Euphrates

Euphrates
   Hebrew, Perath; Assyrian, Purat; Persian cuneiform, Ufratush, whence Greek Euphrates, meaning "sweet water." The Assyrian name means "the stream," or "the great stream." It is generally called in the Bible simply "the river" (Ex. 23:31), or "the great river" (Deut. 1:7).
   The Euphrates is first mentioned in Gen. 2:14 as one of the rivers of Paradise. It is next mentioned in connection with the covenant which God entered into with Abraham (15:18), when he promised to his descendants the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates (comp. Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:4), a covenant promise afterwards fulfilled in the extended conquests of David (2 Sam. 8:2-14; 1 Chr. 18:3; 1 Kings 4:24). It was then the boundary of the kingdom to the north-east. In the ancient history of Assyria, and Babylon, and Egypt many events are recorded in which mention is made of the "great river." Just as the Nile represented in prophecy the power of Egypt, so the Euphrates represented the Assyrian power (Isa. 8:7; Jer. 2:18).
   It is by far the largest and most important of all the rivers of Western Asia. From its source in the Armenian mountains to the Persian Gulf, into which it empties itself, it has a course of about 1,700 miles. It has two sources, (1) the Frat or Kara-su (i.e., "the black river"), which rises 25 miles north-east of Erzeroum; and (2) the Muradchai (i.e., "the river of desire"), which rises near Ararat, on the northern slope of Ala-tagh. At Kebban Maden, 400 miles from the source of the former, and 270 from that of the latter, they meet and form the majestic stream, which is at length joined by the Tigris at Koornah, after which it is called Shat-el-Arab, which runs in a deep and broad stream for above 140 miles to the sea. It is estimated that the alluvium brought down by these rivers encroaches on the sea at the rate of about one mile in thirty years.

Easton's Bible Dictionary. . 1897.

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  • EUPHRATES — (Heb. פְּרָת; Dead Sea Scrolls Pwrt; from Akk. Purattu and Sumerian Buranun), the longest river (c. 1,700 mi., 2,700 km.) in Western Asia. In texts from the third millennium B.C.E. from Mari the river occurs as a deity. From its sources in… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Euphrates — prop. n. an Asia river flowing into the Persian Gulf. Syn: Euphrates River. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Euphrates — Euphrates, der zweite bekannte Bischof von Köln, stammte wohl aus dem Osten. Er war Nachfolger des Maternus und dürfte zwischen dem Ende der 320er Jahre und der Mitte der 340er Jahre in Köln Bischof gewesen sein. Er nahm am Konzil von Serdica… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Euphrates — O.E. Eufrate, from Gk. Euphrates, from O.Pers. Ufratu, perhaps from Avestan huperethuua good to cross over, from hu good + peretu ford. But Kent says probably a popular etymologizing in O.P. of a local non Iranian name [ Old Persian, p.176]. In… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Euphrates — Euphrates, Fluß, s. Euphrat …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Euphrātes — Euphrātes, 1) E., aus Alexandria, Stoiker, Verehrer des Apollonios von Tyana, bald aber dessen bitterer Feind; lebte theils in Syrien, theils am Hofe des Kaisers Hadrian. 2) E., angeblicher Stifter der Ophiten …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Euphrates — [yo͞o frāt′ēz] river flowing from EC Turkey generally southward through Syria & Iraq, joining the Tigris to form the Shatt al Arab: c. 1,700 mi (2,736 km) …   English World dictionary

  • Euphrates — For the song River Euphrates by the Pixies, see Surfer Rosa. Coordinates: 31°0′18″N 47°26′31″E / 31.005°N 47.44194°E / 31 …   Wikipedia

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  • EUPHRATES —    Together with the Tigris, the most important river that defined the borders of Mesopotamia. The Euphrates has its source in the mountains of Anatolia, which receive substantial amounts of snowfall in the winter. The river was called purattu in …   Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia

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