The Garden of Eden almost seems like a magical place where humans were meant to live forever – but why haven’t we been able to find it since Adam and Eve were kicked out of it?
Many people think that the Bible points to it being somewhere in the Middle East based on the rivers Tigris and Euphrates being mentioned in Genesis 2, but that may not actually be accurate…
Let’s jump into the Bible and hunt down the Garden of Eden!
Decoding the creation of the Garden of Eden
Genesis 2:8-14 describes the Garden of Eden’s creation, and mentions two rivers we still know today: Tigris and Euphrates.
14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
Genesis 2:14, NIV
You’d think that would give us a pretty accurate idea of where the Garden of Eden is, and the Garden would likely have been quite massive (more like an acreage than a garden)…
So why can’t we find it?
Some suggest that the Garden of Eden was on a different plane of existence, but that wouldn’t make sense since God created it while He was making Earth.
And, God sent a cherubim to guard its entrance, suggesting that people could still try to get in during the time Adam and Eve were kicked out:
24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:24, NIV
The thing many forget however, is the catastrophic flood that nearly destroyed the earth…
The Flood Factor
Theologian John Calvin brings up an interesting point: the description of where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are in Genesis 2 does not match up to their locations today.
The Bible clearly says that the Garden of Eden is in the vicinity of these two rivers plus the Pishon and Gihon rivers, and yet there is no geological location that matches this description.
This leads us to think that the Earth’s surface changed – and what better force to change the Earth’s surface than a violent flood?
The Great Flood of Noah covered the entire world, and it’s a fascinating perspective on how the world physically changed in those days.
Of course, that makes it really difficult to pinpoint where the Garden of Eden could even have been.
Reconsidering river names
Names of places were changing all the time, and the post-flood era was ripe for naming different regions.
Something to consider is that Noah and his family landed in where the Middle East is today, and named two rivers there “Tigris” and “Euphrates” as familiar names from where they were per-flood.
This would make sense, since the description of the locations of the Tigris and Euphrates river from Genesis don’t line up at all with today’s geography.
The mystery of the Garden of Eden: final thoughts
The quest to find the Garden of Eden remains a captivating journey.
Maybe one day we’ll find it far away from the Middle East, where many think it is now.
Regardless, we wouldn’t be able to enter with a powerful cherubim guarding it!
The location of the Garden of Eden is ultimately unknown, with potential changes of river names since the old Biblical times or changes of the Earth’s surface due to Noah’s Flood making it very tricky to find.
Either way, I doubt we’ll find out where it is before we reach heaven!
Please send us a message if you have any questions!
FAQs
The Garden of Eden’s location is unknown, and there is evidence against the suggestions that it was located in the Middle East.
No, the creation of the Garden of Eden was on Earth when God created it, and it was locked away from humankind when Adam and Eve first sinned. However, it is a divine place, and may have been moved to a different plane after the fall of mankind.
It will likely take many more years to find further evidence of where the Garden of Eden was/is, and it’s unlikely that we will find it after the catastrophic Flood of Noah.