Bible Dictionaries
Beyond the River

Holman Bible Dictionary

A phrase that refers to the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. From the perspective of those living in Palestine, “beyond the river” meant on the east side of the Euphrates River. The expression is often used when speaking of the ancestral home of the patriarchs (Joshua 24:3 ,Joshua 24:3,24:14-15; KJV has “on the other side of the flood”). From the perspective of those living in Persia, “beyond the river” meant on the west side of the Euphrates River. Darius I, the great organizer of the Persian empire, named his fifth satraphy “Beyond the River” (Ebir-nari). This satrapy included Syria and Palestine. The official Persian usage is reflected in the Books of Ezra (Ezekiel 4:10-20; Ezekiel 5:3 ,Ezekiel 5:3,5:6; Ezekiel 6:6 ,Ezekiel 6:6,6:8 ,Ezekiel 6:8,6:13; Ezekiel 7:21 ,Ezekiel 7:21,7:25; Ezekiel 8:36 ) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:7 ,Nehemiah 2:7,2:9; Nehemiah 3:7 ).