Genesis Paradise & Four Rivers

In talking with some people they think the four rivers described in Genesis chapter 2 no longer exist since they were destroyed in Noah’s flood; however based on careful reading I do believe they should still exist today.  For one reason is that long after the flood, Hezekiah redirected one of the rivers Geon described in Genesis and then secondly they are used to describe the location of places that existed after the flood.  Below I have documented everything I could find about Paradise and the four Rivers.  This is really just my notes I’m sharing with you.

When reading these descriptions please do not look at a map.  Instead ask for the Holy Spirits help and draw what you are reading so that you will know what scripture is telling you about these four rivers.

Paradise and the four Rivers

The table below shows how Eden, also known as Paradise, and the four rivers are described in the Septuagint, Douay Rheims, Latin Vulgate and King James Version.  Also included is more scripture that will help further describe them.

	Bible Verse	Scripture & other Sources
Gen 2:8	Adam is placed east, of the place where he was created, in Eden which is also called Paradise.  Paradise was the original ‘promised land’ & home of Adam. Sep – “And God planted a garden [G3857 paradeisos; a park, an Eden (place of future happiness, “paradise”)] eastward [G395  anatolē; rising of the sun, the East, dawn] in Edem [Εδέν], and placed there the man whom he had formed.” DR – “And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning: wherein he placed man whom he had formed.” LV – “plantaverat [I plant, I set] autem Dominus [Lord, God the Father] Deus [God] paradisum[park, orchard, Eden, paradise] voluptatis [pleasure] a principio in quo posuit hominem[human, man] quem formaverat” KJV – “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”	Paradise includes cedar and fir trees, it is very probable that Paradise was on our Father’s Holy Mountain called Zion; therefore we will be returning to the land promised to Adam. See more information about returning to Zion here. “The cedars in the paradise [G3857 paradeisos; Eden  “paradise”] of God wars not higher than he, the fir trees did not equal his top, neither were the plane trees to be compared with him for branches: no tree in the paradise [G3857 paradeisos; Eden  “paradise”] of God was like him in his beauty.” DR Eze 31:8 “Henoch [Enoch] pleased God, and was translated into paradise [‘paradise’], that he may give repentance to the nations.” DR Sir 44:16 (see more about Enoch’s translation here) “And he [Jesus] said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise [G3857 paradeisos; Eden  “paradise”].”” ESV Luke 23:43 [Today Paradise is an unseen world because of the fall of Adam & Eve.] “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise [G3857 paradeisos; Eden  “paradise”] of God.’” ESV Rev 2:7
Gen 2:9	The Garden of Eden is Paradise – Two Trees There Sep – “And God made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life [G2222 zōē] in the midst of the garden [G3857 paradeisos; a park, an Eden (place of future happiness, “paradise”)], and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil.” DR – “And the Lord God brought forth of the ground all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat of: the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” LV – “produxitque Dominus Deus de humo omne lignum pulchrum visu et ad vescendum suave lignum etiam vitae in medio paradisi lignumque scientiae boni et mali” KJV – “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.”
Gen 2:10	A river originates at Eden/Paradise that is sourced by four rivers flowing into it. Sep – “And a river proceeds out of Edem to water the garden, thence it divides itself into four heads [G746 ἀρχή archē; beginning, origin]. “ DR – “And a river went out the place of pleasure to water paradise, which from thence is divided into four heads.” LV – “et fluvius egrediebatur de loco voluptatis ad inrigandum paradisum qui inde dividitur in quattuor [four] capita [origin, source, head of river]” KJV – “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.”
Gen 2:11	The 1st river Phison also known as Ganges is Oil Sep – “The name of the one, Phisom [Φισών], this it is which encircles [G2944 κυκλόω kukloō; to encircle, that is, surround] the whole land of Evilat [Ευιλάτ], where there is gold [G5553 χρυσίον chrusion; a golden article, that is, gold plating, ornament, or coin}.” Wyckiffe – “The name of the o ryuer is Fyson, thilke it is that cumpassith al the lond of Euilath, where gold cometh forth,” Tyndale – “The name of the one is Phison he it is that compasseth all the lande of heuila where gold groweth.” DR -  “The name of the one is Phison: that is it which compasseth all the land of Hevilath, where gold groweth.” LV – “nomen uni Phison ipse est qui circuit omnem terram Evilat ubi nascitur aurum [gold, any object made of gold, such as a gold coin or a gold ring]” KJV - The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;	Evilat, Hevilath or Havilah is either a descendant of Ham through Cush or a descendant of Shem through Joktan. Gen 10:7 & 29 Regarding Ishmael a descendant of Shem “And he dwelt from Evilat to Sur, which is opposite Egypt, until one comes to the Assyrians; he dwelt in the presence of all his brethren.” Sep Gen 25:18  “And Phison, which denotes a multitude, running into India, makes its exit into the sea, and is by the Greeks called Ganges.” Ant 1.1.2:38 (see below) “Phisson is oil and eastward it flows.” Lehar Brec (see below)
Gen 2:12	The river Phison has gold and precious gem stones Sep – “And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle [G440 ἄνθραξ anthrax; coal, charcoal, a burning coal or charcoal, red stone, carbuncle] and [G3037 λίθος lithos; a stone] emerald [πράσινο  (prásino); green, greenery, green light].” Wycliffe – “and the gold of that lond is the beste, and there is foundun delium, that is, a tree of spicerie, and the stoon onychyn;” DR – “And the gold of that land is very good: there is found bdellium, and the onyx stone.” LV – “et aurum terrae illius optimum est ibique invenitur bdellium [aromatic gum exuded from a tree] et lapis onychinus [onyx marble]” KJV – “And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.”
Gen 2:13	The 2nd river Geon or Gihon is also called the Nile & is new Milk Sep – “And the name of the second river is Geon [Γεών], this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia [Αιθιοπίας;  αἴθω (aíthō, “I burn”) +‎ ὤψ (ṓps, “face”)].” Tyndale – “The name of the seconde ryver is Gihon which compassyth all the lande of Inde.” DR – “And the name of the second river is Gehon: the same is it that compasseth all the land of Ethiopia” LV – “et nomen fluvio secundo Geon ipse est qui circuit omnem terram Aethiopiae” KJV – “And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.” ASV – “And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush [H3568 Kuwsh; the name of a son of Ham, and of his territory; also of an Israelite - Chush, Cush, Ethiopia].”	“Geon runs through Egypt, and denotes what arises from the east [east of Jerusalem], which the Greeks call Nile.” Ant 1.1.2:38-39 “And Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon” 1 Ki 1:45 “This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.” KJV 2 Chr 32:30 Gehon is new milk and northward it flows. Lehar Brec
Gen 2:14a	The 3rd river is the Tigris, Hiddekel, Diglath, Tibris is Wine Sep – “And the third river is Tigris [Τίγρις; swift, rough or tiger], this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians [Ασσυρίων].” DR – “And the name of the third river is Tigris: the same passeth along by the Assyrians.” LV – “nomen vero fluminis tertii Tigris ipse vadit contra [against, opposite] Assyrios fluvius [river, stream] autem” KJV – “And the name of the third river is Hiddekel [H2313 Chiddeqel; the Chiddekel (or Tigris) river]: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria.	The Assyrians are descendant to Asshur a son of Shem. Gen 10:22 Regarding Ishmael “And he dwelt from Hevila as far as Sur, which looketh towards Egypt, to them that go towards the Assyrians. He died in the presence of all his brethren.” DR Gen 25:18 “In that day there shall be a way from Egypt to the Assyrians, and the Assyrian shall enter into Egypt, and the Egyptian to the Assyrians, and the Egyptians shall serve the Assyrian.” DR Isa 19:23 “And in the four and twentieth day of the first month I was by the great river which is the Tigris.” DR Dan 10:4 “Euphrates also, as well as Tigris, goes down into the Red Sea. Now the name Euphrates, or Phrath, Tigris denotes either a dispersion, or a flower: by, or Diglath, is signified what is swift, with narrowness” Ant 1.1.2:39 Tibris the wine and westward it flows.  Lehar Brec
Gen 2:14b	The 4th river is Euphrates, Phrath is Honey Sep - “And the fourth river is Euphrates [Ευφράτης; Ancient Greek: Εὐφράτης, as if from Greek εὖ "good" and ϕράζω "I announce or declare")].” DR – “And the fourth river is Euphrates.” LV – “quartus ipse est Eufrates” KJV “And the fourth river is Euphrates.”	From Wiki: “The Elamite, Akkadian, and possibly Sumerian forms are suggested to be from an unrecorded substrate language. Tamaz V. Gamkrelidze and Vyacheslav Ivanov suggest the Proto-Sumerian *burudu "copper" (Sumerian urudu) as an origin, with an explanation that Euphrates was the river by which the copper ore was transported in rafts, since Mesopotamia was the center of copper metallurgy during the period.” Mesopotamia means 'between rivers' and it was the land between the Euphrates and the Tigris. “Euphrates also, as well as Tigris, goes down into the Red Sea. Now the name Euphrates, or Phrath, denotes either a dispersion, or a flower” Ant 1.1.2:39 Euphrates the honey and southward it flows. Lehar Brec
Gen 2:15	Sep – “And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight [G3857 paradeisos; a park, an Eden (place of future happiness, “paradise”)], to cultivate and keep it.” DR – “And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise for pleasure, to dress it, and keep it.” LV – “tulit ergo Dominus Deus hominem et posuit eum in paradiso voluptatis ut operaretur et custodiret illum” KJV – “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”

 

Josephus Regarding the Four Rivers

The historian Josephus’ descriptions of the four rivers:

 

“Now the garden was watered by one river, which ran round about the whole earth [can also mean land], and was parted into four parts. And Phison, which denotes a multitude, running into India, makes its exit into the sea, and is by the Greeks called Ganges. Euphrates also, as well as Tigris, goes down into the Red Sea. Now the name Euphrates, or Phrath, denotes either a dispersion, or a flower: by Tigris, or Diglath, is signified what is swift, with narrowness; and Geon runs through Egypt, and denotes what arises from the east, which the Greeks call Nile.” Ant 1.1.2:38-39

Book of Secrets of Enoch on the Four Rivers & Paradise

Below are the descriptions of Paradise and the four rivers from ‘The book of the Secrets of Enoch’ pages 7-8.

Source:  https://archive.org/details/bookofsecretsofe00morf/page/n57

The Four Rivers & Paradise according to Lehar Brec – Codex Palatino 830

Below is from the Royal Irish Academy regarding the rivers and paradise from page 47 and part of Genesis chapter two for a comparison.

The 12 Tribes of Israel included the Land of Milk & Honey

Our Father in Heaven promised the Israelites the land of milk and honey.  This could mean the rivers Geon (milk) and Euphrates (honey) would be part of their land inheritance that was divided in the book of Joshua.

 

“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”” ESV Exo 33:3

 

“If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.” ESV Num 14:8

Conclusion

I hope you got a vision of Paradise and these four rivers.  If you did, please comment below where you think these rivers are located.

Pictured below are past flags that used the pine tree to represent trees in paradise reaching up to heaven.

Our Father gave Paradise to Adam and he did not change HIS mind:

Flag sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Tree_Flag

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_New_England