Eden

Etymology

From the Hebrew 'eden' (עֵדֶן), meaning delight or pleasure. Related to the Sumerian 'edin' (plain, steppe). The Garden of Eden was not named 'Paradise' in Hebrew — it was named 'Delight.'

Who they were

Eden was the garden God planted as humanity's first home — a place of abundance, beauty, and unbroken relationship with God. Four rivers flowed from it. Every tree was pleasing to the eye and good for food. God walked there in the cool of the day. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they were exiled from Eden, and cherubim with flaming swords guarded the way back. The rest of the Bible can be read as the long journey home. The prophets promise Eden's restoration: Ezekiel envisions a river flowing from the temple that makes everything it touches alive, and the trees on its banks bear fruit every month. Revelation ends with the tree of life restored and the river of life flowing through the new Jerusalem. Eden is the beginning and the end — the first garden and the last city. As a name it carries the ache of paradise lost and the hope of paradise restored. It speaks of delight, not as superficial pleasure, but as the deep satisfaction of being exactly where you were meant to be.

Character qualities

• Place of original delight
• Lost and longed for
• Promised to return

Where they appear

Themes

Variants & related forms

Edena · Edyn

Related names