The name of the second river is Gihon. It is the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush.
Parallel translations
- KJV And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
- BSB The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.
- ESV The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush.
- NKJV The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush.
- NASB The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush.
- NLT The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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 second river is the Gihon, which flows through Cush. The account continues to map the rivers flowing from Eden.
Overview
The second river, the Gihon, is said to flow around the whole land of Cush. Like the other named rivers, it situates the garden in a concrete geographical setting. These details reinforce that Genesis presents creation and Eden as part of real history, not abstract legend.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Gen 10:6The sons of Ham were: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
- Isa 11:11It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
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 2:13 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.