The Deeper Hebrew Meaning of the ‘Garden of Eden’
“And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.” (Genesis 2:8-11)
The etymological origins of the Hebrew word ‘Eden’ {עדן} – pronounced as ‘Eeden’ in Hebrew – are not completely clear. This is why there are a couple of different speculations with regard to the actual meaning of this well-known Hebrew term.
The Hebrew root ‘A-D-N’ {ע-ד-נ}, from which the word ‘Eden’ is derived can be found in other references in the Hebrew Bible, such as in the story of Sarah when she heard the news about Isaac:
“So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”
There the original Hebrew word for ‘pleasure’ is ‘Ednah’ {עדנה} – which comes from the same root as ‘Eden.’ If we will compare this to what is written in Psalms:
“They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.” (Psalm 36:8)
There the original Hebrew word for ‘delights’ is ‘Ada’necha’ {עדניך} which derives from the same root as well. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that the meaning of the Hebrew word ‘Eden’ has something to do with ‘upleasure’ or ‘delight.’
Moreover, the Hebrew word for ‘delicate’ is ‘Me’udan’ {מעודן} – which comes from the same root as well. The initial Latin meaning of ‘delicate’ (‘delicatus’ in Latin) is ‘something that gives pleasure’ (compare with ‘delicious’ – food that is so tasty it gives one pleasure).
This is why it is no surprise to discover the Hebrew term for ‘Heaven’ or ‘Paradise’ is in fact ‘Gan Eden’ {גן עדן} – meaning the Garden of Eden…
Undoubtedly, the most ‘popular’ appearance of this word in the Hebrew language is found in the story of the ‘Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil’ or in Hebrew ‘Etz Ha-da’at Tov Va-ra.’ {עץ הדעת טוב ורע} When mentioning the quality of ‘knowledge’ – we are not talking here about simply knowing things but rather the ability ‘to know the difference between Good and Evil.’
Genesis 3:8 In the cool of the evening, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking around in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden. 9 The Lord God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?”
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the Presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Revelation 22:1-21 [1] Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb [2] down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. [3] No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. [4] They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. [5] There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever
Almost every major city is built on a river. Jerusalem is a rare exception, having only underground aquifers and springs. But now we are shown a river of pure water flowing through the new Jerusalem, accessible to all who thirst (1,17). We are drawn to Ezekiel’s vision of a river flowing from a newly restored Temple, a river which brings life and healing (Ezekiel 47). We are also taken back to Eden and the tree of life planted in its center (Genesis 2:9). The tree of life from which sinful humanity was banished (Genesis 3:22,23) is now accessible once more. Its fruit — rich and abundant and growing all year round — brings healing
(2; see also Ezekiel 47:12). From having lost our close fellowship with God, we shall now see him face-to-face (4; 1 Corinthians 13:12). Also gone is the curse (3) — the effects of our fall into sin as described in Genesis 3.The idea of healing here must not be limited to physical healing (though in the new Jerusalem there will be no suffering or pain), but it includes complete mental and spiritual well-being. What is spoken of here is “shalom”—complete and utter wholeness.
Genesis 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden… NIV
God’s originally designed atmosphere for man to flourish was Eden – The Garden of Eden.
The river that flows out of Eden and into the garden is no ordinary river. Ordinary rivers have tributaries that feed water into them, but this river runs the opposite way: it feeds water into four other rivers which supply water to all directions of the realm (2:10). Eden is the source of provision, the head of the life-giving water that nourishes the realm. Eden is the fountain of providence, the torrential spring that flows from the sovereign to sustain life in his realm.
Along the streams that flow out of Eden are other examples of the heavenly monarch’s generous provision: gold and precious stones (2:11-12). The riches of the realm flow out of Eden.
Right in the middle of the garden is another symbol of the sovereign’s life-giving provision for his subjects: the tree of life (2:9).
Taken together, all these provisions suggest that Eden is the earthly dwelling of the heavenly sovereign. The king not only constructed this realm (Genesis 1); he provides everything to sustain life in his realm. Eden is therefore the palace of the great king — not a physical building made of stones, but the dwelling-place of the sovereign who oversees and takes care of his earthly realm.
If we understand “Eden” as the dwelling-place of the divine sovereign, then “the garden of Eden” is the visually stunning and providentially nourishing landscape associated with Eden — the grounds of the palace. Together, Eden and its garden form a picture of the heavenly sovereign living among his subjects. This theme—the heavenly sovereign dwelling among humans — is central to the whole Biblical narrative.
Some scholars talk about Eden as a temple. Eden is the original ideal of God living among his people, and that ideal is re-expressed in the tabernacle, in Solomon’s temple, and so on. But people in the ancient world understood a temple to be a kind of palace. They did not separate religion and state as we do, so their god was also their ultimate ruler. The house of the god (temple) was also the house of their ruler (palace).
The closing chapters of the Bible describe a restored Eden, complete with the tree of life and the river that flows from his throne. The whole narrative of Scripture finds its fulfilment when the king announces the restoration of the Edenic ideal:
Revelation 21:3 (NIV) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.”
Eden, the tree of life, and the river that sustains life — these are all symbols of the sovereign of the realm. He rules from heaven, yet he lives among his people on earth, providing a garden associated with his presence, and sustaining life throughout his realm.
What a picture: King YHWH, living among his creatures, providing for them, and honouring humans with participation in his reign! Can you imagine what life on earth would be like if it had always remained like this? This is the hors d’oeuvres of the kingdom: does it pique your appetite for the banquet?
Because the garden in Genesis was planted in a well-watered place (Eden), it took Eden as its name. But technically speaking, the garden should be understood as adjoining Eden because the water flows from Eden and waters the garden (see Genesis 2:10). In the same way, therefore, that a garden of a palace adjoins the palace, Eden is the source of the waters and the residence of God, and the garden adjoins God’s residence. (^©HEBREWVERSITY,COM)