River of the Water of Life

Biblical Text

In Revelation 22:1-2, John sees "a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal." The river proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb and flows 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." Revelation also speaks of the water of life in several other places.

• The Lamb leads his people to living fountains of waters (Revelation 7:17).
• The water of life is given freely to the one who thirsts (Revelation 21:6; 22:17).

Background and Original Language

The Greek expression in Revelation means "river of the water of life." The Old Testament Hebrew mayim ḥayyim literally means "living water," that is, flowing rather than standing water. In Palestine, where rainfall is scarce, water that flowed without drying up signified survival and abundance. Jeremiah 2:13 also calls God "the fountain of living waters."

The Theme Across Scripture

• The river of Eden: Genesis 2:10 records that a river went out of the Garden of Eden to water the garden. Many interpreters see the river and the tree of life in Revelation as a restoration of Eden.
• The river flowing from the temple: In Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel sees a vision of water issuing from under the threshold of the temple and growing steadily deeper. The water rises to the ankles, the knees, and the loins, and then becomes a river that cannot be crossed; the sea it reaches is brought back to life. The description of trees along the riverbank bearing fruit every month, with leaves for medicine, closely resembles Revelation 22.
• Other Old Testament texts: Zechariah 14:8, Joel 3:18, and Psalms 46:4 also depict water flowing from Jerusalem or from the city of God.
• The Gospels: In John 4, Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman of "living water." In 7:37-39, on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, he says that out of the belly of the one who believes "shall flow rivers of living water," and John explains that he spoke this of the Holy Spirit.

Interpretations and Debates

• Literal and symbolic interpretation: Some interpreters understand the river of the water of life as an actual river that will exist in the new creation. Another widely accepted view sees it as a symbol of the eternal life and abundant life that God gives.
• Ezekiel's temple vision: Dispensationalism tends to read the temple and river of Ezekiel 40–48 as a temple that will actually be built during the Millennium. Other traditions, including the Reformed tradition, often read the vision symbolically, as fulfilled in Christ and the church and in the new heavens and new earth.
• Connection with the Holy Spirit: On the basis of John 7:39, many interpreters link the water of life with the Holy Spirit. Revelation 22 itself, however, does not directly explain what the river signifies.
• Secondary applications: Some sermons apply the four stages of water depth in Ezekiel 47 to stages of spiritual growth. This is an application or allegorical interpretation; the text itself offers no such explanation.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, Revelation 21–22, as passages describing heaven and the new creation, is sometimes read at funeral services and memorial services. The expressions "water of life" and "river of living water" frequently appear in worship song lyrics and sermons there to denote the grace of the Holy Spirit or the quenching of spiritual thirst.