The Eden Narrative Part 5 :
Garden Imagery in the Ancient Near East
Michael Ryan Stotler
Part of Genesis
March 12, 2024

Eden (ןדע)

  1. Eden as “luxuriance” or “delight”

  2. The cosmic land called “Delight/Eden”

Gan (גַּן)

geography of eden.png

landholy.png

michale who shal ascend.png

Nut Britannica.png
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nut-Egyptian-goddess#/media/1/422764/165212

Temple of Karnak King Sety I.png
Enthronement scene of Seti I

assherbanipal.png

nineveh aqueducts.jpg

treeoflifecherabim1.png

treeoflifecherabim.png

Rivers

Rivers.png

The description of the rivers has been outlined in decrescendo form, as each successive description becomes shorter and shorter… The same pattern is evident in Hebrew word counts, as the four river descriptions are given in 20, 10, 8, and 4, Hebrew words successively. The second river‘s description (10 words) is exactly half the length of the first (20 words), and the fourth (4 words) is half the length of the third (8 words). The impression of this most striking feature of Gen 2:10-14 is precisely that of a spring welling up and dissipating as it flows out all over the land—that is, verses 11-14 demonstrate literarily what is stated explicitly in v. 10. —MICHAEL MORALES, THE TABERNACLE PRE-FIGURED: TABERNACLE IDEOLOGY IN GENESIS-EXODUS.

Bibliography


Mangum, Douglas, Miles Custis, and Wendy Widder. Genesis 1–11. Lexham Research Commentaries. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.

https://bibleproject.com/course/adam-noah/

https://www.gotquestions.org/two-Creation-accounts.html

Terje Stordalen, Echoes of Eden: Genesis 2-3 and Symbolism of the Garden of Eden in Biblical Hebrew Literature

Seth Postell, Adam as Israel: Genesis 1-3 as the Introduction to the Torah and Tanakh

John H. Walton. About The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2–3 and the Human Origins Debate