Mesopotamia: The country between the two rivers (Heb. Aram-naharaim; i.e., "Syria
of the two rivers"), the name given by the Greeks and Romans to the
region between the Euphrates and the Tigris
(Genesis 24:10; Deuteronomy 23:4)
(Judges 3:8,10) In the Old Testament it is mentioned also under the
name "Padan-aram;" i.e., the plain of Aram, or Syria
(Genesis 25:20) The
northern portion of this fertile plateau was the original home of the
ancestors of the Hebrews
(Genesis 11:1)ff
(Acts 7:2) From this region
Isaac obtained his wife Rebecca
(Genesis 24:10,15) and here also Jacob
sojourned
(Genesis 28:2-7) and obtained his wives, and here most of his
sons were born
(Genesis 35:26; 46:15) The petty, independent tribes of
this region, each under its own prince, were warlike, and used
chariots in battle. They maintained their independence till after the
time of David, when they fell under the dominion of Assyria, and were
absorbed into the empire
(2 Kings 19:13)
