Bible Strands
Genesis 2:10
Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the initial preparation of Eden immediately after placing the trees of life and knowledge in its center. This account follows the formation of the garden and precedes the naming of its specific rivers.
The words — The Hebrew יֹצֵא (yo.Tze') means "[was] going out," and יִפָּרֵד (yi.pa.Red) translates to "divided" or "branched." These verbs track the river's movement from a single source into multiple channels.
The thread — Psalm 46:4 states a river’s streams delight the city of God, while Revelation 22:1 records a crystal-clear river flowing from the divine throne. Both passages echo the life-giving, divinely sourced nature of the river described in Genesis 2:10.
Why it lands — The text establishes a physical geography that requires attention to names and locations. It presents a structural pattern where sustenance originates from a single point and extends outward to support the created order.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
Cross-references
- Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
- Psalms 46:4 There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.