Depending on the version of the New Testament used, a reader will find one of two translations in Revelation 22: 14. This essay points out which versions use each. These differences are examined through the showing of similar verses for each in the New Testament, discussing Greek Texts, and suggesting possible reasons for the differences. It is the first clause in the verse which is in question. A total of twenty-six versions are used in the analysis.
Versions Compared
- ANT – The Authentic New Testament
- ASV – American Standard Version
- CLNT – Concordant Literal New Testament
- HBME – The Holy Bible in Modern English
- IB – Interlinear Bible
- IV – Inspired Version
- KJV – King James Version
- LBP – Lamsa Bible
- MNT – Moffatt New Translation
- MSNT – The Modern Speech New Testament
- NCV – New Century Version
- NKJ – New King James Version
- NNT – Noli New Testament
- NRS – New Revised Standard Version
- NSNT – Norlie’s Simplified New Testament
- RSV – Revised Standard Version
- SSBE – The Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition
- TDB – The Dartmouth Bible
- WMF – The Word Made Fresh
- YLR – Young’s Literal Translation, Revised Edition
Other Versions Used
- AB – Amplified Bible
- BNT – Barclay New Testament
- CTNT – Centenary Translation of the New Testament
- NET – New Evangelical Translation
- TEV – Today’s English Version
- WAS – Worrell New Testament
Revelation 22: 14
The versions in this section are the only ones which use commands or commandments in the translation of the first clause.
IB – Blessed are the ones doing His commands, that their authority will be over the tree of life, and by the gates they may enter into the city.
IV – Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
KJV – Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
LBP – Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
NKJ – Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
Footnote: NU-text reads wash their robes.
NNT – Blessed are those who obey his commandments. For they will be allowed to approach the tree of life and to enter the gates of the city.
SSBE – Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.
TDB – Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
WMF – Happy are those who follow the commandments of God for they will have the privilege of eating from the tree of life, and they will have access to the city of God.
YLR – Happy are those doing His commands that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and by the gates they may enter into the city; … .
Following are some of the versions which use robes in the translation of the first clause.
ANT – Happy are those who wash their robes, that they may have a claim upon the Tree of Life and enter by the gates into the City.
ASV – Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to come to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.
Footnote: See ch. 7: 14.
CLNT – Happy are those who are rinsing their robes, that it will be their license on the log of life, and they may be entering the portals into the city.
HBME – Happy are those who wash their robes, so that they may be allowed to approach the tree of life, and to enter into the city by its gates.
MNT – Blessed are those who wash their robes, that theirs may be the right to the tree of Life, to enter the gates of the City.
MSNT – Blessed are those who wash their robes clean, that they may have a right to the Tree of Life, and may go through the gates into the city.
Footnote: [Wash their robes clean] V. L. ‘obey His commands.’
NCV – Happy are those who wash their robes so that they will receive the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
Footnote: This means they believed in Jesus so that their sins could be forgiven by Christ’s blood.
NRS – Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
Footnote: Other ancient authorities read do his commandments.
NSNT – Blessed are they who wash their robes (that do His commandments) so as to have the right to the tree of life and to enter the city gates.
RSV – Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Footnote: Other ancient authorities read do his commandments.
Related Passages
The directive to keep God’s commandments comes from the Old Testament. However, it is carried over into the New Testament as indicated in the following verses.
Matthew 19: 17
ANT – Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you ask me of the good? There is but One who is good. But if you desire to enter into Life keep the commandments.’
BNT – ‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus said to him. ‘One and One alone is good. If you want to get into life, obey the commandments.’
KJV – And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
1 John 5: 2, 3
ANT – It is when we do love God and keep his commandments that we realize that we love the Children of God. Love of God consists in our obeying his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, … .
BNT – We are therefore bound to realize that to love God and to obey his commandments mean to love his children too. To love God is to obey his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome, … .
KJV – By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
References to washing oneself or one’s clothes is basically of the New Testament, although there are types in the Old Testament. What is stated in the footnotes of the New Century Version and the Worrell New Testament is what is generally understood by Christians in this metaphor.
Revelation 7: 14
AB – …, These are they who have come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
[Dan. 12: 1; Gen. 49: 1.]
CLNT – …, These are those coming out of the great affliction. And they rinse their robes, and they whiten them in the blood of the Lambkin.
KJV – …, They are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
(Rev. 1: 5; 1 John 1: 7; Heb. 9: 14.)
NET – “These are the people who are coming out of the great suffering,
and they have washed their robes
and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Footnote: The suffering described in the six seals (6: 1-17); this suffering is often referred to as “the great tribulation.”
NNT – …, “These are those who come out of the great tribulation; and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. … .”
WAS – …: “These are the men who have come out of the great ordeal. They washed their garments and whitened them through the blood of the Lamb.
Footnote: Who come out of the great tribulation: The Greek expression is “the tribulation the great,” which seems to point definitely to the tribulation then in progress, but not yet complete. Here it seems possible that all the martyred hosts of Christians of all ages, and all who have pressed their way over all obstacles, are included in this number.
Made them white in the blood of the Lamb: were cleansed and made pure through faith in the atoning blood of Christ.
Hebrews 9: 14
CTNT – …, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through his eternal spirit offered himself free from blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works unto the service of an ever-living God!
KJV – How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
TEV – …, how much more is accomplished by the blood of Christ! Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will purify our consciences from useless rituals, so that we may serve the living God.
Greek Texts
Those versions listed in the first part concerning Revelation 22: 14 used the Received Text of Erasmus (1516), the Peshitta Text, some other older text, or simply followed the King James Version. The Greek in the Interlinear Bible reads as follows: poiountes tas entolas.
Those versions listed in the second part concerning Revelation 22: 14 used other more recent texts. The Greek in the Greek-English Lexicon (Thayer) reads as follows: plunontes tas stolas auton en to aimati arniou. Thayer further states that it is used of those who by faith so appropriate the results of Christ’s expiation as to be regarded by God as pure and sinless. Lachmann’s Greek Text (1842, 1850), Tischendorf’s Text (1869-1872), The Greek New Testament of Tregelles (1857-1879), and The New Testament in the Original Greek by Westcott and Hort use this Greek in Revelation 22: 14. This is the same reading as stated in a footnote in Moffatt’s New Testament.
Thus, the difference in wording is based on the choice of Greek texts by the various translators. Note that there is some similarity of words between poiountes tas entolas and plunontes tas stolas.
