The Euphrates River is one of the most significant and frequently mentioned rivers in the Bible, playing a crucial role in the geographical and historical context of the biblical narrative. It is one of the four rivers that flowed out of the Garden of Eden, as described in Genesis 2:14: "The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates."

Geographical Significance

The Euphrates is the longest river in Western Asia, originating in the mountains of modern-day Turkey and flowing through Syria and Iraq before joining the Tigris River and emptying into the Persian Gulf. In biblical times, it served as a natural boundary and a critical water source for the civilizations that developed along its banks. The river's fertile plains supported the growth of ancient Mesopotamian cities, such as Babylon, which played pivotal roles in biblical history.

Biblical References

The Euphrates is mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible, often symbolizing the extent of the Promised Land. In Genesis 15:18, God makes a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates." This promise underscores the river's importance as a boundary marker for the land God intended for His people.

In the context of Israel's history, the Euphrates represents both a boundary and a barrier. During the reign of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel reached its greatest territorial extent, stretching to the Euphrates River, as noted in 1 Kings 4:21: "Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt."

Prophetic and Eschatological Significance

The Euphrates also holds prophetic significance in the Bible. In the book of Jeremiah, the river is associated with judgment and the rise of empires. Jeremiah 46:10 refers to the Euphrates in the context of God's judgment against Egypt: "But that day belongs to the Lord GOD of Hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge His foes. The sword will devour until it is satisfied, until it is quenched with their blood. For the Lord GOD of Hosts will hold a sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates."

In the New Testament, the Euphrates is mentioned in the book of Revelation as part of the end-times narrative. Revelation 9:14-15 describes the release of four angels bound at the great river Euphrates, signaling a time of significant upheaval: "saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.' So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind."

Cultural and Historical Context

The Euphrates River was central to the development of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. These cultures significantly influenced the biblical world, and their interactions with the Israelites are documented throughout the Old Testament. The river's strategic importance made it a focal point for trade, agriculture, and military campaigns.

Conclusion

The Euphrates River, with its rich historical and prophetic associations, remains a symbol of God's promises, judgments, and the unfolding of His divine plan throughout biblical history. Its presence in the biblical narrative underscores the interconnectedness of geography, history, and theology in the unfolding account of God's people.Euphrates

that makes fruitful

Euphrates

is probably a word of Aryan origin, signifying "the good and abounding river. " It is most frequently denoted in the Bible by the term "the river." The Euphrates is the largest, the longest and by far the most important of the rivers of western Asia. It rises from two chief sources in the Armenian mountains, and flows into the Persian Gulf. The entire course is 1780 miles, and of this distance more than two-thirds (1200 miles) is navigable for boats. The width of the river is greatest at the distance of 700 or 800 miles from its mouth --that is to say, from it junction with the Khabour to the village of Werai . It there averages 400 yards. The annual inundation of the Euphrates is caused by the melting of the snows in the Armenian highlands. It occurs in the month of May. The great hydraulic works ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar had for their chief object to control the inundation. The Euphrates is first mentioned in Scripture as one of the four rivers of Eden. (Genesis 2:14) We next hear of it in the covenant made with Abraham. (Genesis 15:18) During the reigns of David and Solomon it formed the boundary of the promised land to the northeast. (11:24; Joshua 1:4) Prophetical reference to the Euphrates is found in (Jeremiah 13:4-7; 46:2-10; 51:63; Revelation 9:14; 16:12) "The Euphrates is linked with the most important events in ancient history. On its banks stood the city of Babylon; the army of Necho was defeated on its banks by Nebuchadnezzar; Cyrus the Younger and Crassus perished after crossing it; Alexander crossed it, and Trajan and Severus descended it." --Appleton's Cyc.

Euphrates

A famous river of Asia, which has its source in the mountains of America, runs along the frontiers of Cappadocia, Syria, Arabia Deserta, Chaldea, and Mesopotamia, and falls into the Persian Gulf. According to the recent researches of Chesney, it receives the Tigris at a place called Shat-el-Arab. Five miles below the junction of these two mighty rivers, the Shat-el-Arab receives from the northeast the Kerkhah, which has a course of upwards of five hundred miles. Sixty-two miles below the mouth of the Kerkhah, another large river, the Kuran, comes in from the east. At present it enters the Shat-el-Arab forty miles above its mouth; but formerly it flowed channel, east of the main stream. According to that view which places the Garden of Eden near the junction of the Tigris with the Euphrates, these might be regarded as the four rivers of Paradise. We might well suppose that the Kuran, in very ancient times, as now, entered the Shat-el-Arab; and perhaps still farther from its mouth. Scripture often calls the Euphrates simply "the river," Exodus 23:31 Isaiah 7:20 8:7 Jeremiah 2:18; or "the great river," and assigns it for the eastern boundary of that land which God promised to the Hebrews, De 1:7 Joshua 1:4. It overflows in summer like the Nile, when the snow on the mountains of Armenia, the nearest springs of both are but a few miles apart.

The Euphrates is a river of consequence in Scripture geography, being the utmost limit, east, of the territory of the Israelites. It was indeed only occasionally that the dominion of the Hebrews extended so far; but it would appear that even Egypt, under Pharaoh Necho, made conquests to the western bank of the Euphrates. The river is about eighteen hundred miles long. Its general direction is southeast; but in a part of its course it runs westerly, and approaches the Mediterranean near Cilicia. It is accompanied in its general course by the Tigris. There are many towns on its banks, which are in general rather level than mountainous. The river does not appear to be of very great breadth, varying, however, from sixty to six hundred yards. Its current, after reaching the plains of Mesopotamia, is somewhat sluggish, and in this part of its course many canals, etc., were dug, to prevent injury and secure benefit from the yearly overflows. At Seleucia, and Hilleh the ancient Babylon, it approaches near the Tigris, and some of its waters are drawn off by canals to the latter river. Again, however, they diverge, and only unite in the same channel about one hundred and twenty miles from the Persian Gulf. It is not well adapted for navigation, yet light vessels go up about one thousand miles, and the modern steam-boat which now ascends from the ocean, meets the same kind of goat-skin floats on which produce was rafted down the river thousands of years ago.

Hebrew, Perath; Assyrian, Purat; Persian cuneiform, Ufratush, whence Greek Euphrates, meaning "sweet water." The Assyrian name means "the stream," or "the great stream." It is generally called in the Bible simply "the river" (Exodus 23:31), or "the great river" (Deuteronomy 1:7).

The Euphrates is first mentioned in Genesis 2:14 as one of the rivers of Paradise. It is next mentioned in connection with the covenant which God entered into with Abraham (15:18), when he promised to his descendants the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates (Comp. Deuteronomy 11:24; Joshua 1:4), a covenant promise afterwards fulfilled in the extended conquests of David (2 Samuel 8:2-14; 1 Chronicles 18:3; 1 Kings 4:24). It was then the boundary of the kingdom to the north-east. In the ancient history of Assyria, and Babylon, and Egypt many events are recorded in which mention is made of the "great river." Just as the Nile represented in prophecy the power of Egypt, so the Euphrates represented the Assyrian power (Isaiah 8:7; Jeremiah 2:18).

It is by far the largest and most important of all the rivers of Western Asia. From its source in the Armenian mountains to the Persian Gulf, into which it empties itself, it has a course of about 1,700 miles. It has two sources, (1) the Frat or Kara-su (i.e., "the black river"), which rises 25 miles north-east of Erzeroum; and (2) the Muradchai (i.e., "the river of desire"), which rises near Ararat, on the northern slope of Ala-tagh. At Kebban Maden, 400 miles from the source of the former, and 270 from that of the latter, they meet and form the majestic stream, which is at length joined by the Tigris at Koornah, after which it is called Shat-el-Arab, which runs in a deep and broad stream for above 140 miles to the sea. It is estimated that the alluvium brought down by these rivers encroaches on the sea at the rate of about one mile in thirty years.

EUPHRATES

u-fra'-tez (perath; Euphrates, "the good and abounding river"):

The longest (1,780 miles) and most important stream of Western Asia, generally spoken of in the Old Testament as "the river" (Exodus 23:31 Deuteronomy 11:24).

Its description naturally falls into 3 divisions-the upper, middle and lower. The upper division traverses the mountainous plateau of Armenia, and is formed by the junction of 2 branches, the Frat and the Murad. The Frat rises 25 miles Northeast of Erzerum, and only 60 miles from the Black Sea. The Murad, which, though the shorter, is the larger of the two, rises in the vicinity of Mt. Ararat. After running respectively 400 and 270 miles in a westerly direction, they unite near Keban Maaden, whence in a tortuous channel of about 300 miles, bearing still in a southwesterly direction, the current descends in a succession of rapids and cataracts to the Syrian plain, some distance above the ancient city of Carchemish, where it is only about 200 miles from the Northeast corner of the Mediterranean. In its course through the Armenian plateau, the stream has gathered the sediment which gives fertility to the soil in the lower part of the valley. It is the melting snows from this region which produce the annual floods from April to June.

The middle division, extending for about 700 miles to the bitumen wells of Hit, runs Southeast "through a valley of a few miles in width, which it has eroded in the rocky surface, and which, being more or less covered with alluvial soil, is pretty generally cultivated by artificial irrigation.. Beyond the rocky banks on both sides is the open desert, covered in spring with a luxuriant verdure, and dotted here and there with the black tent of the Bedouin" (Sir Henry Rawlinson). Throughout this portion the river formed the ancient boundary between the Assyrians and Hittites whose capital was at Carchemish, where there are the remains of an old bridge. The ruins of another ancient bridge occur 200 miles lower down at the ancient Thapsacus, where the Greeks forded it under Cyrus the younger. Throughout the middle section the stream is too rapid to permit of successful navigation except by small boats going downstream, and has few and insignificant tributaries. It here has, however, its greatest width (400 yds.) and depth. Lower down the water is drawn off by irrigating canals and into lagoons.

The fertile plain of Babylonia begins at Hit, about 100 miles above Babylon; 50 miles below Hit the Tigris and Euphrates approach to within 25 miles of each other, and together have in a late geological period deposited the plain of Shinar or of Chaldea, more definitely referred to as Babylonia. This plain is about 250 miles long, and in its broadest place 100 miles wide. From Hit an artificial canal conducts water along the western edge of the alluvial plain to the Persian Gulf, a distance of about 500 miles. But the main irrigating canals put off from the East side of the Euphrates, and can be traced all over the plain past the ruins of Accad, Babylon, Nippur, Bismya, Telloh, Erech, Ur and numerous other ancient cities. Originally the Euphrates and Tigris entered into the Persian Gulf by separate channels. At that time the Gulf extended up as far as Ur, the home of Abraham, and it was a seaport. The sediment from these rivers has filled up the head of the Persian Gulf for nearly 100 miles since the earliest monumental records. Loftus estimates that since the Christian era the encroachment has proceeded at the rate of 1 mile in 70 years. In early times Babylonia was rendered fertile by immense irrigating schemes which diverted the water from the Euphrates, which at Babylon is running at a higher level than the Tigris. A large canal left the Euphrates just above Babylon and ran due East to the Tigris, irrigating all the intervening region and sending a branch down as far South as Nippur. Lower down a canal crosses the plain in an opposite direction. This ancient system of irrigation can be traced along the lines of the principal canals "by the winding curves of layers of alluvium in the bed," while the lateral channels "are hedged in by high banks of mud, heaped up during centuries of dredging. Not a hundredth part of the old irrigation system is now in working order. A few of the mouths of the smaller canals are kept open so as to receive a limited supply of water at the rise of the river in May, which then distributes itself over the lower lying lands in the interior, almost without labor on the part of the cultivators, giving birth in such localities to the most abundant crops; but by far the larger portion of the region between the rivers is at present an arid, howling wilderness, strewed in the most part with broken pottery, the evidence of former human habitation, and bearing nothing but the camel thorn, the wild caper, the colocynth-apple, wormwood and the other weeds of the desert" (Rawlinson). According to Sir W. Willcocks, the eminent English engineer, the whole region is capable of being restored to its original productiveness by simply reproducing the ancient system of irrigation. There are, however, in the lower part of the region, vast marshes overgrown with reeds, which have continued since the time of Alexander who came near losing his army in passing through them. These areas are probably too much depressed to be capable of drainage. Below the junction of the Euphrates and the Tigris, the stream is called Shat el Arab, and is deep enough to float war vessels.

LITERATURE.

Fried. Delitzsch, Wo lag das Paradies? 169; Chesney, Narrative of the Euphrates Exped., I; Loftus, Travels, etc., in Chaldoea and Susiana; Layard, Nineveh and Babylon, chapters xxi, xxii; Rawlinson, Herodotus, I, essay ix; Ellsworth Huntington, "Valley of the Upper Euphrates River," Bull. Amer. Geog. Soc., XXXIV, 1902.

George Frederick Wright

2166. Euphrates -- Euphrates, a river of Asia
... 2165, 2166. Euphrates. 2167 . Euphrates, a river of Asia. Part of Speech:
Noun, Masculine Transliteration: Euphrates Phonetic Spelling ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2166.htm - 6k

3318. Mesopotamia -- Mesopotamia, a region through which the ...
... Mesopotamia, a region through which the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow. Part of
Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: Mesopotamia Phonetic Spelling: (mes-op ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3318.htm - 6k

897. Babulon -- "gate of god(s)," Babylon, a large city situated ...
... 896, 897. Babulon. 898 . "gate of god(s)," Babylon, a large city situated astride
the Euphrates river. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: Babulon ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/897.htm - 7k

5466. Chaldaios -- a Chaldean, an inhabitant of Chaldea
... Chaldaean. Probably of Hebrew or (Kasdiy); a Chaldoean (ie Kasdi), or native or
the region of the lower Euphrates -- Chaldaean. see HEBREW Kasdiy. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5466.htm - 6k

903. Balaam -- Balaam, an unrighteous prophet
... Transliteration: Balaam Phonetic Spelling: (bal-ah-am') Short Definition: Balaam
Definition: Balaam, son of Beor of Pethor on the Euphrates, a soothsayer in ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/903.htm - 6k

3751. Karkemish -- a city on the Euphrates
... 3750, 3751. Karkemish. 3752 . a city on the Euphrates. Transliteration: Karkemish
Phonetic Spelling: (kar-kem-eesh') Short Definition: Carchemish. ...
/hebrew/3751.htm - 6k

8607. Tiphsach -- a place on the Euphrates
... 8606, 8607. Tiphsach. 8608 . a place on the Euphrates. Transliteration: Tiphsach
Phonetic Spelling: (tif-sakh') Short Definition: Tiphsah. ...
/hebrew/8607.htm - 6k

6578. Perath -- a river of W. Asia
... 6577, 6578. Perath. 6579 . a river of W. Asia. Transliteration: Perath Phonetic
Spelling: (per-awth') Short Definition: Euphrates. ... Euphrates. ...
/hebrew/6578.htm - 6k

5104. nahar -- a stream, river
... Word Origin from nahar Definition a stream, river NASB Word Usage canals (1), current
(1), Euphrates (5), Euphrates river (1), floods (3), river (69), rivers ...
/hebrew/5104.htm - 6k

763. Aram Naharayim -- "Aram of (the) two rivers," a district of ...
... Aham-naharaim, Mesopotamia. From 'Aram and the dual of nahar; Aram of (the) two
rivers (Euphrates and Tigris) or Mesopotamia -- Aham-naharaim, Mesopotamia. ...
/hebrew/763.htm - 6k

5103. nehar -- a river
... river, stream. (Aramaic) from a root corresponding to nahar; a river, especially
the Euphrates -- river, stream. see HEBREW nahar. 5102b, 5103. nehar. 5104 > ...
/hebrew/5103.htm - 6k

Shiloah and Euphrates
... SHILOAH AND EUPHRATES. Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that
go softly ... ... IV. The Allies becoming Tyrants. The swift Euphrates in spate. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/shiloah and euphrates.htm

Phial the Sixth, on Euphrates.
... AN EXPOSITION Of the Phials, according to the Rule of these Hypotheses. Phial
the Sixth, On Euphrates. The sixth phial will be poured ...
/.../mede/a key to the apocalypse/phial the sixth on euphrates.htm

The Sixth vial.
... EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE. The Sixth Vial. "And the sixth poured out his bowl
on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, that the way of ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the sixth vial.htm

From the Departure of Marath Mary from the World, and the Birth ...
... king of the city of Edessa, to Sabina the procurator [2954] who had been appointed
by Tiberius the emperor, and as far as the river Euphrates the procurator ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/the decretals/vi from the departure of.htm

Abraham's Four Surrenders
... He lived down near the mouth of the Euphrates, perhaps three hundred miles south
of Babylon, when he was called to go into a land that he perhaps had never ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/men of the bible/i abrahams four surrenders.htm

The Conquest of Babylon.
... Babylon."The River Euphrates."Canals."Curious boats."Their mode of construction."
Primitive navigation."Return of the boatmen."Extent of Babylon ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter viii the conquest of.htm

Babylon.
... They settled upon the bank of the Euphrates, near the ruins of the Tower of Babel,
round which a city arose, sometimes free, sometimes under the power of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xi babylon.htm

Expedition of Julian into Persia; He was Worsted and Broke
... [1425] This emperor, having determined to carry on the war with Persia, made a rapid
transit across the Euphrates in the beginning of spring, and, passing by ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of sozomenus/chapter i expedition of julian into.htm

How David Brought under the Philistines, and the Moabites, and the ...
... He then made war against Iadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Sophene; [10] and
when he had joined battle with him at 'the river Euphrates, he destroyed twenty ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 5 how david brought.htm

How Nebuchadnezzar, when He had Conquered the King of Egypt Made ...
... Nebuchadnezzar took the government over the Babylonians, who at the same time went
up with a great army to the city Carchemish, which was at Euphrates, upon a ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 how nebuchadnezzar when.htm

Euphrates (36 Occurrences)
... Hebrew, Perath; Assyrian, Purat; Persian cuneiform, Ufratush, whence Greek Euphrates,
meaning "sweet water." The Assyrian name means "the stream," or "the ...
/e/euphrates.htm - 26k

Trans-euphrates (12 Occurrences)
Trans-euphrates. Transcribed, Trans-euphrates. Transfer .
Multi-Version Concordance Trans-euphrates (12 Occurrences). ...
/t/trans-euphrates.htm - 9k

Phrat (17 Occurrences)
... Genesis 2:14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel: this is the one which
flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. ...
/p/phrat.htm - 11k

Euphra'tes (33 Occurrences)
Euphra'tes. Euphrates, Euphra'tes. Eupolemus . Multi-Version Concordance
Euphra'tes (33 Occurrences). Revelation 9:14 saying to ...
/e/euphra'tes.htm - 16k

Tigris (2 Occurrences)
... rises in the mountains of Armenia, latitude 38 degrees 10 minutes, longitude 39
degrees 20 minutes, only a few miles from the main branch of the Euphrates. ...
/t/tigris.htm - 9k

Cush (31 Occurrences)
... Kesh. The Cushites appear to have spread along extensive tracts, stretching
from the Upper Nile to the Euphrates and Tigris. At ...
/c/cush.htm - 25k

Armenia (2 Occurrences)
... the ark of Noah rested after the Deluge (Genesis 8:4). It is for the most part high
table-land, and is watered by the Aras, the Kur, the Euphrates, and the ...
/a/armenia.htm - 21k

Carchemish (3 Occurrences)
... Fortress of Chemosh, a city on the west bank of the Euphrates (Jeremiah 46:2; 2
Chronicles 35:20), not, as was once supposed, the Circesium at the confluence ...
/c/carchemish.htm - 13k

Eden (19 Occurrences)
... The site must undoubtedly be sought for somewhere along the course of the great
streams the Tigris and the Euphrates of Western Asia, in "the land of Shinar ...
/e/eden.htm - 28k

Tikvath (1 Occurrence)
... rises in the mountains of Armenia, latitude 38 degrees 10 minutes, longitude 39
degrees 20 minutes, only a few miles from the main branch of the Euphrates. ...
/t/tikvath.htm - 9k

What is the location of the Garden of Eden? | GotQuestions.org

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