters of the Nile will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and empty. / The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will wither. / The bulrushes by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the fields sown along the Nile, will wither, blow away, and be no more. ...

2 Kings 5:12
Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not have washed in them and been cleansed?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

Psalm 72:8
May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 8:7
the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks.

Isaiah 27:12
In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered one by one.

Isaiah 37:25
I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”

Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 44:27
who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’

Isaiah 50:2
Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.

Isaiah 66:12
For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm, and bounced upon her knees.


Treasury of Scripture

And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Hiddekel.

Daniel 10:4
And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;

The Tigris.

Genesis 10:11,22
Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, …

Genesis 25:18
And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

Euphrates.

Genesis 15:18
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Deuteronomy 1:7
Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

Deuteronomy 11:24
Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.

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Genesis 2
1. The first Sabbath.
4. Further details concerning the manner of creation.
8. The planting of the garden of Eden, and its situation;
15. man is placed in it; and the tree of knowledge forbidden.
18. The animals are named by Adam.
21. The making of woman, and the institution of marriage.














The name of the third river is the Tigris
The Tigris River, known in Hebrew as "Hiddekel," is one of the two great rivers of Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The Tigris is mentioned in the context of the Garden of Eden, suggesting a location that is both historical and symbolic. The Tigris has been a lifeline for civilizations, providing water, transportation, and fertile lands. In a spiritual sense, the Tigris can symbolize the flow of God's provision and sustenance, reminding believers of the life-giving nature of God's creation.

it runs along the east side of Assyria
Assyria, a powerful ancient empire, is situated in what is now northern Iraq. The mention of Assyria provides a geographical marker that helps to locate the Tigris in the ancient world. Historically, Assyria was known for its military might and cultural achievements. In the biblical narrative, Assyria often represents a force of opposition to God's people, yet here it serves as a geographical reference, indicating the vastness and interconnectedness of God's creation. This phrase underscores the historical reality of the biblical account, grounding the account of Eden in a real-world context.

And the fourth river is the Euphrates
The Euphrates River, like the Tigris, is a major waterway in the ancient Near East. In Hebrew, it is called "Perath." The Euphrates is frequently mentioned in the Bible, symbolizing boundaries and blessings. It is one of the rivers that defined the cradle of civilization, where early human societies flourished. Spiritually, the Euphrates can be seen as a symbol of abundance and divine provision, reflecting God's generosity and the richness of His creation. The mention of the Euphrates in the context of Eden serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of God's world and the blessings He bestows upon it.

(14) Of the "Hiddekel" and "Euphrates" there is no doubt: the former is the Tigris, or Tigres, which is a mere Graecising of its Oriental name, Daglath in Arabic, and Deklath in Syriac, and in the Targum of Onkelos. The word Hiddekel is startling as being a quadriliteral, but the Samaritan Codex reads the Dehel, that is, it has the article instead of the Hebrew Kheth. Mr. Sayce accepts the uncertain reading Hiddekel, and says (Chald. Gen., p. 84) that Hid is the Accadian name for river. Dekel, Tigris, is said to mean an arrow. The Samaritan reading is probably right.

Euphrates.--No description is given of this as being the largest and best known of Asiatic rivers. Hence, probably, the Pison and Gihon were but small streams. Euphrates is the Greek manner of pronouncing the Hebrew Phrath, the first syllable being simply a help in sounding the double consonant. In Accadian it is called Purrat, and means "the curving water," being so named from its shape.

Verse 14. - And the name of the third river is the, Hiddekel, or "the darting," from חַד and דֶּקֶל, a sharp and swift arrow, referring to its rapidity. It is unanimously agreed that this must be identified with the Tigris; in the present language of the Persians designated tir, which signifies an arrow. It is styled in Aramaic diglath or diglah. That is it which goeth towards the east of Assyria. Its identity is thus placed beyond a question. And the fourth river is Euphrates, or "the sweet,' from an unused root, parath, signifying to be sweet, referring to the sweet and pleasant taste of its waters (Jeremiah 2:18). Further description of this great water was unnecessary, being universally known to the Hebrews as "the great river" (Deuteronomy 1:7; Daniel 10:4), and "the river" par excellence (Exodus 23:31; Isaiah 7:20). The river still bears its early name. In the cuneiform inscriptions deciphered by Rawlinson it is called "Ufrata." Recurring now to the site of Eden, it must be admitted that, notwithstanding this description, the whole question is involved in uncertainty. The two solutions of the problem that have the greatest claim on our attention are,

(1) that which places Eden near the head of the Persian Gulf, and

(2) that which looks for it in Armenia. The latter is favored by the close proximity to that region of the sources of both the Euphrates and the Tigris; but, on the other hand, it is hampered by the difficulty of discovering other two rivers that will correspond with the Gihon and the Pison, and the almost certainty that Cush and Havilah are to be sought for in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf. The former (Calvin, Kalisch, T. Lewis) is supported by this last consideration, that Cush and Havilah are not remote from the locality, though it too has its encumbrances. It seems to reverse the idea of לֺיּעֵא, which according to Le Clerc indicates the direction of the stream. Then its advocates, no more than the supporters of the alternate theory, are agreed upon the Gihon and the Pison: Calvin finding them in the two principal mouths of the Euphrates and the Tigris, which Sir Charles Lyell declares to be of comparatively recent formation; Kalisch identifying them with the Indus and the Nile; and Taylor Lewis regarding them as the two sides of the Persian Gulf. Sir H. Rawlinson, from a study of the Assyrian texts, has pointed out the coincidence of the Babylonian region of Karduniyas or Garduniyas with the Eden of the Bible; and the late George Smith finds in its four rivers, Euphrates, Tigris, Surappi, and Ukui, its known fertility, and its name, Gandunu, so similar to Ganeden (the garden of Eden), "considerations all tending towards the view that it is the paradise of Genesis" ('Chald. Genesis,' pp. 3-305).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The name
וְשֵׁ֨ם (wə·šêm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8034: A name

of the third
הַשְּׁלִישִׁי֙ (haš·šə·lî·šî)
Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular
Strong's 7992: Third, feminine a, third, a third, a third-story cell)

river
הַנָּהָ֤ר (han·nā·hār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5104: A stream, prosperity

[is] Hiddekel;
חִדֶּ֔קֶל (ḥid·de·qel)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 2313: Hiddekel -- ancient name of a Mesopotamian river

it
ה֥וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

runs along
הַֽהֹלֵ֖ךְ (ha·hō·lêḵ)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

the east side
קִדְמַ֣ת (qiḏ·maṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 6926: The forward part, East

of Assyria.
אַשּׁ֑וּר (’aš·šūr)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 804: Ashshur

And the fourth
הָֽרְבִיעִ֖י (hā·rə·ḇî·‘î)
Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular
Strong's 7243: Fourth, a fourth

river
וְהַנָּהָ֥ר (wə·han·nā·hār)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5104: A stream, prosperity

[is the]
ה֥וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

Euphrates.
פְרָֽת׃ (p̄ə·rāṯ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6578: Euphrates -- a river of west Asia


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