Gihon

Gihon
   A stream.
   1) One of the four rivers of Eden (Gen. 2:13). It has been identified with the Nile. Others regard it as the Oxus, or the Araxes, or the Ganges. But as, according to the sacred narrative, all these rivers of Eden took their origin from the head-waters of the Euphrates and the Trigris, it is probable that the Gihon is the ancient Araxes, which, under the modern name of the Arras, discharges itself into the Caspian Sea. It was the Asiatic and not the African "Cush" which the Gihon compassed (Gen. 10:7-10). (See Eden.)
   2) The only natural spring of water in or near Jerusalem is the "Fountain of the Virgin" (q.v.), which rises outside the city walls on the west bank of the Kidron valley. On the occasion of the approach of the Assyrian army under Sennacherib, Hezekiah, in order to prevent the besiegers from finding water, "stopped the upper water course of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David" (2 Chr. 32:30; 33:14). This "fountain" or spring is therefore to be regarded as the "upper water course of Gihon." From this "fountain" a tunnel cut through the ridge which forms the south part of the temple hill conveys the water to the Pool of Siloam, which lies on the opposite side of this ridge at the head of the Tyropoeon ("cheesemakers'") valley, or valley of the son of Hinnom, now filled up by rubbish. The length of this tunnel is about 1,750 feet. In 1880 an inscription was accidentally discovered on the wall of the tunnel about nineteen feet from where it opens into the Pool of Siloam. This inscription was executed in all probability by Hezekiah's workmen. It briefly narrates the history of the excavation. It may, however, be possible that this tunnel was executed in the time of Solomon. If the "waters of Shiloah that go softly" (Isa. 8:6) refers to the gentle stream that still flows through the tunnel into the Pool of Siloam, then this excavation must have existed before the time of Hezekiah.
   In the upper part of the Tyropoeoan valley there are two pools still existing, the first, called Birket el-Mamilla, to the west of the Jaffa gate; the second, to the south of the first, called Birket es-Sultan. It is the opinion of some that the former was the "upper" and the latter the "lower" Pool of Gihon (2 Kings 18:17; Isa. 7:3; 36:2; 22:9). (See Conduit; Siloam, Tower of.)

Easton's Bible Dictionary. . 1897.

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  • Gihon — oder Gichon ist der Name eines Stromes, welcher im 1. Mose 2,11 in der Bibel erwähnt wird. „Ein Strom entspringt in Eden, der den Garten bewässert; dort teilt er sich und wird zu vier Hauptflüssen. Der eine heißt Pischon; er ist es, der das ganze …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gihon — (a. Geogr.), 1) einer der Flüsse des Paradieses, nach der gewöhnlichen Annahme der nachherige Oxos, jetzt Dschihun; 2) die Quelle des im Westen von Jerusalem gelegenen Thales u. dann dieses ganze Thal, im Gegensatz zu Kidron; 3) (n. Geogr.), so v …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Gihon — (hebr. Gichon, »Sprudel«), nach 1. Mos. 2,13 einer der vier Ströme des Paradieses. Orientalische Schriftsteller vermuten darin den Fluß Amu Darja (Oxus oder Araxes), andre den Nil; auch Quelle im W. Jerusalems, deren Wasser von Hiskia in die… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Gihon — (hebr., »Strudel«), einer der vier Ströme des Paradieses (1 Mos. 2, 13). – G., Quelle und Tal nahe bei Jerusalem (2 Chron. 32, 30), heute »Treppenquelle« …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • GIHON — fons in occidentali Davidicae civitatis parte 1. Reg. c. 1. v. 33. 2. Par. c. 32. v. 30. Ioh. c. 9. v. 7 …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Gihon — For the Okinawan king, see Gihon (Ryukyu). :: For the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem, see Gihon Spring .Gihon is the name of a river first mentioned in the second chapter of the Biblical book of Genesis. The Gihon is mentioned as one of four rivers… …   Wikipedia

  • Gihon — Le Geon ou Gihon, mosaïque des quatre fleuves, chapelle de l ancien palais épiscopal de Die Gihôn (en hébreu : גִּיחוֹן, Gi hon) est un fleuve mentionné dans la Bible, dans le deuxième chapitre de la Genèse (Gn II …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gihon Spring — For the river mentioned in Genesis, see Gihon. The Gihon Spring was the main source of water for Ophel, the original site of Jerusalem. Three main water systems allowed water to be brought from the spring to the city under cover: *The Middle… …   Wikipedia

  • Gihon (Ryukyu) — nihongo|Gihon|義本|(c. 1206 c. 1260) was a king [Though all chief leaders of Okinawa beginning with Shunten (c. 1166 c. 1237) are commonly referred to by the title of King , historian George Kerr points out that it is misleading to attribute full… …   Wikipedia

  • Gihon — 1) One of the four rivers in Eden (Gen. 2:13). 2) A spring in Jerusalem which supplied water to the city; the scene of the anointing of Solomon (1 Kgs. 1:33). Hezekiah in 701 BCE had a tunnel constructed to convey water from the spring to the… …   Dictionary of the Bible

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