Euphrates — Bible place

Hebrew, Perath; Assyrian, Purat; Persian cuneiform, Ufratush, whence Greek Euphrates, meaning “sweet water.” The Assyrian name means “the stream,” or “the great stream.” It is generally called in the Bible simply “the river” (Ex. 23:31), or “the great river” (Deut. 1:7).

The Euphrates is first mentioned in Gen. 2:14 as one of the rivers of Paradise. It is next mentioned in connection with the covenant which God entered into with Abraham (15:18), when he promised to his descendants the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates (comp. Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:4), a covenant promise afterwards fulfilled in the extended conquests of David (2 Sam. 8:2-14; 1 Chr. 18:3; 1 Kings 4:24). It was then the boundary of the kingdom to the north-east. In the ancient history of Assyria, and Babylon, and Egypt many events are recorded in which mention is made of the “great river.” Just as the Nile represented in prophecy the power of Egypt, so the Euphrates represented the Assyrian power (Isa. 8:7; Jer. 2:18).

It is by far the largest and most important of all the rivers of Western Asia. From its source in the Armenian mountains to the Persian Gulf, into which it empties itself, it has a course of about 1,700 miles. It has two sources, (1) the Frat or Kara-su (i.e., “the black river”), which rises 25 miles north-east of Erzeroum; and (2) the Muradchai (i.e., “the river of desire”), which rises near Ararat, on the northern slope of Ala-tagh. At Kebban Maden, 400 miles from the source of the former, and 270 from that of the latter, they meet and form the majestic stream, which is at length joined by the Tigris at Koornah, after which it is called Shat-el-Arab, which runs in a deep and broad stream for above 140 miles to the sea. It is estimated that the alluvium brought down by these rivers encroaches on the sea at the rate of about one mile in thirty years.

Recorded scripture occurrences (32)

References recorded in the source data; this is not an exhaustive list of mentions.

Show passage in OET: GEN 2:14

OET-RV GEN 2:14

14 The third river was named Hidekel, and it flowed east of the Ashur (Assyria) region, and then the fourth river was named Perat (Euphrates).

OET-LV GEN 2:14

14 And_name _of the_river the_third is_Tigris it the_(one)_going the _east _of ʼAshshūr and_the_river the_fourth it is_the_Pərāt.

Show passage in OET: GEN 15:18

OET-RV GEN 15:18

18 On that day Yahweh made an agreement with Avram, saying, “I’ve given this land to your descendants, from Mitsrayim’s (Egypt’s) river to the famous Perat (Euphrates) River.

OET-LV GEN 15:18

18 In _the_day (the)_that YHWH he _made with ʼAⱱrām a _covenant to_say to_offspring _of_your I _give DOM the_earth/land (the)_this from_the _river _of Miʦrayim/(Egypt) to the_river the_big/great(sg) the _river _of Pərāt.

Show passage in OET: GEN 31:21

OET-RV GEN 31:21

21 So Ya’akov took his household and everything that belonged to them and crossed the Perat (Euphrates) River and headed upward toward the hill-country of Gilead.

OET-LV GEN 31:21

21 And_ he and_all that to_him/it _he _fled and_he/it _rose _up and_he/it _passed _through DOM the_river and_he/it _assigned DOM his/its_faces/face the _hill _country _of (the)_Gilˊād.

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