Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Genesis

[The Immortal]

Where is the rivers Gishon and Pishon? They are written about in the Bible, but where are they now? What's your best explanation? Here is my elaboration. Genesis. These rivers evolved. The world evolves. Just like life. Life evolves. Embrace evolution.

[jimwalton]

Of course rivers evolve. Of course the world evolves. Of course life evolves. I embrace evolution. But let's go on to your question.

It is well known that the climate of the earth and therefore including the Middle East have changed through the eons. At times the tops of the mountains were tropical; at times there was vegetation at the poles, at times the Middle East was forested. Geological studies confirm some of these trends and changes. Satellite photos show us that various other river channels, other than the Tigris and Euphrates, have at times been present at the mouth of the rivers we now identify as Kuwait.

The Piston (Gn. 2.11) is probably the Kuwait river. Analysis of sand patterns in Saudi Arabia and satellite photography have helped identify an old riverbed running northeast through Saudi Arabia from the Hijaz mountains near Medina to the Persian Gulf in Kuwait near the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates. This would be a good candidate for the Pishon River.

Another possibility is that the Pishon is the Halys River that flows from the region of Urartu into the Caspian Sea. This would place the Garden of Eden in a high mountain valley near Lake Van, and thus explain how Eden is sometimes viewed as being on a mountain (Ezk. 28.14). This region was populated early by the Hurrians, some of whom eventually settled in Canaan.

The Gihon (Gn. 2.13) is probably the Araxes River, winding through the Asiatic Caucasus, possibly east of the Tigris.

So there were most likely four literal rivers with their mouth in Kuwait, but the reference could also include overtones of the religious beliefs of the era. In Egyptian depictions, two or four rivers flow out of the mouth of Non, who represents the cosmic abyss. A cylinder seal from Mari depicts a high god, perhaps El, sitting on the top of a mountain, and from the base of the mountain the cosmic rivers flow forth from the mouths of serpents. Also at Mari, the fresco from the wall of Zimri-Lim’s palace portrays two deities holding pots from each of which flow four streams of water. From the Middle Assyrian period (13th century, the periods of the biblical judges) an ivory inlaid plaque shows a central divine figure with four rivers flowing from him in four directions. He is flanked by two trees, and standing next to each tree is a winged guardian. All of this indicates that Genesis uses a familiar picture of fertile waters flowing from the seat of deity.