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In Mesopotamian tradition the world tree grows on a divine mountain at the center of the world, where the gods live in a sacred garden. Ezekiel echoes that tradition, placing the king of Tyre in Eden, the garden of God on the mountain of God.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Epic of Gilgamesh V 6
Ancient Near East, Babylonian
4 Where Ḫumbaba came and went there was a track, 5 the paths were in good order and the way was well trodden. 6 They were gazing at the Cedar Mountain, 7 the dwelling of the gods, the throne-dais of the goddesses, 8 [on the] very face of the mountain the cedar was offering its abundance, 9 sweet was its shade, full of delight. 10 [Thick] tangled was the thorn, the forest a shrouding canopy, 11 cedars and gum trees, [all entwined,] left no way in. 12 For a league on all sides cedars [lifts up] saplings, 13 cypresses [grew thick] for two-thirds of a league.
Date: 2100 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Ezekiel 28:13
Hebrew Bible
12 “Son of man, sing a lament for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘You were the sealer of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared. 14 I placed you there with an anointed guardian cherub; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked about amidst fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your behavior from the day you were created, until sin was discovered in you.
Date: 6th century BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
... GARDEN OF GOD. A phrase occurring only in Ezekiel 28:13 and 31:8-9. The similar phrase gan-yhwh, "garden of Yahweh," appears in similes in Genesis 13:10 and Isaiah 51:3. Both phrases indicate a place of great luxury. However, the notion of a divine garden is not restricted to biblical material. References are found throughout ancient Near Eastern literature. Descriptions of the gardens in ancient Near Eastern literature mention springs, trees possessing divine attributes, and the overall beauty and fertility of the place. The trees on "the cedar mountain, the dwelling of the gods" mentioned in the Gilgamesh Epic, are said to be luxuriant. No mortal is intended to enter there. In the biblical material, Ezekiel 31:2-18 compares Pharaoh to a great tree. Verse 9b states that "all the trees of Eden which are in the garden of God" became jealous of the tree which represented Pharaoh ...
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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