ὕδατος (udatos) in Revelation 22:1: Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
ὕδατος (udatos) in Revelation 22:1
Textual Witness
The witness reads ὕδατος in Revelation 22:1 in the phrase καθαρὸν ποταμὸν ὕδατος ζωῆς.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form sharpens the image of the river as life-giving water, but the verse's meaning still comes from the full scene and not from the morphology alone.
How To Communicate It
In translation or teaching, it may be rendered naturally as water of life, or a river of water of life, while preserving the image of a life-giving source.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Genitive case here suggests relationship, but the exact nuance should remain cautious and context-driven.
- Neuter gender is a grammatical feature, not a theological gender statement.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names a substance, reality, or concept, here the thing called water.
Genitive: the form usually marks a relationship to another noun, often showing kind, source, or description in the phrase.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, presenting the noun as one referent in the phrase.
Neuter: the noun belongs to the neuter grammatical class, which does not by itself create a theological claim about sex or personhood.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It is attached to ποταμὸν and followed by ζωῆς.
The genitive is governed by the surrounding noun phrase and likely describes the river as made of or characterized by water, while the larger phrase links that water with life.
It functions inside a descriptive genitive chain, helping specify the kind of river John saw: a river of water of life.
It does not stand as the sentence subject, and it does not by itself state the main action of the verse.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive water phrase helps describe the river of water of life flowing from the throne.
Genitive noun in a river-of-water-of-life phrase. describes the river as consisting of or characterized by water linked with life. Attached to the river phrase. Governed by the river noun phrase. The form supports the image, while the throne source and broader vision carry the theological weight.
What kind of river does John see? The genitive phrase describes it as a river of water of life.
Direct: The form directly supports river of water of life or a close equivalent.
The genitive chain should be explained as a whole rather than isolating water from life. Neuter grammatical gender does not add a theological meaning.
Water genitive is treated as a hidden symbol apart from the scene: The form describes the river image; the throne scene and book govern the symbolism.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads ὕδατος in Revelation 22:1 in the phrase καθαρὸν ποταμὸν ὕδατος ζωῆς.
The lemma is ὕδωρ, a noun meaning water, and the form here is its genitive singular.
In this context the genitive works with the surrounding nouns to describe the river, not to introduce a separate event or actor.
The verse presents a clear, bright river flowing from the throne, and this form helps identify it as water associated with life.
The wording fits the broader biblical pattern of life-giving water imagery without requiring the grammar to carry the whole theological meaning by itself.
For readers, the form supports a vivid image of abundance, purity, and life flowing from God's throne and the Lamb's throne.
Do not derive a hidden doctrine from the case alone, and do not turn grammatical gender into a claim about divine or human gender.