River of Egypt

(1.) Heb. nahar mitsraim, denotes in Gen. 15:18 the Nile, or its eastern branch (2 Chr. 9:26). (2.) In Num. 34:5 (R.V., “brook of Egypt”) the Hebrew word is nahal, denoting a stream flowing rapidly in winter, or in the rainy season. This is a desert stream on the borders of Egypt. It is now called the Wady el-‘Arish. The present boundary between Egypt and Palestine is about midway between this wady and Gaza. (See Num. 34:5; Josh. 15:4, 47; 1 Kings 8:65; 2 Kings 24:7; Isa. 27:12; Ezek. 47:19. In all these passages the R.V. has “brook” and the A.V. “river.”)

1. The Nile. (Genesis 15:18) [NILE]

2. A desert stream on the border of Egypt, still occasionally flowing in the valley called Wadi-l-’Areesh . The centre of the valley is occupied by the bed of this torrent, which only flows after rains, as is usual in the desert valleys. This stream is first mentioned as the point where the southern border of the promised land touched the Mediterranean, which formed its western border. (Numbers 34:3-6) In the latter history we find Solomon’s kingdom extending from the "entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt," (1 Kings 8:65) and Egypt limited in the same manner where the loss of the eastern provinces is mentioned. (2 Kings 24:7)

See BROOK OF EGYPT.