A river running through the land of Cush; one of the four rivers flowing from the Garden of Eden.
About Gihon (of Eden)
Site in Jerusalem where Solomon was anointed as king (1 Kgs 1:33, 38, 45). There are two sources of running water in Jerusalem: The first is the Ain Umm el Daraj’ (also known as the spring of the Mother of Steps, in the OT as Gihon, and to Christians as the Virgin’s Fountain), which lies at the eastern ridge. The second is Bir ’Ayub, or the well of Job. The importance of the spring of Gihon for the defense of Jerusalem in time of siege is emphasized by Hezekiah’s measures to deny his enemies access to the water supply and provide access for those who defended the city (2 Kgs 20:20; 2 Chr 32:30; cf. 2 Kgs 25:4; 2 Chr 32:3–4; Is 7:3). Hezekiah’s tunnel brought the waters from the spring of Gihon in the Kidron Valley (eastern) into the central valley where the present-day pool of Siloam is located. The spring was unable to supply all of Jerusalem’s needs after the exile, and in the Roman period aqueducts were built to bring additional water.
See also Siloam, Pool of.
Key References
The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.
All Scripture References (6)
Genesis (1)
The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.
1 Kings (3)
“Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.
Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.
Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there with rejoicing that rings out in the city. That is the noise you hear.
2 Chronicles (2)
It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Spring of Gihon and channeled it down to the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did.
After this, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and he brought it around the hill of Ophel and heightened it considerably. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.