# Rivers of Eden



## Adam Olive (Apr 12, 2015)

The Pishon (increase), Gihon (bursting forth), Hiddekel/Tigris (rapid), and the Euphrates (fruitfulness) - the later two are obvious - and the former are associated with Havilah and Cush.

I think Moses is referring to rivers known in his day. 

The two southern rivers don't seem to connect to the two northern rivers though. 

If the Gihon was a reference to a river associated with Egypt then I suppose the rivers would relate Eden to the Promised Land (described to Abraham as between the river of Egypt and the Euphrates).

Any thoughts about the identity of these rivers?

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.


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## arapahoepark (Apr 12, 2015)

The reformers seemed to believe they were in Armenia. Today many regard them as being in Kuwait. YECs think thats the wrong question as the whole world was flooded, the earth was transformed and unrecognizable. As a result the rivers today were named in memorial of the rivers before the deluge.


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## TylerRay (Apr 12, 2015)

arap said:


> YECs think thats the wrong question as the whole world was flooded, the earth was transformed and unrecognizable. As a result the rivers today were named in memorial of the rivers before the deluge.



Perhaps the sources of those rivers before the flood were also the sources of the rivers in Moses' day. Just an uneducated guess.


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## Adam Olive (Apr 12, 2015)

arap said:


> The reformers seemed to believe they were in Armenia.



Can someone direct me to where this is argued with relation to Cush and Havilah?


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## MichaelNZ (Apr 12, 2015)

We don't know that the Tigris and Euphrates rivers mentioned in Genesis 2 are the same Tigris and Euphrates rivers we have today. We don't know what pre-flood geography was like, and it's possible that the modern Tigris and Euphrates were named after the original rivers in Genesis 2, the way Birmingham, Alabama was named after the original Birmingham in England.


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## arapahoepark (Apr 12, 2015)

Adam Olive said:


> arap said:
> 
> 
> > The reformers seemed to believe they were in Armenia.
> ...


Genesis 2 Calvin's Commentaries


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