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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

TIGRIS RIVER

One of the two major rivers that drains the Mesopotamian plain. Unlike the Euphrates, it is seldom mentioned in the Bible. In the description of the Garden of Eden, it is listed as the third of the four rivers that flowed out of the river that watered the Garden (Gn 2:14). Unfortunately, this reference provides little help concerning the location of Eden. The river is not mentioned again until Daniel 10:4, where Daniel referred to it as the “great river” (KJB). Nahum was likely referring to the Tigris when he described the opening of the river gates of Nineveh during the Babylonian siege (Na 2:6).

When its two principal tributaries are included, the length of the Tigris is 1,146 miles (1,843.9 kilometers). Its primary source, a mountain lake called Golenjik, is only two or three miles (3.2–4.8 kilometers) from the channel of the Euphrates. As is the case with most of the rivers of the region, the flow of the Tigris varies considerably during the year. Flood season begins in early March, with its peak in early- to mid-May. Though the river is generally navigable, historical records suggest that the river never had great commercial significance. However, it did gain political significance during the period of Assyrian dominance. Nineveh, Asshur, and Calah were all located on the banks of the Tigris. Unfortunately for the Assyrians, the Tigris never proved to be a formidable natural barrier and thus failed to protect the empire from its enemies.