But to none of these places, will the marks of the garden described by Moses in the beginning of Genesis apply. The Garden of Eden is described as being situated eastward in Eden. The inspired writer composed his history of the creation and fall of man, either in Egypt or in the land of Midian ;* but Syria lies not to the east, but rather to the north of these countries ; nor can Syria boast of a river, whose channel, in its progress to the ocean, is divided into four branches. We must, therefore, look for the situation of Paradise in a different region. The land of Eden, according to Moses, who is our only guide in this investigation, lay on the banks of a large river, which, on leaving the borders of that country, was divided into four streams, called Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, and Perath or Euphrates. To ascertain as nearly as possible, then, the true situation of Paradise, we must endeavour to find out and trace the course of these four celebrated streams. This will be the more easily done, as one of them still retains the name it bore in the time of Moses, and is familiarly known to both ancient and modern geographers. But I shall follow the example of other writers on the subject, and take them in the order of the sacred historian. The first river mentioned by Moses, is the Pison, which, he informs us, 'compasseth the whole land of Havilah.' It appears, from another passage in his writings, that Havilah is a part of the country inhabited by the posterity of Ishmael :- And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt.'t The inspired writer of the first book of Samuel mentions it again in these words :-'Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah, until thou comest to Shur, that is before Egypt.' But Arabia is the country allotted to Ish There is no ground for the conjecture that Moses wrote his history in Egypt. The probability is, that he wrote in Arabia Petræa, either in the land of Midian or the wilderness of Sinai.-Editor. 1 Samuel xv. 7. + Genesis XXV, 18. mael and his descendants, where they have dwelt from the remotest ages, in the presence of all their brethren; and, by consequence, Havilah must be situated near the Persian gulf. For 'Shur which is before Egypt,' is the western extremity of Arabia, at the bottom of the Red Sea; as the following passage from the book of Exodus incontestibly proves : Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur.'* But Shur is opposed by the inspired writer to Havilah; and therefore the latter must be the eastern extremity of Arabia, or that part of the country which borders on the Persian gulf.† Again, Moses assures us that Havilah, which was refreshed by the waters of the Pison, was distinguished by its fine gold, bdellium, and onyx-stones; and the same valuable products formerly abounded in the eastern extremity of Arabia. Both inspired and profane authors commend the gold of that country. Diodorus says, in several parts of his works, that in Arabia was found natural gold of so lively a colour, that it very much resembled the brightness of fire; and so fine, that it wanted neither fire nor refining to purify it.‡ To this country Ezekiel also alludes in his address to the city of Tyre:- The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants; they traded in thy fairs with the chief of all spices, and with all precious stones and gold. Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants,' &c.§ In this passage, the prophet expressly mentions Eden as a country abounding in gold *Exodus xv. 22. + It is deserving of notice, that the people or tribes inhabiting Havilah, or, as it is more properly rendered, Chavilah, have re. ceived from Pliny and others designations that evidently derived their origin from that name; such as Chaulothæi, Chaulosii, Chablasii, and Chaselæi.--Editor. Lib. 2, c. 14, and 1. 3, c. 3, quoted Well's Geog. vol. i. p. 6. § Ezek. xxvii. 22, 23. [If Canneh be Calneh or Calyo, which is supposed to be Ctesiphon, then Eden must have been to the south of that city.]-Editor. and other precious commodities, and its inhabitants as carrying on an extensive traffic in these valuable articles, with the most celebrated commercial city of the ancient world. But if Havilah was not a district of the country which bore the name of Eden, it certainly lay in its immediate neighbourhood, and, by consequence, possessed the same products, and shared in the same trade.* The next distinctive character of this country is its possessing bdellium. The original Hebrew term Bdolach, is variously translated by interpreters. Of the many opinions which have divided the sentiments of learned and inquisitive men, the most probable are, that it is an aromatic gum, or the pearl. The last of these opinions is entitled to the preference; for Moses, describing the manna, says, that it was like the seed of coriander, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. But we know, from another passage in his writings, that the manna was white; which corresponds with the colour of the pearl. But neither the round shape of the coriander seed, which is equally the figure of the pearl, nor the white colour of the manna, corresponds with the aromatic gum which has received the name of bdellium. The Talmudists accordingly observe, on the description which Moses has given of the manna, that it was of the colour of pearls.§ But, without entering into this dispute, it is sufficient to observe, that whether the Hebrew word Bdolach be taken for pearls, or for an aromatic gum of that name, both are to be found in the land of Havilah.|| *The tribes mentioned in the above passage of Ezekiel were all located in the neighbourhood of the Euphrates and the Persian gulf; a circumstance which, together with the correspondence of the productions of the two countries, does seem strongly to confirm the opinion expressed in the text, and to point out the Havilah described by Moses to have been contiguous to the Eden of the prophet.-Editor. + Numbers xi. 7. § Bochart. Hieroz. part ii. b. 5, c. 5. Exodus xvi. 14, 31. Well's Historical Geography, vol. i. pp. 9, 10. The Persian gulf, and particularly that part of it which washes the shores of Havilah, produces finer pearls, and in greater abundance, than any other place in the world. Many writers of the highest reputation might be quoted in support of this assertion; but the authority of Pliny|| and Arrian is sufficient. The former, having commended the pearls of the Indian seas, adds, that such as are fished towards Arabia in the Persian gulf, are most to be praised; and the latter sets a greater value on the pearls of Arabia, than upon those of the Indies, observing that some of them are so much esteemed by the Indians, as to be valued at three times their weight in gold.+ If by bdellium we understand an aromatic gum, products of this kind have also been found in Arabia. Dioscorides expressly asserts it; and he sets a greater value upon the bdellium of the Saracens, than upon the bdellium of the Indies. And Galen,§ comparing the bdellium of Arabia with that of the Indies, gives the preference in several respects to the former. Pliny prefers the bdellium of Bactriana to that of Arabia; but he values the bdellium of Arabia above all the rest.|| So abundant were the spices and drugs of Arabia, that Arrian says, the natives of that country carried on an extensive and lucrative commerce in these precious commodities, with the city of Diridotis, which is the same with Teredon, the ruins of which are still to be seen on the confines of Havilah.¶ But though it could not be shown that these precious spices were the native products of that part of Arabia, yet, as the caravans from the interior passed through it on their to Diridotis, in its immediate neighbourhood, way *Plin. Nat. Hist. Paris edition, by Brotier, lib. 9, sec. 54. + Rooke's Translation, vol. ii. p. 218, London; see also Strabo, lib. i. p. 31. [Pearls are still found in great plenty and perfection in Baharen, an island near Al Katif, situated in the Persian gulf.]— Editor. Lib. i. c. 77. to dispose of their merchandise, the language of Moses is justified, and the true situation of Havilah ascertained. The last distinguishing mark of Havilah mentioned by the sacred historian, is the onyx-stone.* To what particular stone the Hebrew term Schoham refers, cannot be ascertained with any degree of certainty ;+ but that Arabia did abound in precious stones of different kinds, is expressly stated by both sacred and profane writers. The prophet Ezekiel mentions precious stones among the articles of commerce which the inhabitants of Sheba and Raamah, places on the eastern coast of Arabia, not far from Havilah, brought to the markets of Tyre. Both Strabo§ and Diodorus || assert, that the riches of Arabia consisted in precious stones and excellent perfumes; and Pliny assures us, that the most precious gems came from that country. But if we confine the Hebrew word Schoham to denote the onyx-stone, the distinctive character is still equally applicable to Arabia; for Pliny says, the ancients are persuaded that the onyx-stone was nowhere else to be found but in the mountains of that country.¶ From this statement it appears that in the eastern extremity of Arabia was situated a country called Havilah, abounding in fine gold, in pearls, in aromatic gums, and in precious stones, among which the onyx held a conspicuous place.** Now this country, Moses informs us, was encompassed by the river Pison; and on inspecting the maps both of ancient and modern * The onyx is a precious stone, so called from a Greek word signifying a man's nail, the colour of which it strongly resembles.Editor. The authors of the Septuagint translate the word variously, emerald, topaz, sardonyx, sapphire, beryl; showing that they were unable to determine with precision the substance that is meant.Editor. § Strab. lib. 16, p. 520. Ezekiel xxvii. 22. Diod. lib. 2, p. 161, edit. Wetstenii. **See Harris' Natural History; onyx. |
