River of the Water of Life

Text and Content

The river of the water of life appears in Revelation 22:1-2. In a vision, the apostle John sees "a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb," flowing through the midst of the street of the city. On either side of the river stands the tree of life, which yields its fruit every month, and its leaves are "for the healing of the nations." This scene forms the final part of the section describing the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21–22). The same book also contains the promise to give "of the fountain of the water of life freely" (Revelation 21:6; 22:17).

Background

The Greek original reads potamos hydatos zōēs, literally "river of the water of life." In the ancient Near East, where rainfall was scarce, water that flowed without drying up meant survival itself. In the Old Testament, "living water" refers to water that springs up and flows, in contrast to the standing water of a cistern. Jeremiah 2:13 contrasts God, "the fountain of living waters," with idols, which are "broken cisterns."

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The river in Revelation takes up earlier biblical texts.

• The river of Eden: In Genesis 2:10-14, the river that watered the Garden of Eden parts into four heads, one of which is the Hiddekel. The tree of life stood in the midst of the garden.
• Water flowing from the temple: In Ezekiel 47:1-12, water issuing from under the threshold of the temple rises to the ankles, the knees, and the loins, until it becomes a river that cannot be passed over. The waters of the sea it reaches are healed, the trees along its banks bear fruit every month, and their leaves serve as medicine. Revelation 22 reproduces this scene almost directly. Waters flowing out of Jerusalem also appear in Zechariah 14:8 and Psalm 46:4.
• The words of Jesus: In John 4, Jesus promises the Samaritan woman water after which she will never thirst. In John 7:37-39, on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, he declares, "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," and the Gospel itself explains that this saying refers to the Holy Spirit.

Within the broad biblical movement in which the life lost after creation is restored at the last day, this river is read as a picture of the life that proceeds from the presence of God.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Most denominations read the river as a symbol of the life God gives and of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Interpreters differ in emphasis, however, on whether the river represents the Holy Spirit himself or the blessings of salvation as a whole.
• Dispensationalist interpreters sometimes take Ezekiel 47 as a prophecy of a literal temple and river to be established during the Millennium. Amillennial interpreters in the Reformed tradition regard it as a symbolic vision depicting the church age and the new creation.
• Some interpreters connect the imagery of water with baptism, though the text of Revelation 22 does not directly mention baptism.
• Although the river of Eden and the river of the water of life are thematically linked, Scripture does not identify the river of the water of life with actual rivers such as the Hiddekel or the Euphrates. Attempts to locate this river geographically rely on claims added from outside the text.
• The phrase "rivers of living water" (John 7:38) and "river of water of life" (Revelation 22:1) are often used interchangeably, but they originate in different passages. Korean Bibles likewise distinguish the two, rendering John 7:38 as saengsu-ui gang and Revelation 22:1 as saengmyeongsu-ui gang.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the terms "living water" and "water of life" are frequently used in preaching and prayer to refer to the fullness of the Holy Spirit and spiritual renewal. The steadily deepening waters of Ezekiel 47 are often used at revival meetings and Holy Spirit gatherings as a text illustrating growth in faith. At funeral services, Revelation 21–22 is sometimes read as a passage proclaiming the hope of heaven.