Revelation 22:2

Exegetical Study of Revelation 22:2: The Tree of Life and the River of Life

This exegetical study of The Tree of Life in Rev. 22:2 is based on a b-greek discussion from Wed May 10 12:58:42 EDT 2006. The initial inquiry expresses difficulty in interpreting Revelation 22:2, specifically concerning the spatial relationship of the “Tree of Life” to the “river of the water of life” and the “street” of the New Jerusalem. The primary challenge lies in reconciling the singular noun for “tree” (ξύλον) with its described location “on either side” of the river, particularly given that some modern translations tend to associate the river with running down the middle of the street.

The main exegetical issue revolves around the syntactical parsing of the locative phrases in Revelation 22:2: “ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ξύλον ζωῆς.” The ambiguity lies in how the adverbial phrase “ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν” (“on this side and on that”) relates to the preceding nouns (street and river) and the subsequent noun “ξύλον ζωῆς” (Tree of Life). This syntactical ambiguity directly impacts whether the “Tree of Life” should be understood as a singular entity spanning a river, or a collective noun referring to multiple trees, thereby presenting a conceptual challenge for visualization and theological interpretation, especially in light of Old Testament allusions.

Καὶ ἔδειξέν μοι ποταμὸν ὕδατος ζωῆς λαμπρὸν ὡς κρύσταλλον, ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἀρνίου. ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ξύλον ζωῆς, ποιοῦν καρποὺς δώδεκα, κατὰ μῆνα ἕκαστον ἀποδιδοῦν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ φύλλα τοῦ ξύλου εἰς θεραπείαν τῶν ἐθνῶν. (Nestle 1904)

Key differences with SBLGNT (2010):

• There are no significant textual variants between the Nestle 1904 text and the SBLGNT (2010) for Revelation 22:1-2. Both critical editions present essentially the same Greek text in this passage.

Textual criticism (NA28) confirms the stability of the Greek text for this passage, presenting no significant variants that would alter the interpretive challenges discussed. Lexical notes reveal: ξύλον (BDAG: “tree,” “wood”; KITTEL: notes its use for the tree of life in Genesis and Revelation, and the cross) is consistently singular here, appearing with singular possessive pronouns (αὐτοῦ). ἐν μέσῳ (BDAG: “in the middle/midst of”) is a preposition taking the genitive, here conjoining τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς (BDAG: “broad street,” “main thoroughfare”) and τοῦ ποταμοῦ. The phrase ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν (BDAG: “on this side and on that,” “on either side”) serves as an adverbial modifier, the scope of which is central to the exegesis. Its appearance in LXX Ezekiel 47:7 as ἐνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν describing trees on river banks provides a crucial intertextual parallel.

Translation Variants

The grammatical structure of Revelation 22:2 presents several interpretive possibilities, primarily concerning the scope of the phrase ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν and its relationship to the singular ξύλον ζωῆς. These variants lead to distinct visual and theological understandings:

The most common interpretive approach, adopted by many modern translations, construes ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς as modifying the river shown in verse 1, implying the river flows down the middle of the street. Subsequently, καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν is understood to describe the Tree of Life as growing “on both sides” of this river. This interpretation often necessitates understanding the singular ξύλον either as a collective noun for “trees” (a species or grove of trees), or as a single, monumental tree that miraculously spans or bridges the river. The challenge for this view is reconciling the singular grammatical agreement (e.g., τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ) with the dual location, and the potential conceptual difficulty of a single tree growing on two distinct banks.

An alternative interpretation suggests that ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ forms a unified locative phrase, indicating that the Tree of Life is situated “in the midst of both the street and the river.” In this reading, ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν would further specify this “midst,” implying the tree stands with the street on one side and the river on the other. This approach preserves the singular nature of ξύλον ζωῆς, aligning with the imagery of the Tree of Life in Genesis 2, where a single tree is central. However, this reading can create a spatial paradox, as it might require the street and river to run parallel with the tree precisely in between them.

A third, influential perspective (bolstered by the parallel in Ezekiel 47:7) interprets ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς as establishing the general location (the center of the street), and then καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν more specifically locates the trees on the banks of the river that flows through the street. The singular ξύλον ζωῆς is then best understood as a collective singular, referring to the “species” of the Tree of Life or a grove of such trees, rather than one individual tree. This harmonizes the singular grammatical form with the “on both sides” description and the Old Testament allusions to abundant trees of healing, such as in Ezekiel 47:12, where “every tree for food” grows “on both banks of the river.” The rhetorical force of the passage emphasizes perpetual provision and universal healing, merging the Edenic Tree of Life with the eschatological river of healing waters, suggesting a rich and abundant reality rather than a strict literal arboreal singularity.

Conclusions and Translation Suggestions

While the singular form of ξύλον and its associated pronouns strongly suggest a single tree, the phrase ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν, particularly when considered with the intertextual background of Ezekiel 47:7, powerfully points to an understanding of the Tree(s) of Life growing along both banks of the river. The most harmonizing approach is to interpret ξύλον ζωῆς as a collective singular, representing a multitude of such trees or a species of life-giving trees, ensuring abundant provision and healing for the nations. This allows for a literal reading of the spatial descriptors without forcing an awkward image of a single tree spanning a river or being impossibly located simultaneously between distinct entities.

Based on this analysis, the following translation suggestions capture the nuances of the Greek text and its probable meaning:

1. “And in the middle of its main street, and on both banks of the river, was the Tree of Life, producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
   This translation favors the collective understanding of ξύλον, emphasizing its presence along the riverbanks within the city’s main thoroughfare, aligning well with the imagery of Ezekiel 47.
2. “And between the city’s main street and the river, on either side, stood the Tree of Life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
   This rendition attempts to maintain the singularity of “Tree of Life” by interpreting ἐν μέσῳ… ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν as describing the tree’s position as a mediating element between the street and the river.
3. “And along the middle of its main street, on either side of the river, stood the trees of life, yielding twelve crops of fruit, one each month, and the leaves of these trees were for the healing of the nations.”
   This option explicitly translates ξύλον ζωῆς as plural “trees of life” to clarify the spatial distribution, directly addressing the conceptual challenge of “on both sides” and prioritizing the sense of abundance over strict grammatical singularity.