The Tigris River in Mesopotamia was known by the ancient civilizations as the Hiddekel. This river is part of the “four rivers of paradise” that are represented in Genesis 2:14-15. In Aramaic this river is called Dijlah (also spelled Dijlah). Continue reading to learn about the Spiritual meaning of hiddekel, hiddekel meaning in bible and the hiddekel name meaning.
The biblical book of Daniel and the Dead Sea scrolls say the river’s name was Hiddekel. In Greek times it was known as Tigris. The river flows in a great arc to the southeast, starting among the Anatolian mountains north of modern-day Istanbul. The river is fed by 380 smaller streams and springs along its 650-mile course as it weaves through Turkey and Iraq before emptying into the Persian Gulf.
The Hiddekel is the name of a river in Mesopotamia. It was called “the Great River” by the ancient Assyrians, and it’s where they believed their god of water, Enki, lived. The word “hiddekel” means “winding river,” and it was also used to refer to the Tigris River.
hiddekel meaning in bible
Hiddekel, which means “the river” in Hebrew, is one of the four rivers that flow out of Eden. It is described as the easternmost of these rivers. The other three are: Pishon, Gihon and Euphrates.
According to the Book of Genesis, God created man from dust and breathed life into him. Then He planted a garden in Eden and placed Adam there to tend it. God gave Adam authority over all creatures on earth except for one tree: the Tree of Mortal Life.
When Eve saw that this tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, she took some of its fruit and ate it. This angered God who cursed her with painful childbirths and forced her to serve her husband (Genesis 3:16-19).
The Hiddekel is a river in Babylonian mythology.
It is often considered to be the same river as the Tigris, but this is not certain. If they are different rivers, then the Hiddekel would have been an important tributary of the Tigris.
The Hiddekel was probably considered sacred by Babylonians because it was used to irrigate their fields and feed their livestock. The word “Hiddekel” means “river of judgment” or “river of justice.” This may have been because it was believed that the goddess Ishtar lived at its source and would judge those who tried to cross it without permission.
spiritual meaning of hiddekel
Tigris (Hiddekel)
Bible Meaning: Rapid (Hiddekel)
Strong’s Concordance #H2313
Although the word Tigris is not found in the KJV Bible, the river is referenced through its Hebrew name Hiddekel (Genesis 2:14). It is one of the four rivers that split off the main stream that watered the Garden of Eden.
The phrase “the great river” is used to describe the Tigris in Daniel 10:4. All other Biblical occurrences of this phrase are referencing the Euphrates, the other great waterway of Mesopotamia (Genesis 15:18, Deuteronomy 1:7, Joshua 1:4, Revelation 9:14, 16:12).
The Assyria Empire cities of Halah, Calah, and its capital Nineveh, were all on the Tigris River.
In his prophecies against Nineveh, the minor prophet Nahum may have been referring to the Tigris when he stated, “The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved” (Nahum 2:6).
Important verses
Genesis 2:10 – 11, 13 – 14
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, where there is gold . . .
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 (Tigris): that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
Daniel 10:1 – 2, 4 – 5
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.
And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I (Daniel the prophet) was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel (Tigris); Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz . . .
hiddekel name meaning
Hiddekel is the Hebrew word for “river.”
In Genesis 2:14-15, God creates a river that divides into four streams. This is the same river mentioned in Genesis 1:10-14, where it is referred to as Pishon. In Ezekiel 47:1-12, Hiddekel (or Tigris) is mentioned again when God describes his plan to restore Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
The name Hiddekel may be derived from an ethymology of the Akkadian hud-ilu, which means “the river of God.”