Nahar (H5104) is the standard Hebrew word for river. The four rivers of Eden (Genesis 2) and the great rivers of ancient Near East (Euphrates, Tigris, Nile) all use nahar. In prophetic texts, rivers symbolize divine blessing flowing to the nations and chaotic powers threatening God's people.
Rivers in Scripture carry double symbolic weight. As blessing: the river that flows from God's throne in Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22 brings life wherever it flows. As chaos and threat: the nations are sometimes described as roaring rivers that God stills (Psalm 46:3; Isaiah 43:2). The prayer 'when you pass through the rivers, I will be with you' transforms the threat into a passage of faith.