H1521 H1521
Gihon -- (1) a river of Eden; (2) the spring near Jerusalem used for royal anointing
Gihon (meaning 'a bursting forth,' from the root g-y-ch 'to gush') names two distinct water sources in Scripture. The first is one of the four rivers of Eden (Gen 2:13), said to wind through the land of Cush -- its precise identification has long been debated. The second is the famous spring east of Jerusalem, today identified with the 'Virgin's Spring' (Ain Umm ed-Daraj), whose waters Hezekiah later channeled through his celebrated tunnel (2 Chr 32:30). It is at this Gihon that Solomon was anointed king (1 Kgs 1:33, 38, 45), deliberately outside the city walls in a public ceremony. Spanish Gihon, French Gihon, and German Gihon/Gichon all preserve the toponym with minimal variation.
Senses
1. Gihon — The proper name Gihon, referring to two distinct water sources: (1) one of the four rivers of Eden (Gen 2:13), whose course through 'the land of Cush' has generated centuries of geographical debate, and (2) the spring near Jerusalem -- the principal water source of ancient Zion -- where Solomon was anointed king (1 Kgs 1:33, 38, 45) and whose upper waters Hezekiah redirected via tunnel into the city (2 Chr 32:30; 33:14). The etymological meaning 'a bursting forth' aptly describes a spring. Cross-lingual evidence is fully uniform, with every language preserving the name as a direct transliteration. 6×
AR["إِلَى-جِيحُونَ", "جِيحُونَ", "جِيحُونُ", "فِي-جِيحُونَ"]·ben["গীহোন", "গীহোনে", "গীহোনে।", "গীহোনের", "গীহোনের-দিকে"]·DE["Gichon", "Gihon", "[גיחון]", "[לגיחון]", "bei-Gihon"]·EN["Gihon", "at-Gihon", "to-Gihon"]·FR["Gihon", "[גיחון]", "[לגיחון]", "à-Gihon"]·heb["ב-גיחון", "גיחון", "ל-גיחון"]·HI["गीहोन", "गीहोन-के", "गीहोन-के-लिए", "गीहोन-में"]·ID["Gihon", "di-Gihon", "ke-Gihon"]·IT["Gihon", "[גיחון]", "[לגיחון]", "a-Gihon"]·jav["Gihon", "ing-Gihon", "kanggé-Gihon"]·KO["기혼", "기혼에서", "기혼으로", "기혼의", "으로-기혼"]·PT["Gihon", "Giom", "de-Gihon", "em-Gihon"]·RU["Гихон", "Гихона", "Гихону", "в-Гихоне", "к-Гихону"]·ES["Gihón", "Guijón", "en-Guijón", "hacia-Guijón"]·SW["Gihoni", "giychwon", "lgiychwon"]·TR["Gihon", "Gihon'a", "Gihon'da", "Gihon'un"]·urd["جیحون", "جیحون-تک", "جیحون-میں", "جیحون-کے"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† גִּיחוֹן n.pr.fl. (a bursting forth)— 1. one of the rivers of Eden Gn 2:13 (on theories of identity v. Comm.; also SmithDict. Bible Schaff-HerzogArt. Eden SpurrellText of Gen. ad loc. RiHWB). 2. spring of water near Jerusalem: גִּחוֹן 1 K 1:33, 38, 45, מֵימֵי גִוחוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן 2 Ch 32:30, לְגִיחוֹן בַּנַּחַל 2 Ch 33:14;—there are two main theories as to locality: a. W. of Jerusalem, connected…