The Garden of Eden. A Portrait of Paradise and the Pattern for God’s Dwelling

Genesis 2:10–14 (NASB95) 

10Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. 11The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 

Reading the description of Eden, we discover a garden overflowing with life, beauty, and abundance. What stands out in this section is not only the fertile river that waters Eden and then branches into four mighty streams, but also the rich mention of gold, precious stones, and aromatic resins. The text slows to let us savor the vivid details of this paradise, painting a picture of a habitat that is both bountiful and splendid—a place where every need is met and beauty abounds. Even though the precise geographical location of Eden remains a mystery, the narrative’s intent is clear: God prepared a sanctuary that was lush, life-giving, and adorned with treasures, the ideal environment for His image-bearers. 

With these verses, we begin to see more clearly what God made. Eden is not just a garden; it is a sacred space, a prototype of later sanctuaries and a foreshadowing of God’s ultimate intentions for creation. The same language and images—rivers, trees, gold, onyx, and aromatic resins—reappear throughout Scripture whenever God’s dwelling place is described. The tabernacle in the wilderness, the temple in Jerusalem, and even the New Jerusalem in Revelation are depicted with rivers of life, precious stones, and flourishing trees. For example, Ezekiel’s vision of the temple features a river flowing from God’s presence, bringing life wherever it goes, and Revelation’s final vision places a river of life at the center of the new creation, flanked by the tree of life, echoing Eden’s design. 

These parallels show that Eden was the original meeting place of heaven and earth, a greater temple where God dwelt with humanity. The abundance of gold and precious stones in Eden is mirrored in the tabernacle’s furnishings and priestly garments, reinforcing the garden’s role as the first sanctuary, a place of divine presence, communion, and worship. The rivers flowing from Eden not only nourished the garden but signified blessing, fruitfulness, and the extension of God’s goodness to the whole world. 

God’s first sanctuary was a place of beauty, abundance, and life, designed for a relationship with Him. The church is called to reflect Eden’s pattern—not only in caring for creation, but in cultivating communities where God’s presence is central, life flourishes, and blessing overflows to the world around us. As we see these echoes from Genesis to Revelation, may we long for and labor toward a world where every place becomes a dwelling for God’s Spirit, and where His people live as faithful stewards of His gifts, anticipating the day when paradise will be fully restored.