Genesis 2:14

Gen 2:14 And the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel: that [is] it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river [is] Euphrates.

Ver. 14. Hiddekel.] Or Tigris, which hath its name from the swiftness of the stream: Tigris in the Median tongue signifieth an arrow, saith Curtius, which flieth very swiftly. The tiger also is the swiftest of all beasts. Hiddekel signifieth sharp, swift. Contrariwise, Nile floweth gently, { Lene fluit Nilus} saith Claudian; so do the waters of Shiloah, {Isa 8:6} creeping and crooking" slowly" and slily, called therefore, as some think, "the dragon well". {Neh 2:13} And of the river Araris (probably Saone) in Germany, Caesar said, {a} whether it move forward, or backward, who can tell?

{a} Oculis in utram partem fluat, iudicari non potest . - De Bel. Gal., l. i.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2:14 Tigris . . . Euphrates: These well-known rivers flow from the mountains of eastern Turkey.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, Tigris.

Or, Assyria.

Or, Euphrates.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(14) Of the “Hiddekel” and “Euphrates” there is no doubt: the former is the Tigris, or Tigres, which is a mere Graecising of its Oriental name, Daglath in Arabic, and Deklath in Syriac, and in the Targum of Onkelos. The word Hiddekel is startling as being a quadriliteral, but the Samaritan Codex reads the Dehel, that is, it has the article instead of the Hebrew Kheth. Mr. Sayce accepts the uncertain reading Hiddekel, and says (Chald. Gen., p. 84) that Hid is the Accadian name for river. Dekel, Tigris, is said to mean an arrow. The Samaritan reading is probably right.

Euphrates.—No description is given of this as being the largest and best known of Asiatic rivers. Hence, probably, the Pison and Gihon were but small streams. Euphrates is the Greek manner of pronouncing the Hebrew Phrath, the first syllable being simply a help in sounding the double consonant. In Accadian it is called Purrat, and means “the curving water,” being so named from its shape.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14. Hiddekel] Tigris. The Assyrian name is “Idiklat,” or “Diklat,” the old Persian “Tigra,” whence the Greek “Tigris” (modern Digle). It is mentioned in the Bible elsewhere only in Dan_10:4 and Sir_24:25. This famous river rises not far from the source of the Euphrates, and flows at first east from Diarbekr and unites with the Bohtan Tsckai, after which it flows south-east. It approaches the Euphrates at Bagdad, but continues a separate course until it unites at Korna with that river, and enters the Persian Gulf as the Schatt-el-Arab. In earlier times the two rivers entered the sea at different points. The Tigris was so called from an old Persian word meaning “arrow,” and probably because of its swiftness.

in front of Assyria] The Hebrew expression rendered “in front of” generally denotes “to the east of,” cf. Gen_2:8, Gen_4:16, Gen_12:8 notes. The Hebrew standpoint is always that of a person facing east. That which is in front is east: towards his right hand is the south, towards his left the north, at his back the west. It is objected that Assyria was a country, through which the Tigris flowed, and that, as Assyrian territory lay on the east as well as the west bank of the Tigris, it would not be correct to describe the Tigris as “that which goeth towards the east of Assyria.” Hence Sayce conjectures that we should here understand, not the country “Assyria,” but the country’s old capital “Asshur” which gave its name to the country, and which lay on the west bank of the Tigris. But Asshur, the city, is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible; presumably, therefore, it was little known to the Hebrews, and was not likely to be mentioned in a geographical description. On the other hand, “Asshur” is the regular Hebrew designation of the country “Assyria”1[4]; the mention here of “Assyria” is parallel to that of “Cush” in the preceding verse. There seems no sufficient reason for doubting that the name “Asshur” is here used, in its usual Biblical application, for the land of Assyria. If so, the geographical description of the Tigris may not be strictly accurate. Considering its remoteness from Palestine, this need not surprise us, especially in a writing dating from a period previous to the active Assyrian interference in the course of Israelite affairs.

[4] See Gen_10:22. The “Asshur” of Eze_27:23 is mentioned with “Sheba … and Chilmad.”

Euphrates] Heb. Prath. Assyrian “Puratu,” old Persian Ufrâtû, whence the Greek and Latin “Euphrates.” The Euphrates rises in the mountains near Erzerum, and, after following a tortuous course through the Taurus Mts., flows first in a southerly, and then, from Balis, in a S.E. direction, uniting with the Tigris before entering the Persian Gulf.

The Israelites seem to have regarded the Euphrates as “the river par excellence.” Hence “the River,” as a proper name, in Exo_23:31, 1Ki_4:21; 1Ki_4:24, Psa_72:8; Psa_80:11, Isa_8:7, Zec_9:10.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The name of the third river is Hiddekel,.... A river which ran by Shushan in Persia, and retained its name in the times of Daniel, Dan 10:4 where it is called the great river; and it seems it bears the same name now among the Persians; at least it did an hundred and fifty years ago, when Rauwolff (m) travelled in those parts. The Targum of Jonathan here calls it Diglath, the same with the Diglito of Pliny (n); and according to him it is called Tigris, from its swiftness, either from the tiger, a swift creature, or from "to dart", in the Chaldee language; and so Curtius (o) says, that in the Persian language they call a dart "tigris": and with this agrees the word "Hiddekel", which in the Hebrew language signifies sharp and swift, as a polished arrow is; and Jarchi says it is so called, because its waters are sharp and swift: though this is contradicted by some modern travellers (p) who say it is a slower stream than the Euphrates, and is not only very crooked, and full of meanders, but also choked up with islands, and great banks of stone:

that is it which goeth towards the east of Assyria: a country which had its name from Ashur, a son of Shem, Gen 10:11 it became a famous kingdom and monarchy, Nineveh was the metropolis of it, which was built on the river Tigris or Hiddekel; and, as before observed, it ran by Shushan in Persia; and so, as Diodorus Siculus (q) says, it passed through Media into Mesopotamia; and which very well agrees with its being, according to Moses, one of the rivers of Eden. Twelve miles up this river, from Mosul, near which Nineveh once stood, lies an island, called the island of Eden, in the heart of the Tigris, about ten English miles in circuit, and is said to be undoubtedly a part of paradise (r):

and the fourth river is Euphrates: or "Phrat", as in the Hebrew tongue. Reland (s) seems rightly to judge, that the syllable "eu", prefixed to it, is the Persian "au" or "cu", which in that language signifies "water"; so that "Euphrates" is no other than "the water of Phrat", so called from the fruitfulness of it; for its waters, as Jarchi says, fructify, increase, and fatten the earth; and who rightly observes that these names, and so those of other rivers, and of the countries here mentioned, are named by a prolepsis or anticipation, these being the names they bore when Moses wrote; unless it may be thought to be the Hebrew "Hu, the, that Phrat"; and which the Greeks have made an "eu" of. (After the global destruction of Noah's flood, it is doubtful that the location of these rivers could be determined with any degree of certainty today. Ed.)

(m) Travels, part. 2. c. 9. p. 159. ed. Ray. (n) Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 27. (o) Hist. l. 4. c. 9. (p) De la Valle & Thevenot, apud Universal History, vol. 4. p. 248. (q) Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 99. (r) Cartwright's Preacher's Travels, p. 91. (s) Ut supra, (De Situ Paradisi) p. 45.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Hiddekel, i.e. Tigris, or an eminent branch of it. See Dan 10:4.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And the name of the third river is the, Hiddekel, or "the darting," from dj and Lq,d, a sharp and swift arrow, referring to its rapidity. It is unanimously agreed that this must be identified with the Tigris; in the present language of the Persians designated tir, which signifies an arrow. It is styled in Aramaic diglath or diglah. That is it which goeth towards the east of Assyria. Its identity is thus placed beyond a question. And the fourth river is Euphrates, or "the sweet," from an unused root, parath, signifying to be sweet, referring to the sweet and pleasant taste of its waters. (Jer_2:18) Further description of this great water was unnecessary, being universally known to the Hebrews as "the great river" (Deu_1:7; Dan_10:4) and "the river" par excellence (Exo_23:31; Isa_7:20) The river still bears its early name. In the cuneiform inscriptions deciphered by Rawlinson it is called "Ufrata." Recurring now to the site of Eden, it must be admitted that, notwithstanding this description, the whole question is involved in uncertainty. The two solutions of the problem that hive the greatest claim on our attention are,

(1) that which places Eden near the head of the Persian Gulf, and

(2) that which looks for it in Armenia. The latter is favored by the close proximity to that region of the sources of both the Euphrates and the Tigris; but, on the other hand, it is hampered by the difficulty of discovering other two rivers that will correspond with the Gihon and the Pison, and the almost certainty that Cush and Havilah are to be sought for in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf. The former (Calvin, Kalisch, T. Lewis) is supported by this last consideration, that Cush and Havilah are not remote from the locality, though it too has its encumbrances. It seems to reverse the idea of aeYO, which according to Le Clerc indicates the direction of the stream. Then its advocates, no more than the supporters of the alternate theory, are agreed upon the Gihon and the Pison: Calvin finding them in the two principal mouths of the Euphrates and the Tigris, which Sir Charles Lyell declares to be of comparatively recent formation; Kalisch identifying them with the Indus and the Nile; and Taylor Lewis regarding them as the two sides of the Persian Gulf. Sir H. Rawlinson, from a study of the Assyrian texts, has pointed out the coincidence of the Babylonian region of Karduniyas or Garduniyas with the Eden of the Bible; and the late George Smith finds in its four rivers, Euphrates, Tigris, Surappi, and Ukui, its known fertility, and its name, Gandunu, so similar to Ganeden (the garden of Eden), "considerations all tending towards the view that it is the paradise of Genesis" ("Chald. Genesis," pp. 3-305).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hiddekel Hiddekel = ancient name of the Tigris.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

חדקל TIGRIS — It is called חדקל because its waters are pungent in taste (חד) and light in weight (קל) (Berakhot 59b).

פרת EUPHRATES — It is called פרת because its waters grow (פרה) and increase and make men healthy (Berakhot 59b). כוש ואשור CUSH AND ASHUR did not then exist as countries, but Scripture writes with reference to the names which those districts would bear in the future (Ketubot 10b; Genesis Rabbah 16).

קדמת אשור means AT THE EAST OF ASHUR.

הוא פרת IS THE EUPHRATES — the most important of all, being mentioned in connection with the Land of Israel (Genesis Rabbah 16:3).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ושם הנהר השלישי...קדמת אשור, it flows more or less in a continuous direction to the eastern region of what was the land of Ashur at the time the Torah was given. It does not circumvent that country but flows in a northerly direction, seeing that both Babylon and Ashur are situated north of Gan Eden. [In order to make even partial sense of all this, it helps to understand such definitions as “northerly, southerly, easterly,” as relative to the location of Eretz Yisrael, not as relative to the north and south poles of our globe. Rashi already found it necessary to describe the river Nile as running underground for a considerable distance in order to make the Biblical report compatible with the facts as known in his time, much earlier than Kimchi. Ed.] חידקל, this river is so called because its waters are clear and flow rapidly (Berachot 59).

והנהר הרביעי הוא פרת, our sages have divergent views on the identity of this river. According to Rabbi Yehudah it is the river Euphrates, whereas according to Rav Hunna it is the river כבר, also in Babylonia, the river where the prophet Ezekiel received prophetic revelations and instructions. (Ezekiel 1,1) The reason it is called פרת, according to Rabbi Yehudah, is that its waters keep increasing until it becomes a navigable stream, and it cannot be crossed on foot or raft, but must be crossed by ferry. Also, the word פרת alludes to these waters continuously increasing (due to its tributaries). According to Rav Hunna the rivers פרת and כבר are not 2 names for the same river, but refer to two entirely different rivers. Rabbi Yehoshua from Sakkinin, speaking in the name of Rabbi Levi, says that when people ask the river פרת why it does not make any sound, the river replies that it does not need to advertise its existence by being noisy, but that its deeds, i.e. the contribution it makes to the people living alongside it are sufficient to make it well known. It could say of itself that if someone plants a tree near its banks it will grow within 30 days, whereas if he plants seeds of vegetables it will sprout within three days. הוא פרת, this river is known by this name in the land of Israel. This is why the Torah did not need to add more details about the region in which this river flows. The river is further west than other countries which have been mentioned. Once this river has reached Eretz Yisrael, it ends up in the ים האחרון, the gulf of Basra. [the reader is reminded that the reference to the Euphrates reaching the land of Israel is most likely the author’s definition of the land of Israel consisting of the lands of 10 nations, not 7, i.e. as promised to Avraham Genesis 15,18. Ed.] The 4 rivers mentioned symbolise that the four directions on earth are all supplied with fresh water by these rivers. Seeing that the land of Israel is considered as in the center of the civilised world, all these rivers touch the land of Israel at one point or another The reason why all this was recorded here is to show how Moses, at his time, was able to provide all these details having been imbued with holy spirit. Otherwise, how would Moses have known all this, seeing that he had not been a world traveler but had spent almost all the 40 years that he was a leader in a narrow desert. Seeing that all these stories recorded in the Book of Genesis do not contain commandments either between G’d and man or between man and man, it is clear that unless G’d had endowed Moses with the requisite knowledge he could not have recorded all these details. G’d’s purpose was clearly, to implant in man knowledge of how the early years of man on earth had begun, after G’d had created the world and had placed Adam in Gan Eden. Our sages, looking for deeper allusions to man’s history in all this, also saw in the 4 rivers mentioned a reference to the four exiles the Jewish people would endure before being redeemed. (Bereshit Rabbah 16,4) There are more explanations about these 4 rivers (on verse 10) in the kabbalistic writings of our sages.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.