The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
Parallel translations
- WEB The name of the first is Pishon: it flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
- KJV The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
- BSB The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
- NKJV The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
- NLT The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The first river, the Pishon, winds through Havilah where there is gold. The account grounds Eden in real geography and rich provision.
Overview
The narrative names the first river, the Pishon, and describes the land of Havilah it encircles as a place of gold. These geographical details root the garden account in the real world rather than in mere myth. The mention of gold and precious materials underscores the goodness and richness of the world God made.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 25:18They lived from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He lived opposite all his relatives.
- 1 Sam 15:7Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is before Egypt.
- Gen 10:29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
- Gen 10:7The sons of Cush were: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah were: Sheba and Dedan.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Lay
The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.
Pastoral
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 2:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.