the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
Click here to join the effort!
Bible Dictionaries
Eden
Smith's Bible Dictionary
or E'den. (pleasure).
1. The first residence of man, called in the Septuagint (LXX) Paradise. The latter is a word of Persian origin, and describes an extensive tract of pleasure land, somewhat like an English park; and the use of it suggests a wider view of man's first abode than a garden. The description of Eden is found in Genesis 2:8-14.
In the eastern portion of the region of Eden was the garden planted. The Hiddekel, one of its rivers, is the modern Tigris; the Euphrates is the same as the modern Euphrates. With regard to the Pison and Gihon, a great variety of opinion exists, but the best authorities are divided between
(1) Eden as in northeast Arabia, at the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris, and their separation again, making the four rivers of the different channels of these two, or
(2), and most probably, Eden as situated in Armenia, near the origin of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, and in which same region, rise the Araxes (Pison of Genesis) and the Oxus (Gihon of Genesis).
2. One of the marts which supplied the luxury of Tyre with richly-embroidered stuffs. In 2 Kings 19:12 and Isaiah 37:12, "the sons of Eden" are mentioned with Gozan, Haran and Rezeph as victims of the Assyrian greed of conquest. Probability seems to point to the northwest of Mesopotamia as the locality of Eden.
3. Beth-Eden, "house of pleasure"; probably the name of a country residence, of the kings of Damascus. Amos 1:5.
4. A Gershonite Levite, son of Joah, in the days of Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 29:12. (B.C. 727).
5. Also a Levite, probably identical with the preceding, Eden, 4. 2 Chronicles 31:15.
These files are public domain.
Smith, William, Dr. Entry for 'Eden'. Smith's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/sbd/e/eden.html. 1901.
