Vincent's Word Studies: Revelation: Revelation Chapter 22

See on Luk 1:74. Rev., do Him service. The word originally means to serve for hire. In the New Testament, of the worship or service of God in the use of the rites intended for His worship. It came to be used by the Jews in a very special sense, to denote the service rendered to Jehovah by the Israelites as His peculiar people. See Rom 9:4; Act 26:7; Heb 9:1, Heb 9:6. Hence the significant application of the term to Christian service by Paul in Phi 3:3.

Revelation 22:4

rev 22:4

See His face

Compare Jo1 3:2; Mat 5:8; Exo 33:20; Psa 17:15.

Revelation 22:5

rev 22:5

No night there (ἐκεῖ)

Substitute ἔτι any more. Rev., there shall be night no more.

Revelation 22:6

rev 22:6

The Lord God (Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς)

Rather, as Rev., the Lord, the God.

Of the holy prophets (τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν)

For ἁγίων holy substitute πνευμάτων spirits, and render, as Rev., the God of the spirits of the prophets.

Be done (γεγέσθαι)

Better, as Rev., come to pass.

Revelation 22:7

rev 22:7

Keepeth (τηρῶν)

A favorite word with John, occurring in his writings more frequently than in all the rest of the New Testament together. See on reserved Pe1 1:4.

Book (βιβλίου)

Diminutive, properly a little book or scroll. See on writing, Mat 19:7; see on bill, Mar 10:2; see on book, Luk 4:17.

Revelation 22:8

rev 22:8

I John saw (ἐγὼ Ἱωάννης ὁ βλέπων)

The A.V. overlooks the article with the participle - the one seeing. Hence Rev., correctly, I John am he that heard and saw.

Had heard and seen (ἤκουσα καὶ ἔβλεψα)

Aorist tense. There is no need of rendering it as a pluperfect. Rev., rightly, I heard and saw. The appeal to hearing and seeing is common to all John's writings. See Joh 1:14; Joh 19:35; Joh 21:14; Jo1 1:1, Jo1 1:2; Jo1 4:14.

Revelation 22:9

rev 22:9

See thou do it not (ὅρα μή)

Lit., see not.

Thy brethren the prophets

The spiritual brotherhood of John with the prophets is exhibited in Revelation.

Revelation 22:10

rev 22:10

Seal (σφραγίσῃς)

Rev., seal up. This word occurs eighteen times in Revelation and twice in the Gospel, and only five times elsewhere in the New Testament. It means to confirm or attest (Joh 3:33); to close up for security (Mat 27:66; Rev 20:3); to hide or keep secret (Rev 10:4; Rev 22:10); to mark a person or thing (Rev 7:3; Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30)

Time (καιρὸς)

See on Mat 12:1.

Revelation 22:11

rev 22:11

Unjust (ἀδικῶν)

Rev., better, unrighteous.

Let him be unjust (ἀδικησάτω)

The verb means to do wickedly. Hence Rev., correctly, let him do unrighteousness.

He which is filthy (ὁ ῥυπῶν)

Only here in the New Testament. On the kindred noun ῥύπος filth, see on Pe1 3:21. Ῥυπαρία filthiness occurs only in Jam 1:21; and the adjective ῥυπαρός filthy only in Jam 2:2.

Let him be filthy (ῥυπωσάτω)

The best texts read ῥυπανθήτω let him be made filthy. So Rev.

Let him be righteous (δικαιωθήτω)

Read δικαιοσύνην ποιησάτω let him do righteousness. So Rev.

Let him be holy (ἁγιασθήτω)

Rev., giving literally the force of the passive voice, let him be made holy.

Revelation 22:12

rev 22:12

My reward is with me (ὁ μισθός μου μετ' ἐμοῦ)

Μισθός reward is strictly wages. Compare Isa 40:10; Isa 62:11. See on Pe2 2:13.

To give (ἀποδοῦναι)

Lit., to give back or in return for, thus appropriate to μισθός reward. Hence Rev., better, render. See on give an account, Luk 16:2; and see on gave, Act 4:33.

Shall be (ἔσται)

Read ἐστιν is.

Revelation 22:14

rev 22:14

That do His commandments (οἱ ποιοῦντες τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ)

Read οἱ πλύνοντες τὰς στολὰς αὐτῶν they that wash their robes. Compare Rev 7:14.

That they may have right to the tree of life (ἵνα ἔσται ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς)

Lit., in order that theirs shall be authority over the tree of life. For ἐξουσία right, authority, see on Joh 1:12. Ἑπί may be the preposition of direction: "may have right to come to" (so Rev.) or may be rendered over.

Revelation 22:15

rev 22:15

Dogs (οἱ κύνες)

The A.V. omits the article "the dogs." Compare Phi 3:2. This was the term of reproach with which the Judaizers stigmatized the Gentiles as impure. In the Mosaic law the word is used to denounce the moral profligacies of heathen worship (Deu 23:18). Compare Mat 15:26. Here the word is used of those whose moral impurity excludes them from the New Jerusalem. "As a term of reproach, the word on the lips of a Jew, signified chiefly impurity; of a Greek, impudence. The herds of dogs which prowl about Eastern cities, without a home and without an owner, feeding on the refuse and filth of the streets, quarreling among themselves, and attacking the passer-by, explain both applications of the image" (Lightfoot, on Phi 3:2).

Sorcerers

See on Rev 9:21, and compare Rev 21:8.

Whoremongers (πόρνοι)

Rev., better, fornicators.

Maketh (ποιῶν)

Or doeth. Compare doeth the truth, Joh 3:21; Jo1 1:6. See on Joh 3:21.

Revelation 22:16

rev 22:16

The root

Compare Isa 11:1, Isa 11:10. See on Nazarene, Mat 2:23.

The morning-star

See on Rev 2:28.