Revelation 21 · Verse 6

Revelation 21:6

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Revelation 21:6, King James Version

Revelation 21:6 in other translations

BSBAnd 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.
WEBHe said to me, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
ASVAnd he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
YLTand He said to me, ‘It hath been done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End; I, to him who is thirsting, will give of the fountain of the water of the life freely;
DARBYAnd he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that thirsts of the fountain of the water of life freely.
BBEAnd he said to me, It is done. I am the First and the Last, the start and the end. I will freely give of the fountain of the water of life to him who is in need.
WebsterAnd he said to me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.

What does Revelation 21:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. It is done--the same Greek as in Re 16:17. "It is come to pass." So Vulgate reads with English Version. But A reads, "They ('these words,' Re 21:5) are come to pass." All is as sure as if it actually had been fulfilled for it rests on the word of the unchanging God. When the consummation shall be, God shall rejoice over the work of His own hands, as at the completion of the first creation God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good (Ge 1:31). Alpha ... Omega--Greek in A and B, "the Alpha ... the Omega" (Re 1:18). give unto ... athirst ... water of life--(Re 22:17; Is 12:3; 55:1; Joh 4:13, 14; 7:37, 38). This is added lest any should despair of attaining to this exceeding weight of glory. In our present state we may drink of the stream, then we shall drink at the Fountain. freely--Greek, "gratuitously": the same Greek as is translated, "(They hated Me) without a cause," Joh 15:25. As gratuitous as was man's hatred of God, so gratuitous is God's love to man: there was every cause in Christ why man should love Him, yet man hated Him; there was every cause in man why (humanly speaking) God should have hated man, yet God loved man: the very reverse of what might be expected took place in both cases. Even in heaven our drinking at the Fountain shall be God's gratuitous gift.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 6. And he said unto me. That is, he that sat on the throne--the Messiah.

It is done. It is finished, complete; or, still more expressively, it is--γεγονε. An expression remarkably similar to this occurs. in Jn 19:30, when the Saviour on the cross said, "It is finished." The meaning in the passage before us evidently is, "the great work is accomplished; the arrangement of human affairs is complete. The redeemed are gathered in; the wicked are cut off; truth is triumphant, and all is now complete--prepared for the eternal state of things.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. This language makes it morally certain that the speaker here is the Lord Jesus, for it is the very language which he uses of himself in Rev 1:11. See its meaning explained in Barnes on "Re 1:8". If it is applied to him here, it proves that he is Divine, for in the following verse (Rev 21:7) the speaker says that he would be a God to him who should "overcome." The meaning of the language as here used, regarded as spoken by the Redeemer at the consummation of all things, and as his people are about entering into the abodes of blessedness, is, "I am now indeed the Alpha and the Omega--the first and the last. The attributes implied in this language which I claimed for myself are now verified in me, and it is seen that these properly belong to me. The scheme for setting up a kingdom in the lost world began in me, and it ends in me--the glorious and triumphant king."

I will give unto him that is athirst. Mt 5:6; Jn 4:14; Jn 7:37.

Of the fountain of the water of life. An image often used in the Scriptures to represent salvation. It is compared with a fountain that flows in abundance where all may freely slake their thirst.

Freely. Without money and without price, (Barnes on "Isa 55:1; Joh 7:27;) the common representation in the Scriptures. The meaning here is not that he would do this in the future, but that he had shown that this was his character, as he had claimed, in the same way as he had shown that he was the Alpha and the Omega. The freeness and the fulness of salvation will be one of the most striking things made manifest when the immense hosts of the redeemed shall be welcomed to their eternal abodes.

(h) "It is done" Rev 16:17 (i) "I am Alpha and Omega" Rev 1:8, 22:13 (k) "athirst" Rev 22:17, Isa 55:1, Jn 4:10,14, 7:37

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 It is done - All is determined, and shall be fulfilled in due time. The great drama is finished, and what was intended is now completed; referring to the period alluded to by the angel. I am Alpha and Omega - See on Rev 1:8 (note). The fountain of the water of life - See on Joh 4:10 (note), Joh 4:14 (note); Joh 7:37 (note), etc. The rabbins consider the fountain of the world to come as one of the particular blessings of a future state. In Sanhedrim, Aboth R. Nathan, c. 31, it is said, "He will show them the excellency of the fountain of the future world, that they may accurately see and consider, and say, Wo to us! what good have we lost! and our race is cut off from the face of the earth."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 21:1-8

The new heaven and the new earth will not be separate from each other; the earth of the saints, their glorified, bodies, will be heavenly. The old world, with all its troubles and tumults, will have passed away. There will be no sea; this aptly represents freedom from conflicting passions, temptations, troubles, changes, and alarms; from whatever can divide or interrupt the communion of saints. This new Jerusalem is…

Read the full comment on Revelation 21:1-8 →

Revelation 21:6 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
εἶπένeipenHe saidG2036
μοι·moito me;G3165
γέγοναν.gegonanIt has been done!G1096
ἐγώegōI myselfG1473
εἰμιeimiamG1510
τὸtotheG3588
ἄλφαalphaAlphaG1
καὶkaiandG2532
τὸtotheG3588
ὦ,ōOmega,G5598
ἡhētheG3588
ἀρχὴarchēbeginningG746
καὶkaiandG2532
τὸtotheG3588
τέλος.telosend.G5056
ἐγὼegōI myselfG1473
τῷtōto the [one]G3588
διψῶντιdipsōntithirstingG1372
δώσωdōsōI will giveG1325
ἐκekofG1537
τῆςtēstheG3588
πηγῆςpēgēsspringG4077
τοῦtouof theG3588
ὕδατοςhudatoswaterG5204
τῆςtēs<the>G3588
ζωῆςzōēsof lifeG2222
δωρεάν.dōreanfreely.G1432

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Revelation 21:6

  • John 7:37-38

    In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

  • John 4:10

    Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

  • Revelation 7:17

    For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

  • John 4:14

    But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

  • Psalms 36:9

    For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

  • Romans 8:32

    He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

  • Isaiah 55:1-3

    Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

  • Revelation 1:8

    I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

  • Revelation 22:17

    And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

  • Romans 3:24

    Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

  • Isaiah 12:3

    Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

  • Revelation 22:13

    I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
It is.
16:17
I am.
1:8,11,17; 22:13
I will.
7:17; 22:17; Isa 12:3; 55:1-3; Joh 4:10,14; 7:37,38
the fountain.
Ps 36:9; Jer 2:13; Joe 3:18
freely.
Ho 14:4; Ro 3:24; 8:32; 1Co 2:12; 3:5,12,21; 1Jo 5:4,5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Revelation 21:5

    And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

  • Revelation 21:6

    And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

  • Revelation 21:7

    He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Read all of Revelation 21

Revelation 21:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y díjome: Hecho es. Yo soy Alpha y Omega, el principio y el fin. Al que tuviere sed, yo le daré de la fuente del agua de vida gratuitamente.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il me dit: C’est fait. Moi, je suis l’alpha et l’oméga, le commencement et la fin. À celui qui a soif, je donnerai, moi, gratuitement, de la fontaine de l’eau de la vie.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und er sprach zu mir: Es ist geschehen. Ich bin das Alpha und das Omega, der Anfang und das Ende. Ich will dem Dürstenden aus der Quelle des Wassers des Lebens geben umsonst.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et dixit mihi: Factum est: ego sum alpha et omega, initium et finis. Ego sitienti dabo de fonte aquæ vitæ, gratis.