Nile
Where it is
30.09° N, 31.23° E
Coordinates and map: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · drawn without map tiles
Mentioned most in
Counted from 38 references · STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
About this place
The Nile is the longest river in the world and played a crucial role in the history and culture of ancient Egypt. It is mentioned numerous times in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament. In the story of Joseph, the Nile and its canals are the setting for Pharaoh's dreams about the seven years of plenty and seven years of famine (Gen. 41:1-3, 17-18). During the Israelites' bondage in Egypt, the Nile was the site of the miraculous plagues, such as the turning of the water into blood (Exod. 7:17-21) and the emergence of frogs from the river (Exod. 8:3-11). The Nile also played a role in the early life of Moses, who was placed in a basket among the reeds of the river as an infant (Exod. 2:3-5).
The prophets often used the Nile as a symbol of Egypt's power and pride, which would be brought low by God's judgment (Isa. 19:6-8; Jer. 46:7-8; Ezek. 29:3-9; 30:12; Amo.8.8; 9:5; Nah. 3:8; Zech. 10:11). The Nile was also a source of economic prosperity for Egypt, as it provided water for irrigation and served as a major transportation route (Isa. 23:3, 10).
Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
Every mention
38 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
Genesis5 mentions
Genesis 41:1At the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the river.Genesis 41:2Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.Genesis 41:3Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river.Genesis 41:17Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the river;Genesis 41:18and behold, seven fat and sleek cattle came up out of the river. They fed in the marsh grass;
Exodus17 mentions
Exodus 1:22Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”Exodus 2:3When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.Exodus 2:5Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her servant to get it.Exodus 4:9It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take…Exodus 7:15Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, he is going out to the water. You shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him. You shall take the rod which was turned to a serpent in your hand.Exodus 7:17Yahweh says, “In this you shall know that I am Yahweh. Behold: I will strike with the rod that is in my hand on the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.Exodus 7:18The fish that are in the river will die and the river will become foul. The Egyptians will loathe to drink water from the river.”’”Exodus 7:19Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds…Exodus 7:20Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the…Exodus 7:21The fish that were in the river died. The river became foul. The Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river. The blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.Exodus 7:24All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they couldn’t drink the river water.Exodus 7:25Seven days were fulfilled, after Yahweh had struck the river.Exodus 8:3The river will swarm with frogs, which will go up and come into your house, and into your bedroom, and on your bed, and into the house of your servants, and on your people, and into your…Exodus 8:5Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’”Exodus 8:9Moses said to Pharaoh, “I give you the honor of setting the time that I should pray for you, and for your servants, and for your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your…Exodus 8:11The frogs shall depart from you, and from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.”Exodus 17:5Yahweh said to Moses, “Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go.
1 Chronicles1 mention
Isaiah5 mentions
Isaiah 19:6The rivers will become foul. The streams of Egypt will be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags will wither away.Isaiah 19:7The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.Isaiah 19:8The fishermen will lament, and all those who fish in the Nile will mourn, and those who spread nets on the waters will languish.Isaiah 23:3On great waters, the seed of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue. She was the market of nations.Isaiah 23:10Pass through your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish. There is no restraint any more.
Jeremiah3 mentions
Jeremiah 2:18Now what do you gain by going to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Shihor? Or why do you go on the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?Jeremiah 46:7“Who is this who rises up like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?Jeremiah 46:8Egypt rises up like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He says, ‘I will rise up. I will cover the earth. I will destroy cities and its inhabitants.’
Ezekiel3 mentions
Ezekiel 29:3Speak and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the middle of his rivers, that has said, ‘My river is my own, and I…Ezekiel 29:9The land of Egypt will be a desolation and a waste. Then they will know that I am Yahweh. “‘“Because he has said, ‘The river is mine, and I have made it,’Ezekiel 30:12I will make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men. I will make the land desolate, and all that is therein, by the hand of foreigners. I, Yahweh, have spoken it.”
Amos2 mentions
Amos 8:8Won’t the land tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells in it? Yes, it will rise up wholly like the River; and it will be stirred up and sink again, like the River of Egypt.Amos 9:5For the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, is he who touches the land and it melts, and all who dwell in it will mourn; and it will rise up wholly like the River, and will sink again, like the River…
What the dictionary says
Dark; blue, not found in Scripture, but frequently referred to in the Old Testament under the name of Sihor, i.e., “the black stream” (Isa. 23:3; Jer. 2:18)…
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Read the article →Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · www.openbible.info/geo/