Apocalypse 22:17
And the spirit and the bride say: Come. And he that heareth, let him say: Come. And he that thirsteth, let him come: and he that will, let him take the water of life, freely.
Open Apocalypse 22:17 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →In the palace
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Et spiritus, et sponsa dicunt : Veni. Et qui audit, dicat : Veni. Et qui sitit, veniat : et qui vult, accipiat aquam vitæ, gratis.
- Greek New Testament (SBLGNT)
- καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἡ νύμφη λέγουσιν· Ἔρχου· καὶ ὁ ἀκούων εἰπάτω· Ἔρχου· καὶ ὁ διψῶν ἐρχέσθω, ὁ θέλων λαβέτω ὕδωρ ζωῆς δωρεάν.
Haydock's commentary
And the Spirit and the bride say: Come. That is, the Spirit of God, who moves us to love and praise him; and the bride, i.e. the Church, the spouse of Christ, which earnestly desires to be happy in the enjoyment of God: and every one that heareth these divine promises, let him with all the affections of his soul, with his whole heart, say: Come. He that thirsteth after justice, the Author and Fountain of all justice, let him come and be filled gratis by the bounty and liberality of our merciful God. (Witham)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Irenaeus Against Heresies: Book III, Chapter IV. The truth is to be found
1. Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. For she is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers. On this account are we bound to avoid them , but to make choice of the thing pertaining to the Church with the utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the tradition of the truth. …
St Athanasius Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.), That the Son is the Co-existing Word, argued from the New Testament. Texts from the Old Testament continued; especially Ps. cx. 3. Besides, the Word in Old Testament may be Son in New, as Spirit in Old Testament is Paraclete in New. Objection from Acts x. 36; answered by parallels, such as 1 Cor. i. 5. Lev. ix. 7. &c. Necessity of the Word's taking flesh, viz. to sanctify, yet without destroying, the flesh
28. What means then, say they, ‘Before the morning star?’ I would answer, that if ‘Before the morning star’ shews that His birth from Mary was wonderful, many others besides have been born before the rising of the star. What then is said so wonderful in His instance, that He should record it as some choice prerogative, when it is common to many? Next, to beget differs from bringing forth; for begetting involves the primary foundation, but to bring forth is nothing else than the production of what exists. If then the term belongs to the body, let it be observed that He did not then receive a beginning of coming to be when he was evangelized to the shepherds by night, but when the Angel spoke to the Virgin. And that was not night, for this is not said; on the contrary, it was night when He issued from the womb. …
St Gregory the Great The Book of Pastoral Rule, How those are to be admonished who decline the office of preaching out of too great humility, and those who seize on it with precipitate haste
Let these, therefore, when they keep to themselves the word of preaching, hear with terror the divine sentences against them, to the end that fear may expel fear from their hearts. Let them hear how he that would not lay out his talent lost it, with a sentence of condemnation added ( Matth. xxv. 24 , &c.). Let them hear how Paul believed himself to be pure from the blood of his neighbours in this, that he spared not their vices which required to be smitten, saying, I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men: for l have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God ( Acts xx. 26, 27 ). Let them hear how John is admonished by the angelic voice, when it is said, Let him that heareth say, Come ( Rev. xxii. …
St Ephrem the Syrian Ephraim Syrus: Fifteen Hymns For the Feast of the Epiphany, Hymn VII
7. To the sons of Lot Moses said, “Give us water for money, let us only pass by through your border.”, They refused the way, and the temporal water. Lo! the living water freely given , and the path that leads to Eden!