διψῶν (dipson) in Revelation 22:17: Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
διψῶν (dipson) in Revelation 22:17
Textual Witness
The witness reads διψῶν in Revelation 22:17 within the repeated invitation, ὁ διψῶν ἐλθέτω.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The grammar supports a general invitation addressed to any person marked by thirst, while the surrounding commands carry the main exhortation.
How To Communicate It
For readers, the form can be explained as a descriptive participle that functions like a noun: 'the one who thirsts.'
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- The masculine participle here is a grammatical feature, not a theological claim about male identity.
- The participle describes the invited person, but the verse's meaning comes from the whole sentence, not from form alone.
What Does The Label Mean?
Verb: this participial form functions verbally while also naming the one characterized by thirst in the clause.
Present: often views the action as in progress, customary, or presently in view. Context decides the exact force.
Active: presents the subject as doing or carrying the action.
Participle: carries a verbal idea while also functioning like an adjective or clause element. Context decides its role.
Nominative: this participle is in the nominative form, which suits the subject-like phrase introduced by the article here.
Singular: the form is singular in this occurrence, matching the one person described by the surrounding article.
Masculine: the masculine grammatical class fits the article and phrase form here, but it does not by itself make a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
ὁ
The participle is governed by the article and stands with it as a descriptive noun-like phrase in the invitation, ὁ διψῶν.
It identifies the one who thirsts and serves as the subject of the command, let the thirsty one come.
It does not function here as the main finite verb, and it does not by itself specify who the thirsty person is.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The substantival participle identifies the invited thirsty one in Revelation 22:17.
Article plus present active participle naming the thirsty one. turns the thirsting description into the person invited to come. Attached to the invitation, let the thirsty one come. Governed by the article and imperative invitation in Revelation 22:17. The participle describes the invited person; the invitation and gift language carry the theological force.
Who is invited to come? The one characterized by thirst is invited to come.
Direct: The substantival participle directly supports "the one who thirsts" or "the thirsty one."
The present participle should not be reduced to a timing claim; it characterizes the invited person. Masculine singular form is grammatical and does not limit the invitation to men.
Masculine participle limits the invitation to men: Masculine grammatical form is not a theological restriction on the invitation. participle alone defines salvation conditions: The participle names the invited person, while the whole verse explains the invitation.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads διψῶν in Revelation 22:17 within the repeated invitation, ὁ διψῶν ἐλθέτω.
The lemma διψάω means to thirst for, literally or figuratively, so the word conveys need or longing in context.
The participle with the article forms a general class description, not a completed action report. In this verse it points to the one invited to come.
The line extends the open invitation to anyone characterized by thirst, fitting the verse's broad call to come and receive freely.
This use matches the wider biblical pattern where thirst language can express real need and also inward longing for God's gift.
In teaching and translation, the form may be rendered as 'the thirsty one' or 'the one who thirsts' to preserve the invitation's force.
Do not infer from the participle alone that the verse names a specific individual, defines salvation conditions exhaustively, or makes a gendered claim.