rivers in the Bible

Rivers are mentioned often in the Bible. The Bible search tool I use says that there are 188 uses of the word, "river" in the Bible. Many of them seem trivial, landmarks. Here are some of the scriptural occurrences, some not so trivial:

Genesis 2 speaks of one river coming out of Eden, and splitting into four rivers.

Genesis 15:18 prophecies that Abraham's offspring will control the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates. There are similar statements in Deuteronomy 11:4 and Joshua 1:4.

In Genesis 41, Pharaoh described his dream of the future famine, in which dream cows by the river are symbolic.

In Exodus 1 and 2, baby Moses is set afloat on the river (apparently the Nile)

In Exodus 4-8, some of the plagues sent on the Egyptians involved a river, most likely the Nile.

The crossing of the Jordan river, arguably one of the highlights of the Old Testament, is described in Joshua 2-4.

Joshua 24 has three warnings about serving gods from beyond the river.

There are several instances where a river (sometimes not name, hence understood by the audience) is used as a border. For example, see 1 Kings 4:21-24.

In 1 Kings 5, Naaman of Syria complains when Elisha tells him to wash seven times in the Jordan, rather than washing in the rivers of Syria.

In 2 Kings 18:11 and 1 Chronicles 5:26, the captured Israelites are placed next to the Gozan river.

There are several references to "beyond the river" in Ezra and Nehemiah.

Psalm 46:4 "There is a river, the streams of which make the city of God glad, the holy place of the tents of the Most High."

There are several references to restoring the land, and its rivers, in Isaiah. Here's one such: Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you. This chapter also says that God can create rivers in the desert.

Ezekiel 47 tells about a river that will flow out of the temple, and will have abundant trees along it, and abundant fish in it.

Amos 5:24 was used in Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech: "But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

Mark 2 tells of the ministry of John the Baptist, who baptized Christ in the Jordan river.

Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit in John 7:38 “... He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.”

In Acts 16, the first converts in Europe joined with Paul and his fellows at a place of prayer on a river.

The final chapter of the Bible refers to a river: Revelation 22:1 He showed me a[a] river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (See reference to Ezekiel, above)

Crossing the Jordan, Christ being baptized in that same river, the Holy Spirit being promised, the conversion of Lydia, and the abundant riverside in the Final Kingdom are not so trivial. May you and I experience that last instance! Thanks for reading.