ζωῆς, (zoes) in Revelation 22:2: Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ζωῆς, (zoes) in Revelation 22:2
Textual Witness
The witnessed form is ζωῆς in Revelation 22:2 in the Scrivener 1894 text of the Textus Receptus, within the phrase ξύλον ζωῆς.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form supports reading the phrase as 'tree of life,' so the verse communicates life as a defining quality of the tree in the scene.
How To Communicate It
This grammar helps translation and teaching by showing that life modifies the tree phrase, keeping interpretation tied to the local syntax.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Genitive case can suggest relationship, but the exact force must be read from the phrase and verse.
- Feminine gender here is a grammatical feature only and should not be turned into a theological gender claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: this form names the abstract reality of life, and here it appears as a genitive noun within a larger phrase.
Genitive: the form usually marks relationship, source, possession, or description, so it links life to the tree in the phrase.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, presenting life as a single conceptual reference in the phrase.
Feminine: the noun belongs to the feminine grammatical class, which is a form feature and not itself a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
ξύλον
The genitive form most naturally attaches to the nearby noun ξύλον and describes the tree as the tree of life.
It functions as a qualifier that identifies what kind of tree is in view, shaping the phrase rather than standing alone.
It does not by itself make life the subject of the clause or turn the noun into a separate action in the sentence.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive noun identifies the tree of life in the restored-city vision and its healing setting.
Genitive singular noun modifying tree. marks the tree as life-associated in the vision. Attached to the tree noun in Revelation 22:2. Governed by the description of the tree beside the river. The form identifies the tree, while the surrounding verse supplies fruit, timing, and healing imagery.
What tree does the vision describe? The genitive identifies it as the tree of life within the restored-city scene.
Direct: The genitive relation directly supports wording such as "tree of life."
The genitive relation should be read with the whole tree description, not isolated from the healing and fruit language. The singular noun life names the concept in the phrase and does not by itself define the full symbolism.
Genitive relation settles all symbolic meaning: The genitive identifies the tree; the vision supplies the imagery that must guide interpretation. grammar alone creates a new doctrine of life: The form contributes to the phrase, while doctrine must be drawn from the passage and canon.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witnessed form is ζωῆς in Revelation 22:2 in the Scrivener 1894 text of the Textus Receptus, within the phrase ξύλον ζωῆς.
The lemma is ζωή, meaning life, and this form is one inflected occurrence of that same lexical item.
The genitive supports a compact descriptive phrase, so the verse presents a tree characterized by life, not a detached abstract concept.
In context, the phrase helps portray the tree as belonging to the life-giving setting of the new creation and its healing provision.
This fits the passage's wider biblical theme of life as God-given and restorative, especially in the final vision of renewal.
For readers and teachers, the form helps convey that the tree is associated with life in a relational way, not merely mentioned beside it.
Do not infer from genitive case alone a full theology of life, a hidden verb, or a meaning that ignores the immediate phrase and verse.