Revelation of John 21:6 · Bible study
Revelation 21:6 Commentary: 'It Is Done' and the Living Water
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God declares His work complete and freely offers living water to the thirsty, a promise of grace grounded in the finished new creation.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God declares His new creation complete and freely offers eternal life to all who thirst.
- Key words: γέγοναν (perfect tense, certain completion); διψῶντι (present participle, ongoing thirst); δωρεάν (adverb, without cost).
- Main debate: Whether the water is a present gift of grace or exclusively a future hope in the consummation.
- Theological theme: The finished work of God as the ground for unearned grace.
- Best use: Comfort for the suffering and invitation to the seeker.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
And 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.
WEB World English Bible 2000
He 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.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And 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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and 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;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And 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.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he said to me: It is done. I am Alpha and Omega: the Beginning and the End. To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y díjome|strong="G2036, G3427": 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.
E ele me disse: Está feito. Eu sou o Alfa e o Ômega, o princípio e o fim. Quem tiver sede, de graça eu lhe darei da fonte da água da vida.
Et il me dit: C’ est fait! Je suis l’alpha et l’ oméga, le commencement et la fin. A celui qui a soif je donnerai de la source de l’ eau de la vie, gratuitement.
Und er sprach zu mir: Es ist geschehen. Ich bin das A und das O, der Anfang und das Ende. Ich will den Durstigen geben von dem Brunnen des lebendigen Wassers umsonst.
En Hij sprak tot mij: Het is geschied. Ik ben de Alfa en de Omega, het Begin en het Einde. Ik zal den dorstige geven uit de fontein van het water des levens voor niet.
Poi mi disse: E’ compiuto. Io son l’Alfa e l’Omega, il principio e la fine. A chi ha sete io darò gratuitamente della fonte dell’acqua della vita.
I rzekł mi: Stało się. Jam jest Alfa i Omega, początek i koniec. Ja pragnącemu dam darmo ze źródła wody żywej.
И сказал мне: совершилось! Я есмь Альфа и Омега, начало и конец; жаждущему дам даром от источника воды живой.
他又 對我 說：「都成了！我 是 阿拉法， 我是俄梅戛；我是初， 我是終。我 要將 生命 泉 的水 白白 賜給 那口渴的人喝。
And 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.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Revelation of John 21:6
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the declaration γέγοναν ('they are come to pass') announces the fulfillment of God's promises in the new creation. The Cambridge Bible notes the plural verb points back to 'these words' in verse 5, words that are 'faithful and true.' Vincent and others confirm this reading. The self-designation 'Alpha and Omega' identifies the speaker as the eternal God or Christ (Barnes, Gill), a title used in Revelation 1:8 and 22:13. Then follows the promise of living water: a free gift to the thirsty, drawn from a spring (πηγῆς) rather than a mere well. Barnes and JFB connect this directly to Isaiah 55:1: water without money. The water represents life itself, eternal life, already offered and finally received. The juxtaposition of 'done' and 'freely' suggests that the finished work of God is the foundation for unearned grace. The thirsty need not earn what Christ has already accomplished.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Futurist (future consummation): Emphasizes that 'it is done' and the gift of water belong to the new creation after the final judgment (v.7–8). The thirsty currently look forward to this.
- Present-realized (now through Christ): Points to Jesus' offer of living water in John 4 and 7. The declaration 'it is done' echoes Christ's 'it is finished' (John 19:30) and grounds the present gift.
- Both-and (already/not yet): The perfect tense γέγοναν suggests a completed act with ongoing results. The water is a present foretaste of the full consummation, like the firstfruits of the Spirit.
What is clear: The speaker (God or Christ) is eternal and sovereign; the gift is utterly free; the thirsty are invited to receive it.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker's identity | The speaker is the one on the throne, God the Father or Christ. | Some see God the Father (Cambridge, noting 21:5 'he who sits on the throne'). Others identify Christ (Barnes, Gill, because Alpha and Omega is used of Christ in 1:11, though 1:8 applies it to the Almighty). |
| Timing of completion | Refers to the fulfillment of God's redemptive purposes and new creation. | Some read it as already accomplished in the divine decree (Clarke, Gill). Others view it as a future event when all is consummated (Barnes, JFB). |
| Nature of the water | Symbolic of eternal life and spiritual satisfaction. | Whether it is exclusively a future experience in the new heavens and earth (some strict futurists) or also a present gift of grace now (many see both aspects). |
| Condition of thirst | Thirst represents a deep longing for God and salvation. | Whether it is a prerequisite (only the thirsty receive) or a description of all who come (thirst as the universal human condition before God). |
| Textual variant (γέγονεν vs. γέγοναν) | Most modern editions (NA28, UBS) read γέγοναν (plural). | The singular γέγονεν ('it is done') appears in some manuscripts, possibly assimilated to 16:17. The plural reading emphasizes the fulfillment of multiple promises, not just a single event. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Revelation 21:6 belongs to the concluding vision of the Bible, where John describes the new heaven and new earth and the holy city coming down from God. The speaker is 'he who sits on the throne' (21:5), likely God the Father or Christ; the titles 'Alpha and Omega' are used for both in Revelation (1:8; 22:13). The verb γέγοναν is perfect tense, a completed state with ongoing results. The plural subject is 'these words' (v.5), meaning the promises of the new creation are now as good as fulfilled.
The image of water from a fountain draws on deep Old Testament roots. Jeremiah 2:13 laments that Israel forsook 'the spring of living waters.' Isaiah 55:1 invites the thirsty to come without money. Jesus uses the same metaphor in John 4:14 and John 7:37, 38, promising a spring welling up to eternal life. In the apocalyptic world of Revelation, where Rome boasted its own aqueducts, the claim that true water comes only from God’s throne (22:1) was counter-cultural and consoling. The rabbinical tradition (noted by Adam Clarke) spoke of 'the fountain of the world to come' as a future blessing. The adverb δωρεάν ('freely') is identical to the word in John 15:25 for 'without a cause', the gift is utterly undeserved, grounded in no merit of the recipient. The declaration 'It is done' thus does not close the door; it opens the fountain.
Textual Notes
The critical text (NA28, UBS) reads γέγοναν ('they are come to pass') rather than γέγονεν ('it is done'). The plural is supported by manuscripts A, B, and others. The singular appears in a few witnesses, likely a scribal assimilation to the singular verb in Revelation 16:17 (γέγονεν). The plural subject is 'these words' from verse 5, the promises of God. The difference is subtle but significant: the singular could be read as a single act (the creation is finished), while the plural underscores that all of God's faithful and true words have been fulfilled. Vincent's Word Studies and the Cambridge Bible both adopt the plural reading.
Reception History
In the early church, this verse was treasured by persecuted believers. The account of the martyrs of Gaul (Eusebius, H.E. v.1) mentions them drinking from the fountain of life, a conflation of this text with John 7:38 noted by the Cambridge Bible. Throughout the Middle Ages, the image of the 'fountain of life' appeared in hymnody and art, often connected to the sacraments. During the Reformation, the word 'freely' (δωρεάν) was a favorite text for proclaiming justification by grace alone. Matthew Henry and Wesley both read the verse as a summary of the gospel: God’s finished work opens a free invitation. In modern times, it is frequently read at funerals and in services of wholeness and healing, offering assurance that the work of redemption is complete and the water of life still flows.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Announcement: 'It Is Done.' God’s redemptive work is complete. The new creation is not a mere hope but a settled reality in the divine decree.
- The Identity: 'Alpha and Omega.' The speaker is the one who began all things and will bring them to their true end, sovereign from start to finish.
- The Invitation: 'I will give freely.' The finished work becomes the ground for a present offer of living water to every thirsty soul.
Five-point outline
- The Completion: God’s promises have come to pass, as certain as if already seen.
- The Speaker: The eternal God (or Christ) who encompasses all history.
- The Condition: Thirst, an honest longing for what only God can supply.
- The Provision: Living water from a spring, not a cistern; inexhaustible and fresh.
- The Cost: Free, gratuitous, without money or prerequisite except the thirst itself.
Illustration hooks
- A parent who finishes a long project and then turns to the child and says, 'Now, share my joy.' The 'it is done' is not an ending but an opening.
- A person dying of thirst in a desert finds a spring with a sign 'Free water.' The sign is not a mirage; it comes from the owner of the oasis.
- Receiving an unexpected gift: someone you love says, 'I have taken care of everything, now receive this.' The 'it is done' grounds the gift.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God has made all things new, why do we still thirst for more?
- Is this promise for now or only for the future life?
- How can I know if I am among the 'thirsty' who qualify?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits in the breathtaking finale of Revelation, where the throne declares completion and extends a free invitation. Notice the order: the declaration comes first, then the gift. The work is done; the water flows. As you talk, let the group feel the weight of God’s finished work and the simplicity of the invitation.
Discussion questions
- Observation: Who is speaking in this verse, and what titles does the speaker use for Himself? Why are those titles important?
- Observation: What does the verb γέγοναν (it is done / they are come to pass) indicate about the speaker’s perspective on time?
- Interpretation: How does the declaration 'It is done' relate to the promise of giving water to the thirsty? Is the water a present reality or a future hope?
- Interpretation: The water is from a 'spring' (πηγή) and is given 'freely' (δωρεάν). What do these two words tell us about the nature of salvation?
- Interpretation: How does this verse echo Isaiah 55:1 and John 4:10, 14? What does that connection add to the meaning?
- Application: In what areas of life do you sense a 'thirst' that only God can satisfy? How does the certainty of God’s finished work shape the way you approach that thirst?
- Application: This verse is set in the new creation. How does it speak to our hope for the future, and how does it speak to our present need for grace?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 36:9 | For with you is the spring of life. In your light we will see light. |
| Isaiah 12:3 | Therefore with joy you will draw water out of the wells of salvation. |
| Isaiah 55:1 | “Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. |
| Isaiah 55:3 | Turn your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. |
| Jeremiah 2:13 | “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut out cisterns for themselves: broken cisterns that can’t hold water. |
| Hosea 14:4 | “I will heal their waywardness. I will love them freely; for my anger is turned away from them. |
| Joel 3:18 | It will happen in that day, that the mountains will drop down sweet wine, the hills will flow with milk, all the brooks of Judah will flow with waters; and a fountain will flow out from Yahweh’s house, and will water the valley of Shittim. |
| John 4:10 | Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights that God’s declaration "It is done" settles all things with finality; what has been determined will certainly come to pass. He then draws on rabbinic tradition to explain the fountain of the water of life as the blessing of the world to come, a good that the lost will recognize and lament having missed.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes links the "It is done" of this scene directly to Jesus's cry "It is finished" on the cross, seeing the final consummation as the completion of the saving work begun there. He stresses that Jesus's claim to be Alpha and Omega, tested through redemption's entire history, is now publicly verified as the redeemed are gathered in.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible School notes that the words "It is done" should actually be read as a plural: "They have come into being," referring to the whole new universe God has just created. Here "Alpha and Omega" identifies God the Father as the speaker, and "freely" means without payment or cost, not simply abundantly.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that God Himself personally wipes away every tear, making the comfort intimate and direct. It stresses that the old creation's sorrow, death, and pain are not merely lessened but completely passed away, giving full assurance of a total end to suffering.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that "It is done" marks the complete fulfillment of everything: the old creation ends, the new is finished, and every stage of salvation—from Christ's work on the cross to the final gathering of the saints—is now fully accomplished and applied. He then highlights that Christ, as Alpha and Omega, is the beginning and end of all things, and freely gives abundant grace and glory as a fountain of living water to those who thirst for Him.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights the startling reversal: as men hated Christ without any cause, so God loves men without any cause. The water of life is a free gift, not earned, and even in heaven believers will drink it as God's gratuitous provision. This assurance prevents despair, showing that the promised glory is given entirely by grace.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that the new heaven and earth are not an annihilation of the old world but its transformation, a metamorphosis. The sea's absence means the realm of unstable, shapeless becoming has passed away. Heaven descends to earth, and earth becomes heaven through this consummation, not through destruction.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry's distinctive point is that the new heaven and earth are not a newly created universe but the present world newly opened and filled with its heirs. This new state covers both bodies and souls, a fresh condition rather than a fresh creation.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent notes that the correct Greek reading is not "it is done" but "they have come to pass," referring to the words just spoken. He also points out that both Alpha and Omega have the definite article, a detail he explored earlier.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes the striking double use of "It is done" in Revelation: once at the climax of God's wrath and now at the renewal of all things. He connects Christ's title "Alpha and Omega" to his eternal nature, and links the promise to the thirsty with the Lamb's identical invitation in the final chapter.