גַּן
Gan
Garden, enclosed garden
Gan (גַּן) is a Hebrew word meaning “garden, enclosed garden,” pronounced “GAHN.” Derived from the root ג-נ-ן, gan appears 42 times in the Hebrew Bible (Strong's H1588).
| Hebrew | גַּן |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | Gan |
| Pronunciation | GAHN |
| Meaning | Garden, enclosed garden |
| Root Letters | ג-נ-ן |
| Occurrences in Hebrew Bible | 42× |
| Key Verse | Genesis 2:8 |
| Strong's Number | H1588 |
| Category | Nature & Creation |
God is a gardener. That is the very first thing the Bible tells us about God's relationship with the world: 'The LORD God planted a gan (גַּן) in Eden' (Genesis 2:8). Before God was known as warrior, judge, or king, He was known as the one who plants gardens. A gan in Hebrew is not a wild field but an enclosed, cultivated, protected space — a place of intentional beauty and abundant provision. The word carries intimacy: Song of Solomon 4:12 calls the beloved 'a gan enclosed, a spring sealed,' using the garden as a metaphor for sacred, exclusive love. The Bible's most devastating moment happens in a garden (Eden's fall in Genesis 3), and so does its most glorious moment (the resurrection in John 19:41 — 'there was a garden in the place where He was crucified'). Jesus began His passion in the garden of Gethsemane and was mistaken for the gardener at the empty tomb (John 20:15). This was no accident — He is the new Adam, restoring what was lost in the first gan. The entire biblical story is a journey from a garden lost to a garden restored, from Gan Eden to the garden-city of Revelation 22.
Key Bible Verse: Genesis 2:8
“And the LORD God planted a garden (gan) in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
What Is the Root of Gan in Hebrew?
Gan comes from the root ג-נ-ן, meaning 'to protect, to cover, to enclose.' A gan is not wild nature but a cultivated, protected space — a walled garden. This etymology reveals that God's garden was a place of both beauty and security, provision and protection.
What Does Gan Mean in the Bible?
Gan appears approximately 42 times in the Hebrew Bible. It refers to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3), royal gardens (Esther 1:5, 2 Kings 21:18), the garden imagery in Song of Solomon (4:12-16), and the prophetic restoration of Israel 'like the garden of the LORD' (Isaiah 51:3).
How Is Gan Used in Modern Hebrew?
The Baha'i Gardens in Haifa, Israel, are a modern world wonder of terraced garden design. Israeli kibbutzim have famously 'made the desert bloom.' The phrase 'Gan Eden' (Garden of Eden) is used in Jewish tradition for both paradise and the afterlife.
How to Use Gan in Prayer & Worship
Invite God the Gardener into the soil of your heart. Ask Him to plant, cultivate, prune, and bring forth fruit in your life. Remember that even after the greatest devastation, God promises to make your ruins 'like the garden of the LORD' (Isaiah 51:3).
Frequently Asked Questions About Gan
How do you say “Garden” in Hebrew?
“Garden” in Hebrew is Gan (גַּן), pronounced “GAHN.” Gan comes from the root ג-נ-ן, meaning 'to protect, to cover, to enclose.' A gan is not wild nature but a cultivated, protected space — a walled garden. This etymology reveals that God's garden was a place of both beauty and security, provision and protection.
What does Gan mean in the Bible?
Gan (גַּן) means “Garden, enclosed garden” in Biblical Hebrew. Gan appears approximately 42 times in the Hebrew Bible. It refers to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3), royal gardens (Esther 1:5, 2 Kings 21:18), the garden imagery in Song of Solomon (4:12-16), and the prophetic restoration of Israel 'like the garden of the LORD' (Isaiah 51:3).
How do you pronounce Gan?
Gan is pronounced “GAHN.” The word comes from the Hebrew root ג-נ-ן.
What does the Garden of Eden represent?
Gan Eden represents God's original design for human life: intimate relationship with God, abundant provision, meaningful work, and harmony with creation. It was a 'temple-garden' where heaven and earth overlapped and God walked with humanity. The loss of Eden drives the entire biblical narrative toward restoration — God's plan to make the whole earth a garden-temple once again.
Why was Jesus in a garden before His crucifixion and after His resurrection?
The garden of Gethsemane (where Jesus prayed before His arrest) and the garden tomb (where He was buried and rose) form a deliberate parallel with the Garden of Eden. Where Adam failed in a garden, Jesus succeeded. Where the first garden brought death, the last garden brought resurrection. The garden bookends of Jesus' passion reveal Him as the new Adam who restores what Eden lost.
What does the garden mean in Song of Solomon?
In Song of Solomon 4:12-16, the beloved is called 'a garden enclosed' (gan na'ul) — a private, protected, intimate space. The garden imagery represents exclusive covenantal love, sacred intimacy, and fruitful beauty. On a spiritual level, Jewish and Christian traditions have read the garden as a metaphor for the soul that is cultivated by divine love.
Sources & Further Study
- Blue Letter Bible — H1588: Gan
- Bible Gateway — Genesis 2:8 (ESV)
- Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB) — entry for ג-נ-ן
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