Where was the Garden of Eden?
Genesis 2:10-14 is the only passage of Scripture that describes the location of the Garden of Eden. They say, “Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows out of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates” (NASB).
Of the four rivers mentioned, the Tigris and the Euphrates are still rivers today. Many believe the Garden of Eden was located at the head of the Persian Gulf in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers run into the sea. The problem with this view is the topography of the whole earth was changed dramatically after the great flood in Noah’s day. When a flood occurs, land surface is eroded in one area and its sediments are redeposited in another location. So, it is impossible to know the exact location of the Garden of Eden. Having said that, we all know that the Middle East is known for its vast deposits of crude oil and many speculate that these oil deposits are the result of the decomposition of the rich organic materials in the Garden of Eden. (235.7) (DO)