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חִדֶּקֶל

𐤇𐤃𐤒𐤋

Chideqel

H2313 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain; proper name of a river

Definition

The proper name of a major river, specifically the Hiddekel (identified with the Tigris), one of the four rivers described as flowing from the garden of Eden in biblical tradition. The form חִדֶּקֶל serves as a geographic term referring to this waterway, functioning as a toponym without additional lexical meaning beyond its status as a river name.

Semantic Range

proper noun designating a river (the Tigris), geographic name; without secondary or transferred senses

Root / Etymology

The term חִדֶּקֶל is likely of foreign (non-Hebrew) origin, most plausibly Akkadian, from the Akkadian idiqlat, equivalent to the river known today as the Tigris. The root is therefore uncertain or non-Semitic, and the name is likely a transliteration and adaptation into Hebrew script and phonology.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חִדֶּקֶל occurs in Genesis 2:14, describing one of the four rivers flowing from Eden, and in Daniel 10:4, as a location of a visionary experience. In both texts, it serves as a geographic designation rather than conveying descriptive semantic content. In later periods—including in the Septuagint and Vulgate—the term is transliterated as Tigris (Gr. Τίγρις, Lat. Tigris). The name does not appear to have any known meaning in Hebrew and is maintained as a proper noun in translation traditions. In modern geography, this river is the Tigris, which with the Euphrates forms the core waterways of ancient Mesopotamia. No evidence suggests the term took on broader meaning or application beyond its use as a river name. The use of 'Hiddekel' in some English translations reflects an attempt at direct transliteration from Hebrew rather than following the more common classical form, Tigris.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably of foreign origin; the Chiddekel (or Tigris) river; Hiddekel.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

uncertain (uncertain) — proper name of a river

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar
H1114 בִּלְשָׁן Bilshan
H1150 בִּנְעָא Bin'a
H116 אֱדַיִן and then

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2313-02 חִדֶּ֔קֶל chideqel HNp Hiddekel Hiddekel River 1
H2313-01 חִדָּֽקֶל chidaqel HNp the Tigris Hiddekel 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2313-02 Genesis 2:14 חִדֶּ֔קֶל chideqel HNp Hiddekel Hiddekel River
H2313-01 Daniel 10:4 חִדָּֽקֶל chidaqel HNp the Tigris Hiddekel
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