the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Euphrates
Morrish Bible Dictionary
or This river is first mentioned in connection with the garden of Eden, but cannot be thereby traced. Genesis 2:14 . It was the N.E. boundary of the land promised to Abraham, as the river of Egypt was the S.W. Genesis 15:18 . It is called the great river, the river Euphrates, Deuteronomy 1:7 , and at times is merely called 'the river.' Genesis 31:21 . David was able to possess the land to the Euphrates, 2 Samuel 8:3 , which also Solomon maintained. 1 Kings 4:24 .
In one of Jeremiah's typical actions he hid his girdle by the Euphrates then found it spoiled and useless; so should the pride of Judah and Jerusalem be marred (Jeremiah 13:4-11 ) — a figure of the carrying away to Babylon of those who should have cleaved to the Lord for His praise, as a girdle to the loins of a man. The prophecy against Babylon was written by Jeremiah in a book, and given to Seraiah, who was to read the same when he arrived at Babylon, then tie a stone to the book and cast it into the Euphrates, and. say "Thus shall Babylon sink." Jeremiah 51:59-64 . The book was thus placed in the river in which the Babylonians trusted for safety, but which was the channel of their destruction. Isaiah 45:1 .
The Euphrates is mentioned in the Revelation as the place where four angels are or will be bound, who will be loosed at the sixth trumpet, letting loose the Eastern forms of Satanic wickedness hitherto held in check. Revelation 9:14 . Viewing Palestine as the centre of God's dealings with the earth, the Euphrates was the barrier between East and West. The sixth vial will be poured upon the great river Euphrates, that it may be dried up and a way be made for the kings from the East to come unto the great battle of Armageddon. Revelation 16:12 .
There are two sources of the river; one in the Armenian mountains, about 40 N, 41 30' E, and the other in the mountain range of Ararat, about 39 30' N, 43 E. When the streams join they run nearly south and then south east for 1000 miles. After being joined by the Tigris it falls into the Persian Gulf. It is generally supposed that the river has not always in all parts run in the same channel; that after overflowing its banks it has not always returned to its former course, though it ran into it again farther south. A glance at a map will show that the possessions of David could have embraced but a very small part of the Euphrates, about Lat. 35 to 36 N. The great Syrian desert of Arabia separated the southern part of the river from Palestine.
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Morrish, George. Entry for 'Euphrates'. Morrish Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/mbd/e/euphrates.html. 1897.
