Revelation 22:1-11

Context

22:1 Then¹ the angel² showed me the river of the water of life – water as clear as crystal – pouring out³ from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 22:2 flowing down the middle of the city’s⁴ main street.⁵ On each side⁶ of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds⁷ of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year.⁸ Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. 22:3 And there will no longer be any curse,⁹ and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city.¹⁰ His¹¹ servants¹² will worship¹³ him, 22:4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 22:5 Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.

A Final Reminder

22:6 Then¹⁴ the angel¹⁵ said to me, “These words are reliable¹⁶ and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants¹⁷ what must happen soon.”

22:7 (Look! I am coming soon!

Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy expressed in this book.)¹⁸

22:8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things,¹⁹ and when I heard and saw them,²⁰ I threw myself down²¹ to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me. 22:9 But²² he said to me, “Do not do this!²³ I am a fellow servant²⁴ with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey²⁵ the words of this book. Worship God!” 22:10 Then²⁶ he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy contained in this book, because the time is near. 22:11 The evildoer must continue to do evil,²⁷ and the one who is morally filthy²⁸ must continue to be filthy. The²⁹ one who is righteous must continue to act righteously, and the one who is holy must continue to be holy.”

[22:1] ¹tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[22:1] ²tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel mentioned in 21:9, 15) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:1] ³tn Grk “proceeding.” Water is more naturally thought to pour out or flow out in English idiom.

[22:2] ⁴tn Grk “its”; the referent (the city, the new Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2] ⁵tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).

[22:2] ⁶tn Grk “From here and from there.”

[22:2] ⁷tn Or “twelve crops” (one for each month of the year).

[22:2] ⁸tn The words “of the year” are implied.

[22:3] ⁹tn Or “be anything accursed” (L&N 33.474).

[22:3] ¹⁰tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the city, the new Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:3] ¹¹tn Grk “city, and his.” Although this is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, a new sentence was started here in the translation because of the introduction of the Lamb’s followers.

[22:3] ¹²tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[22:3] ¹³tn Or “will serve.”

[22:6] ¹⁴tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[22:6] ¹⁵tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel mentioned in 21:9, 15; 22:1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:6] ¹⁶tn Grk “faithful.”

[22:6] ¹⁷tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[22:7] ¹⁸sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator.

[22:8] ¹⁹tn Or “I am John, the one who heard and saw these things.”

[22:8] ²⁰tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[22:8] ²¹tn Grk “I fell down and worshiped at the feet.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[22:9] ²²tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.

[22:9] ²³tn On the elliptical expression ὅρα μή ({ora mh) BDAG 720 s.v. ὁράω B.2 states: “Elliptically…ὅρα μή (sc. ποιήσῃς) watch out! don’t do that! Rv 19:10; 22:9.”

[22:9] ²⁴tn Grk “fellow slave.” Though σύνδουλος (sundoulos) is here translated “fellow servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[22:9] ²⁵tn Grk “keep” (an idiom for obedience).

[22:10] ²⁶tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[22:11] ²⁷tn Grk “must do evil still.”

[22:11] ²⁸tn For this translation see L&N 88.258; the term refers to living in moral filth.

[22:11] ²⁹tn Grk “filthy, and the.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, but because of the length and complexity of the construction a new sentence was started in the translation.