River

Hebrew Words

#5104 – nahar (naw-hawr') – נהר

#2975 – ye’or (yeh-ore') – יאור

Definition:
A large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another such stream.

Scripture References

Exodus 1:22 (Shemoth)
“And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, ‘Throw every son who is born into the river, and keep alive every daughter.’”

2 Kings 24:7 (Melaḵim Bĕt)
“And the sovereign of Mitsrayim did not come out of his land again, for the sovereign of Baḇel had taken all that belonged to the sovereign of Mitsrayim from the wadi of Mitsrayim to the River Euphrates.”

2 Chronicles 9:25-26 (Diḇre haYamim Bĕt)
“And Shelomoh had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the sovereign at Yerushalayim. And he ruled over all the sovereigns from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Mitsrayim.”

Psalms 105:41 (Tehillim)
“He opened the rock, and water gushed out; It ran in the dry places, a river.”

Usage of the Words

There are two different words for “river” used in the Scriptures:

• H5104 – nahar: the all-around word for river, used in almost every passage besides the ones using H2975.

• H2975 – ye’or: of Egyptian origin, used in Pharaoh’s dream (interpreted by Joseph), in Exodus when Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew midwives, and during the ten plagues. It also appears in prophetic passages referring to Egypt.

Nahar is found throughout Genesis 2 (rivers flowing out of Eden), Numbers, 1–2 Chronicles, Psalms, and the Prophets.

There is also H6388 – peleg, used in ten passages (Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Job, and Lamentations).

Symbolism of Rivers

A river often marks borders between countries, such as in 2 Chronicles 9:26, where Shelomoh ruled from the Euphrates River “to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Mitsrayim.” Even today, rivers still mark the borders of countries, provinces, and states.

But looking deeper at the Hebrew letters, we find added meaning:

H5104 – Nahar (נהר):

• נ (Nun) – fish

• ה (Hey) – behold, look, light, revelation

• ר (Resh) – head
  Meaning: Look at the Head of the Fish or The Fish Looked at the Head.

H2975 – Ye’or (יאור):

• י (Yod) – arm, hand

• א (Aleph) – ox, strength

• ר (Resh) – head
  Meaning: Strength of the Arm/Hand and the Head, or The Hand is on the Ox Head.

Since ye’or is mainly used for the Nile, it may symbolize its strength and power. But “the hand on the ox head” could also symbolize Yahuah’s humbling hand upon a proud spirit.

Example of Humbling

In the first plague, Yahuah turned the waters of the Nile into blood. The Egyptians could not drink the water from the Nile, even water that was previously stored (Exodus 7:17-25). This was a direct humbling of Egypt’s pride and strength.

Combining both words:

• Ye’or – the Nile as the “Head Strength”

• Nahar – “Look at the Fish of the Head”
  Together, they remind me of the fish of the Nile dying by Yahuah’s hand.

Closing

Rivers in Scripture remind us of strength, boundaries, and Yahuah’s humbling hand. As rivers flow by His hand, so let His living water flow through you—be humble, let Him direct your life, and always look to Him as Head.

I hope this article has deepened your understanding of rivers.

Shalom,
ES