Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
Parallel translations
- WEB He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,
- KJV And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
- NKJV And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
- NASB And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
- NLT Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
John sees a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Life flows abundantly and freely from God's presence.
Overview
The life-giving river recalls Eden's river (Genesis 2:10) and Ezekiel's temple river (Ezekiel 47:1-12), now fully realized. Flowing from the shared throne of God and the Lamb, it shows that eternal life comes from God through Christ (John 7:38). The new creation restores and surpasses paradise lost.
Cross-references & the web
Theme
- Living WaterThe river of the water of life in the New Jerusalem.
Cross-references · 26
- Rev 7:17For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
- John 4:14But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
- John 7:38–39Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”
- Ps 36:8–9They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights.
- John 4:10–11Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
- Rev 21:6And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
- Zech 14:8And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the other half toward the Western Sea, in summer and winter alike.
- Ps 46:4There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
- Jer 17:13O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be written in the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.
- Rev 22:17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.
- Jer 2:13“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
- Ezek 47:1–9Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.
- Acts 1:4–5And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss.
- Acts 2:33Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
- Isa 41:18I will open rivers on the barren heights, and fountains in the middle of the valleys. I will turn the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into flowing springs.
- Isa 48:18If only you had paid attention to My commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like waves of the sea.
- Rev 3:21To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
- John 15:26When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.
- Rev 4:5–6From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God.
- Rev 7:10–11And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
- Rev 21:11shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal.
- John 14:16–18And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—
- Rev 5:13And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!”
- Rev 5:6Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
- Isa 66:12For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm, and bounced upon her knees.
- John 16:7–15But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
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Christ at the center
Revelation ends the story with the slain-yet-standing Lamb who is worthy, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the returning King who makes all things new and dwells with his people forever.
How Revelation 22:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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