5729. Eden

Lexical Summary

Eden: Eden

Original Word: עֶדֶן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: `Eden
Pronunciation: AY-den
Phonetic Spelling: (eh'-den)
KJV: Eden
NASB: Eden
Word Origin: [from H5727 (עָדַן - reveled)]

1. pleasure
2. Eden, a place in Mesopotamia

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Eden

From adan; pleasure; Eden, a place in Mesopotamia -- Eden.

see HEBREW adan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as Eden
Definition
a territory conquered by Assyr.
NASB Translation
Eden (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. עֵ֫דֶן proper name, masculine Levite name2Chronicles 29:12 (ᵐ5 Ιω(α)δαν), 2 Chronicles 31:15 (ᵐ5. Οδομ, ᵐ5^L Ιαδαν).

עֶ֫דֶן proper name (? city and)

territory conquered by Assyria (probably = IV. עֵדֶן; pointed עֶדֶן to differentiate from III. ׳ע, compare WMM^As.u.Eur.291); — ׳בְּנֵיעֿ 2 Kings 19:12 (ᵐ5 υιὁὺς Ἔδεμ) = Isaiah 37:12 (in Telassau), ׳ע alone Ezekiel 27:23 (+ חָרָן וְכַנֶּה); probably = (Bit-)Adini of Middle Euphrates Schr^{COT 2 Kings 19:12} Dl^{Pa 263 f.} — ׳בֵּית ע.

עֲדֶן, עֲדֶ֫נָה see עַד

preposition below I. עדה

עַדְנַח see עַדְנָה below I. עדן.p. 726

עַדְעָדָה see עֲרוֺעֵר below II. ערר

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Distinction from Genesis’ Eden

Though spelled the same in Hebrew, this “Eden” (Strong’s Hebrew 5729) is not the garden of Genesis 2–3. It designates a location in northern Mesopotamia associated with “delight” or “pleasure,” yet entirely separate from the primeval paradise. Recognising the difference guards interpretation: passages with Strong’s 5729 address a historical city-state, not the origin of human sin.

Occurrences in Scripture

• 2 Kings 19:12 – Sennacherib reminds Judah that no god “delivered” Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, “and the people of Eden in Telassar.”
• Isaiah 37:12 (parallel to the Kings account).
• Ezekiel 27:23 – In a lament over Tyre: “Haran, Canneh, and Eden, and the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad were your merchants.”

Across all three texts Eden is grouped with commercial or strategic centers that fell before Assyria, highlighting its real-world prominence and eventual ruin.

Historical and Geographical Setting

Ancient Assyrian records mention Bīt-Adini (House of Eden) on the Euphrates between Carchemish and Gozan, with Til-Aššurri (“Telassar”) as its capital. Subdued by Shalmaneser III in the ninth century BC, Eden became an Assyrian province—prosperous, cosmopolitan, and situated on caravan routes linking Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and the Levant. Ezekiel’s trading oracle confirms its role in international commerce, exporting luxury goods through Tyre.

Prophetic and Theological Themes

1. God’s unrivalled sovereignty. Hezekiah’s crisis (2 Kings 18–19; Isaiah 36–37) contrasts Assyria’s boastful catalogue with the LORD’s decisive deliverance. Eden’s downfall proves that even illustrious cities cannot withstand divine judgment.
2. The fleeting nature of earthly glory. Ezekiel 27 lists Eden among Tyre’s premier partners, yet Tyre itself is doomed. Prosperity apart from covenant faithfulness offers no lasting security.
3. Echoes of the lost paradise. The name “Eden” evokes delight, but in these passages it is a cautionary emblem—prosperity without God ends in desolation, whereas true Eden-restoration comes only through God’s redemptive plan (Revelation 22:1–5).

Practical Ministry Implications

• Preaching: Use Eden’s fall to underscore the emptiness of cultural power when detached from the living God (Psalm 20:7).
• Discipleship: Encourage believers facing intimidating opposition (academic, governmental, cultural) with Hezekiah’s example; past Edens fell, but the faithful stand under God’s care.
• Mission: The international setting of Eden and its trade with Tyre illustrates how God’s purposes encompass global peoples. Even when nations oppose Him, they remain within the orbit of His redemptive narrative.

Related Study Paths

Genesis 2–3; Genesis 4:16; Ezekiel 28:13; Joel 2:3; Revelation 22:1–5 (restored Eden); Assyrian annals of Shalmaneser III; archaeological work at Tell Sheikh Hamad (possible site of Bīt-Adini).

Forms and Transliterations

וָעֶ֔דֶן ועדן עֶ֖דֶן עדן ‘e·ḏen ‘eḏen Eden vaEden wā‘eḏen wā·‘e·ḏen

Englishman's Concordance

2 Kings 19:12
HEB: וְרֶ֥צֶף וּבְנֵי־ עֶ֖דֶן אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּתְלַאשָּֽׂר׃
NAS: and the sons of Eden who
KJV: and the children of Eden which [were] in Thelasar?
INT: and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who Telassar

Isaiah 37:12
HEB: וְרֶ֥צֶף וּבְנֵי־ עֶ֖דֶן אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּתְלַשָּֽׂר׃
NAS: and the sons of Eden who
KJV: and the children of Eden which [were] in Telassar?
INT: and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who Telassar

Ezekiel 27:23
HEB: חָרָ֤ן וְכַנֵּה֙ וָעֶ֔דֶן רֹכְלֵ֖י שְׁבָ֑א
NAS: Canneh, Eden, the traders
KJV: and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants
INT: Haran Canneh Eden the traders of Sheba

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5729
3 Occurrences

‘e·ḏen — 2 Occ.
wā·‘e·ḏen — 1 Occ.