Encyclopedia EDENe'-d'-n (`edhen, delight; Edem): (1) The land in which Yahweh God planted a garden, where upon his creation he put the man whom he had formed (Genesis 2:8). In the Assyrian inscriptions idinu (Accadian, edin) means plain and it is from this that the Biblical word is probably derived. Following are the references to Eden in the Bible, aside from those in Genesis 2 and 3: Genesis 4:16 Isaiah 51:3 Ezekiel 28:13; Ezekiel 31:9, 16, 18; 36:35 Joel 2:3. The Garden of Eden is said to be eastward, in Eden Genesis (2:8); where the vegetation was luxurious (2:9) and the fig tree indigenous (3:7), and where it was watered by irrigation. All kinds of animals, including cattle, beasts of the field and birds, were found there (2:19, 20). Moreover, the climate was such that clothing was not needed for warmth. It is not surprising, therefore, that the plural of the word has the meaning delights, and that Eden has been supposed to mean the land of delights, and that the word became a synonym for Paradise. |