GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Information to furnish the mind

Where Was the Garden of Eden?

According to the second creation account in the Hebrew Book of Genesis,

the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. –Gen. 2:8.

The Genesis account mentions certain geographical details:

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah… And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 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. –Gen. 2:10-14.

Location of the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates
Location of the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates

The mention of the River Euphrates ought to be a clue, but scholars and believers have never been able to agree as to an actual location. Some place the location in present day Iraq. Others in Jerusalem.

On the left: suggested location of the Garden of Eden according to British Egyptologist David M. Rhol. On the right: the corresponding area in the 21st century.
On the left: suggested location of the Garden of Eden according to British Egyptologist David M. Rhol. On the right: the corresponding area in the 21st century.

According to the Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), the Garden of Eden is believed to have been located in present-day Jackson County, Missouri.

Location of Missouri in the United States and Jackson County in Missouri
Location of Missouri in the United States and Jackson County in Missouri

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *