Gihon
Dictionary of Bible Names

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Gihon
Bible Meaning: Bursting forth, stream
Strong's Concordance #H1521

Gihon is one of the four rivers that split off the main stream that watered the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:13).

A spring named Gihon, found within the Kidron Valley, was also one of the primary supplies of water to the city of Jerusalem. It was the main source of water for the Pool of Siloam. King Solomon was anointed and proclaimed Israel's new ruler at the spring (1Kings 1).

". . . and the King (David) sent for Zadok the high priest, and Benaiah the captain of the guards: and when they were come, he ordered them to take with them Nathan the prophet, and all the armed men about the palace, and to set his son Solomon upon the king's mule, and to carry him out of the city to the fountain called Gihon, and to anoint him there with the holy oil, and to make him king . . ." (Antiquities of the Jews, book 7, chapter 14, section 5).

Important Verses

Genesis 2:8, 10 - 11, 13
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed . . . And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.


Location of Gihon Spring near King David's Jerusalem Map
Gihon Spring Near City of David

The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold . . . And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

1Kings 1:33, 38, 45
The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your Lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:

So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.

2Chronicles 32:24, 26, 30
In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the Lord: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign . . .

Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them . . .

This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

2Chronicles 33:14
Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.

Additional Studies


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Series Notes
References are based on the
King James Bible translation (KJV).