Topical Bible: Children of Eden

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Topical Encyclopedia

The term "Children of Eden" appears in the Bible as a reference to a group of people associated with the region of Mesopotamia. The mention of the Children of Eden is found in the context of the Assyrian conquests, specifically in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. The Berean Standard Bible provides a clear translation of these references, which are primarily found in the books of 2 Kings and Isaiah.

Biblical References:

1. 2 Kings 19:12 : "Did the gods of the nations my fathers destroyed rescue them—the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?" This verse is part of a message from the Assyrian king Sennacherib, boasting of his conquests and questioning the power of the God of Israel to save Jerusalem from his might. The "people of Eden" here are listed among other regions and peoples that fell to the Assyrian empire.

2. Isaiah 37:12 : "Did the gods of the nations my fathers destroyed rescue them—the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?" This passage mirrors the account in 2 Kings, as Isaiah records the same taunt from Sennacherib. The repetition underscores the historical and theological significance of the Assyrian threat and the ultimate deliverance of Jerusalem by divine intervention.

Historical and Geographical Context:

The "Children of Eden" are associated with the region of Telassar, which is believed to be located in Mesopotamia, possibly near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The exact location of Telassar is not definitively known, but it is thought to be in the vicinity of ancient Assyrian territories. The mention of Eden in this context should not be confused with the Garden of Eden from Genesis. Instead, it refers to a specific group of people or a region known during the time of the Assyrian empire.

Theological Significance:

The references to the Children of Eden in the prophetic books serve as a reminder of the sovereignty of God over the nations. Despite the apparent power and success of the Assyrian empire, the God of Israel is depicted as the ultimate authority who can deliver His people from even the most formidable foes. The inclusion of the Children of Eden among the conquered peoples highlights the futility of relying on false gods and the inevitability of divine justice.

Cultural and Religious Implications:

From a cultural and religious perspective, the mention of the Children of Eden reflects the broader biblical theme of the struggle between the worship of the one true God and the idolatry prevalent among the surrounding nations. The Assyrian conquests, including the subjugation of the Children of Eden, serve as a backdrop for the prophetic messages calling Israel to faithfulness and trust in God's promises.

In summary, the Children of Eden, as mentioned in the Bible, represent a historical group associated with the Assyrian conquests. Their inclusion in the biblical narrative underscores the themes of divine sovereignty, judgment, and the call to exclusive worship of the God of Israel.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Children of Eden

CHILDREN OF EDEN

e'-d'-n (bene `edhen): In 2 Kings 19:12 Isaiah 37:12 "the children of Eden that were in Telassar" are mentioned in connection with "Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph" as having been destroyed by the Assyrians who were before the time of Sennacherib. The expression, "the children of Eden that were in Telassar," undoubtedly referred to a tribe which inhabited a region of which Telassar was the center. Telassar means "the hill of Asshur" and, according to Schrader, it was a name that might have been given to any place where a temple had been built to Asshur. Inasmuch as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph were in Mesopotamia it would seem probable that "the children of Eden that were in Telassar" belonged to the same locality. The "children of Eden" is quite probably to be identified with the Bit `Adini of the inscriptions and this referred to a district on the middle Euphrates. According to the inscriptions Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and Bit `Adini were destroyed by Sennacherib's forefathers, and this is in accord with the account in 2 Kings and Isaiah.

The "Eden" of Ezekiel 27:23 is usually taken as the name of a place in Mesopotamia with which Tyre had commercial relations, and probably belongs to the region of "the chilrden of Eden," discussed above.

Some writers think the "Beth-eden" of Amos 1:5 the Revised Version, margin (the American Standard Revised Version "Aven") is to be identified with the Bit `Adini of the inscriptions and hence, with "the children of Eden," but this is doubtful. This was perhaps in Syria in the neighborhood of Damascus.

A. W. Fortune

Library

Deliverance from Assyria
... Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as
Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar? ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 30 deliverance from assyria.htm

The Beginning of Things. Away Back in the Beginning of Things God ...
... his children may rest and worship. Adam and Eve were very happy, for they had never
done anything wrong. God gave them a beautiful wide garden, called Eden, ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter i the beginning of.htm

Heaven's Nurse Children
... Like the golden-sanded river which had its rise in Eden, electing love ... according
to the inspired apostle, "predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/heavens nurse children.htm

They Shall be Called the Children of God
... Compare the children of God with Adam in a state of innocence. ... He was placed
in the garden of Eden which was a paradise of pleasure. ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/19 they shall be called.htm

The Coming of a Deliverer
... given to Adam and Eve in the sentence pronounced upon the serpent in Eden when the ...
the power of Christ to save, they might become once more the children of God ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 58 the coming of.htm

Jesus and Abraham.
... in Eden was a case of attempted murder, and has resulted in all the murders of earth,
and the spiritual death of myriads. They (the Jews) were the children of ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/jesus and abraham.htm

God's Good Gifts to Man
The Children's Bible. ... And Jehovah planted a garden in Eden, far in the East; and
out of the ground he made grow all kinds of trees that are pleasant to look at ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/gods good gifts to man.htm

Visions of Future Glory
... interest, are these delineations of the things to come"events for which, since our
first parents turned their steps from Eden, God's children have watched ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 60 visions of future.htm

Why Jesus came to this World
... Then he will turn them out of Eden, and they and their children will be
my servants for ever, and I shall be king of the world.'. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/the good shepherd/chapter i why jesus came.htm

On Fruit Bearing.
... the church which the Lord will comfort and whose wilderness will be made an Eden. ...
The children of Israel were the church of God in the old dispensation, and he ...
/.../orr/food for the lambs or helps for young christians/on fruit bearing.htm