In history, we learn that every civilization has depended on rivers. The hot, arid climate of the region would make it all a desert if there were no rivers. In the Bible also we can see many rivers being mentioned quite often. The Euphrates, the Nile, and the Jordan are the major three rivers often mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, especially in the Old Testament. But there’s also a fourth river spoken of while describing the afterlife. It’s perhaps the most important river of all: the river of life. So let’s explore the four important rivers in the Bible.
The Euphrates
The Euphrates River starts from what is today’s Turkey and flows along Syria and Iraq to the Persian Gulf. The Bible mentions it as one of the four rivers that flowed through the legendary Garden of Eden. Many great civilizations developed in the region of Mesopotamia, watered by these rivers.
In the Bible, we have the story of building the Tower of Babel in the region. It was also the site of the city of Ur. Abraham lived there before his call to migrate with his family to the Promised Land of Israel. After Israel’s expansion under King David, the area of the nation widened the Euphrates in Syria. The Babylonian Empire was one of the most powerful nations that was developed along the Euphrates. They conquered Israel and took many of its people into exile. Some of the Psalms in the Bible were written from the banks of the Euphrates.
Finally, the Bible makes a prediction about the end of the world that involves this river. It says that the river will dry up to allow the passage of Eastern armies to join the battle of Armageddon. Indeed, due to climate change and multiple dams built on the river, the Euphrates is drying up in Iraq. Some Christians see this as a fulfillment of the biblical prophecy.
The Nile
The Nile is the most popular river as it is the longest in the world, at 4,132 miles. Its two headwaters originate in Uganda and Ethiopia and flow north along 11 countries to the Mediterranean Sea. The country most often associated with the Nile, of course, is Egypt. Egypt figures prominently in the Old Testament. It was the country where the people of Israel spent over 400 years in slavery. Being afraid of the increasing population of the Israelites, the pharaoh ordered that male babies of Israelites were to be thrown into the Nile. This was a cruel way to ensure that they would not grow up rebellious against Egypt.
In the Bible, there are a number of incidents related to the Nile. In the book of Exodus, we see how the infant Moses was saved from this policy of genocide. His mother put him in a basket and floated it down the river. Later an Egyptian princess found him and decided to raise him as her own. Moses grew up to lead God’s people out of Egypt. A series of plagues helped force the pharaoh to let them leave Egypt. The Nile was involved in a few of the plagues: large numbers of frogs came out of it, and the water turned to blood.
The Nile as such is not mentioned in the New Testament. However, the parents of the infant Jesus had to flee to Egypt to save the baby from King Herod. Undoubtedly, they must have seen the Nile while they lived there. Virtually the entire population lived close to it and earned a living somehow.
The Jordan
The Jordan is a short river that runs from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. Today, it makes up the border between the West Bank in Israel and Jordan. Although it is not a large river, it sometimes floods during the rainy season and turns difficult to cross. The Bible describes how the Israelites conquered several kingdoms to the East of the Jordan. Later they needed to cross the flooded Jordan to continue their campaign. God parted the water, just like He did previously to the Red Sea in their escape from Egypt.
In the New Testament, Jordan is especially important as one of the significant birthplaces of Christianity. It became very popular as John the Baptist preached on repentance and the coming Messiah. John baptized those who believed his message in the river Jordan. Jesus himself was baptized by John the Baptist in the same river. John reported seeing God’s Spirit descend onto Jesus and heard the voice of God authenticating Jesus as his Son. Today, Christian pilgrims to Israel often choose to be baptized in the Jordan to feel a closer relationship with Jesus.
The River of Life
A fourth and perhaps most important river mentioned in the Bible is the River of Life. The last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22, mentions it. After having described terrible suffering and destruction on Earth, the book ends on a hopeful and triumphant note. In Heaven, a crystal-clear river flows eternally from the throne of God and the Lamb (Jesus). This represents eternal life, freely available to everyone in Heaven.
On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations. The followers of God will worship him in great joy; no sufferings, pain, or sadness will trouble them ever again (Rev 22:2-3). Hence, in this life and the next, rivers are a life-giving blessing to humanity.