Gwen Frangs / Cambridge, UK / 10 February 2022
In Ezekiel 28:13 the Holy Spirit speaking through the prophet Ezekiel makes it clear that Eden itself is the Garden of Eden:
You were in Eden,k
the garden of God;l
every precious stonem adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoisen and beryl.b
Your settings and mountingsc were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.o
Ezekiel 28:13 NIV
This means that Genesis 2:8 needs to be interpreted as saying that Eden was in the east. The verse is not saying that the garden was in the east of Eden, but that Eden itself is in the east.
The verse is not saying that the Garden was only a small part of Eden. The sense in Genesis 2:8 is that the garden was planted in the area that was known as Eden and, according to Ezekiel 28:13, the garden filled the entire area that was Eden.
This means that Genesis 2:10 needs to be understood to be saying that the river came up from Eden in order to water Eden itself, and not a garden in Eden, because Eden was the garden.
The location of Eden – a translation of Genesis 2:10 discusses the geographical location of Eden.