Revelation 22

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek lampron ('bright, radiant') is rendered 'bright' rather than the KJV's 'pure,' which more accurately captures the visual quality described. The single throne shared by God and the Lamb (tou thronou tou theou kai tou arniou) uses one article governing both nouns, indicating a shared sovereignty. The river echoes both Eden's river (Genesis 2:10) and Ezekiel's temple river (Ezekiel 47:1-12), but here the source is not a garden or a temple — it is the throne itself.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Ezekiel 47:1-12. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Genesis 2:10. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The syntax is notoriously difficult: how can the tree be both 'in the middle of the street' and 'on either side of the river'? The image may depict a single great tree straddling the river (as in Ezekiel 47:7, 12, where trees line both banks), or a collective singular referring to multiple trees. The Greek xylon ('wood, tree') is the same word used for the cross in Acts 5:30 and 1 Peter 2:24. Twelve kinds of fruit (karpous dodeka) — one for each month — suggest perpetual abundance with no season of barrenness. The word therapeia ('healing, service, care') gives us the English word 'therapy.' That the nations (ethne) still need healing in the new creation is a striking detail, suggesting the new Jerusalem is not static perfection but ongoing restoration.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Genesis 2:9. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Ezekiel 47:12. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek katathema ('curse, accursed thing') directly reverses the curse pronounced in Genesis 3:17 ('cursed is the ground because of you'). The entire weight of the fall — thorns, toil, pain, death — is undone in this single declaration. The verb latreuo ('to serve, to worship') carries both senses simultaneously: the servants both worship and serve. In the new creation, the distinction between sacred service and daily life collapses.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Zechariah 14:11 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Genesis 3:17 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. To see God's face (opsontai to prosopon autou) is the ultimate promise of Scripture. Moses was told 'you cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live' (Exodus 33:20). The beatific vision — direct, unmediated communion with God — is here declared possible. The name on the forehead contrasts with the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16-17); God's people bear his name as a mark of belonging, not as a brand of ownership.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Exodus 33:20. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The phrase eis tous aionas ton aionon ('into the ages of ages') is the strongest Greek expression for unending duration — literally 'forever and ever.' The reign promised here is not temporary or conditional but eternal. The abolition of night recalls Isaiah 60:19-20 ('the LORD will be your everlasting light') and completes the creation theme: God who said 'Let there be light' (Genesis 1:3) now becomes the light himself, making sun and lamp unnecessary.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Isaiah 60:19 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Genesis 1:3 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase pistoi kai aleethinoi ('trustworthy and true') echoes Revelation 21:5 and 19:11, where Christ himself is called 'Faithful and True.' The description 'the God of the spirits of the prophets' (ho theos ton pneumaton ton propheton) identifies God as the one who inspires prophetic speech — the same Spirit who spoke through the Old Testament prophets now validates this final revelation. The phrase en tachei ('soon, quickly, without delay') maintains the tension of imminence that characterizes the entire book.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. This is the first of three 'I am coming soon' declarations in this chapter (see also vv. 12, 20). The Greek erchomai tachy uses the present tense ('I am coming') with the adverb tachy ('soon, quickly'), conveying both certainty and imminence. This is the sixth of seven beatitudes in Revelation (cf. 1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 22:14). The verb tereo ('to keep, to guard, to observe') implies not merely reading but obeying and treasuring.

Translator Notes

1. John's attempt to worship the angel repeats the same error from Revelation 19:10. The repetition is not carelessness — it dramatizes how overwhelming the visions are and how instinctive the impulse to worship the messenger rather than the sender. The emphatic Kago Ioannes ('And I, John') reasserts the human eyewitness behind the apocalyptic visions.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The angel's refusal is emphatic: Hora me ('See that you do not!' or 'Stop!'). The angel identifies himself as a syndoulos ('fellow servant, co-slave') — placing himself in the same category as John, the prophets, and all who keep the book's words. The command to proskyneo ('worship') God alone echoes the first commandment and Jesus's response to Satan in Matthew 4:10.

Translator Notes

1. This command directly contrasts with Daniel 12:4 ('seal up the book until the time of the end'). Daniel's prophecy was sealed because its fulfillment was distant; John's is unsealed because the time (kairos, 'appointed time, decisive moment') is near (engys). The shift from sealed to unsealed marks the transition from prophetic anticipation to imminent fulfillment.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Daniel 12:4 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. This jarring declaration does not encourage evil but announces the finality of moral choice. When the end comes, character is fixed — there is no more time for change. The fourfold structure creates two pairs: the unjust and filthy on one side, the righteous and holy on the other. The Greek imperative forms (adikesato, rhypanthetho, poiesato, hagiastheto) function as prophetic declarations of what will be, not as commands to sin. Compare Ezekiel 3:27: 'Whoever will listen, let them listen; whoever will refuse, let them refuse.'
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Ezekiel 3:27:. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The second 'I am coming soon' declaration. The language of bringing a reward (misthos) echoes Isaiah 40:10 ('his reward is with him') and Isaiah 62:11 ('his recompense accompanies him'). The principle of repayment according to works (kata to ergon) runs throughout Scripture (Psalm 62:12, Proverbs 24:12, Romans 2:6) and does not contradict grace — it affirms that faith produces fruit and that God takes human action seriously.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Isaiah 40:10. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Isaiah 62:11. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
4. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Psalm 62:12. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
5. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Proverbs 24:12. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Three titles are combined here, each drawn from different parts of Revelation and Isaiah. 'Alpha and Omega' appeared in Revelation 1:8 on the lips of God; 'the First and the Last' in Revelation 1:17 and 2:8 on the lips of Christ. Their merger here makes the highest christological claim in the book: Christ shares the identity of God. The titles also echo Isaiah 44:6 ('I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God') and Isaiah 48:12. Alpha is the first letter and Omega the last letter of the Greek alphabet — together they encompass all reality.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 44:6 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 48:12 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. This is the seventh and final beatitude in Revelation. The SBLGNT reads 'those who wash their robes' (hoi plynontes tas stolas auton) rather than the KJV's 'they that do his commandments' (hoi poiountes tas entolas autou), which reflects a different textual tradition. The image of washed robes connects to Revelation 7:14 ('they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb'). Access to the tree of life — denied since Genesis 3:24 — is now the reward of the faithful.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Genesis 3:24. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Translator Notes

1. The term 'dogs' (kynes) was used in the ancient world for the morally impure and for those outside the covenant community (cf. Philippians 3:2, Matthew 7:6). The Greek pharmakoi ('sorcerers') is related to pharmakon ('drug, potion'), referring to those who practice occult arts, often involving potions. The list echoes Revelation 21:8 and functions as a vice list defining who remains outside the city — not as a physical geography but as a moral reality. The final phrase 'loves and practices falsehood' (philon kai poion pseudos) describes those whose fundamental orientation is toward deception.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Jesus speaks in his own name — one of the few times in Revelation where the speaker is explicitly identified as 'I, Jesus' (Ego Iesous). The dual title 'Root and Descendant of David' (he rhiza kai to genos Dauid) is paradoxical: Jesus is both David's ancestor ('Root,' as in Isaiah 11:1, 10) and David's descendant ('Offspring'). He is the source and the product of the Davidic line. The 'bright morning star' (ho aster ho lampros ho proinos) recalls Numbers 24:17 ('a star shall come out of Jacob') and connects to Revelation 2:28, where Christ promises to give the morning star to the faithful.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 11:1. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Numbers 24:17. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The invitation cascades outward: the Spirit and the bride (the church) cry 'Come!' to Christ, then invite the hearer to join the cry, then extend the invitation to anyone who thirsts. The word dorean ('freely, as a gift, without cost') is emphatic — the water of life cannot be purchased or earned. This echoes Isaiah 55:1 ('Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!'). The verse functions simultaneously as a prayer for Christ's return and as an evangelistic invitation — the last great altar call of Scripture.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Isaiah 55:1. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. This solemn warning echoes Deuteronomy 4:2 ('Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it') and Deuteronomy 12:32. The verb martyro ('I testify, I bear witness') places this under oath. Originally this referred specifically to the book of Revelation, not to the entire biblical canon — the 'canon' as a concept did not yet exist when this was written. However, the placement of Revelation at the end of the Christian Bible has given these words a broader canonical resonance in the history of reception.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Deuteronomy 4:2 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Deuteronomy 12:32 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. The SBLGNT reads 'tree of life' (xylou tes zoes) rather than the KJV's 'book of life' (bibliou tes zoes). The 'book of life' reading likely arose from a scribal confusion of xylou ('tree') with bibliou ('book') — an easy error in manuscript transmission. We follow the SBLGNT critical text. The penalty mirrors the offense with poetic precision: those who take away from the book will have their share taken away from the tree and the city just described. The warning protects the integrity of the prophetic message.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The third and final 'I am coming soon' — and this time it receives a response. The exchange is the heart of early Christian worship: Christ promises his return, and the church answers with the prayer 'Come, Lord Jesus!' (Erchou kyrie Iesou). This is the Greek equivalent of the Aramaic Maranatha ('Our Lord, come!') preserved in 1 Corinthians 16:22. The single word Amen bridges the two speakers — it may be John's affirmation of Christ's promise, or the congregation's liturgical response, or both. These are among the most intimate words in the New Testament: a direct, personal exchange between the Lord and his people.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The final words of the Christian Bible are a benediction of grace. The SBLGNT reads simply 'with all' (meta panton) without 'you' (hymon) or the closing 'Amen,' both of which appear in some manuscript traditions and are reflected in the KJV. The simplicity is striking: not 'with the saints' or 'with the churches' but 'with all' — the widest possible scope. That the Bible ends not with a warning, not with a doctrine, not with a command, but with grace is itself a theological statement. The epistolary closing (typical of Paul's letters: Romans 16:20, 1 Corinthians 16:23, Galatians 6:18) grounds this cosmic apocalypse in the life of actual congregations who would hear it read aloud in worship.