Isaiah 37:12

Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed ,.... They have not. But what then? is the God of Israel to be put upon a level with such dunghill gods? so Sennacherib reckoned him, as Rabshakeh before, in his name, Isaiah 36:18 ,

as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden, which were in Telassar . Gozan was the same, it may be, with the Gausanitis of Ptolemy F26 Geograph, l. 5. c. 18. which he makes mention of in his description of Mesopotamia; and the rather, since Haran or Chapman was a city of Mesopotamia, Genesis 11:31 called by Ptolemy by the name of Carrae F1 Ibid. ; and who also, in the same place, makes mention of Rezeph, under the name of Rhescipha; though he likewise speaks of another place in Palmyrene in Syria, called Rhaesapha F2 Ibid. c. 15. , which some think to be the place here intended. Eden was also in Mesopotamia, in the eastern part of which was the garden of Eden; and this Telassar, inhabited by the children of Eden, was a city in that country, which is by Ptolemy F3 lbid. c. 18. called Thelda; though Hillerus F4 Onomast. Sacr. p. 945. is of opinion that the city Thalatha is meant, which is placed F5 Geograph. l. 5. c. 20. near the river Tigris, a river of paradise. A very learned F6 Nichol. Abrami Pharus Vet. Test. l. 2. c. 16. p. 57. men is of opinion, that the Eden, Isaiah here speaks of, belongs either to Syria of Damascus, and to the Lebanon and Paneas from whence Jordan arose; or to Syro-Phoenicia, and the Mediterranean sea, which the name Thalassar shows, as if it was θαλασσα , the Syrians being used to derive not a few of their words from the Greeks: and certain it is, that there is now a village called Eden on Mount Lebanon, which Thevenot F7 Travels, part 1. B. 2. ch. 60. p. 221. mentions; and another, near Damascus, Mr. Maundrell F8 Journey from Aleppo, p. 119, 120. Ed. 7th. speaks of; see Amos 1:5 and Tyre in Phoenicia is called Eden, Ezekiel 28:13 .