“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
My Notes
What Does Revelation 22:2 Mean?
Revelation 22:2 describes the center of the New Jerusalem — the final destination of God's redemptive plan — and what stands there is something from the very first pages of Genesis. The tree of life is back. And it's been upgraded.
"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river" — the Greek en mesō tēs plateias autēs kai tou potamou enteuthen kai ekeithen (in the middle of the street and of the river, on this side and that side) places the tree in the most central, most accessible location possible. Not hidden behind a veil. Not guarded by cherubim with flaming swords (as in Genesis 3:24). In the middle of the main street, straddling the river of life. You can't miss it. You can't be kept from it. The cherubim are gone. The access is total.
"Was there the tree of life" — the Greek xylon zōēs (tree/wood of life) is the same tree from Eden (Genesis 2:9, 3:22-24). The tree that was lost through sin is restored through redemption. The story that began with exile from the tree ends with return to it.
"Which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month" — the Greek dōdeka karpous poioun kata mēna hekaston apolidoun ton karpon autou (producing twelve fruits, each month yielding its fruit). The Eden tree bore fruit. This tree bears twelve kinds — one for each month, perpetually producing, never out of season. The provision is continuous, varied, and inexhaustible. There's no season of barrenness. No winter. No waiting for harvest.
"And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" — the Greek ta phylla tou xylou eis therapeian tōn ethnōn (the leaves of the tree for the healing/therapy of the nations). The Greek therapeia (healing, therapy, care, service) is the root of "therapy." The tree doesn't just feed. It heals. And the healing is for the nations (ethnōn) — every people group. The fruit sustains. The leaves restore. Even in the new creation, there is ongoing therapeutic care — not because illness persists but because wholeness continues to be given.
The tree of life, lost in Genesis 3, is the last image in the Bible before the final benediction. The story comes full circle. What was forfeited is restored — and more.
Reflection Questions
- 1.The tree of life, lost in Genesis 3, is restored in Revelation 22. How does seeing the whole Bible as the story of returning to this tree change how you read it?
- 2.The cherubim and flaming sword are gone — total access. What does unrestricted access to the tree of life represent about your relationship with God in the new creation?
- 3.The leaves are 'for the healing of the nations.' Even in the new creation, healing continues. What does ongoing therapeutic care in eternity suggest about the nature of wholeness?
- 4.The tree bears twelve kinds of fruit, never out of season. What does perpetual, varied provision look like as a promise — and how does it address the scarcity you experience now?
Devotional
The tree is back. And the flaming sword is gone.
In Genesis 3, after the fall, God placed cherubim and a flaming sword at the entrance to the garden to guard the tree of life. Humanity was cut off from the thing that would have sustained them forever. The exile from the tree was the exile that defined all other exiles.
And now, in the last chapter of the Bible, the tree stands in the middle of the main street. No guards. No sword. No restricted access. The most central, most visible, most reachable spot in the New Jerusalem — and the tree of life grows there, producing twelve kinds of fruit, one for each month, never out of season.
The whole Bible — all sixty-six books, all the thousands of years of history, every covenant and prophecy and sacrifice and resurrection — was about getting back to this tree. From Genesis 3 to Revelation 22, the story is: what was lost will be restored. The access that was denied will be reopened. The cherubim will stand down. The sword will be sheathed. And the tree will bear fruit again.
But the tree has been upgraded. In Eden, it bore fruit. Here, it bears twelve kinds — perpetual variety, endless provision, never a fallow season. And the leaves are for the healing of the nations. Not one nation. All of them. Every people group that ever existed, receiving ongoing therapeutic care from the tree that was lost and is now found.
If Genesis 3 is the wound, Revelation 22 is the healing — and the healing exceeds the wound. The tree that fed two people now feeds nations. The fruit that grew in one season now grows in every month. The access that was guarded by fire is now open to everyone.
The story ends where it began. At a tree. But this time, the gate is open.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
In the midst of the street of it,.... That is, of the city described in the preceding chapter, which shows that this…
In the midst of the street of it - Prof. Stuart renders this, “between the street thereof and the river”; and says that…
In the midst of the street of it - That is, of the city which was described in the preceding chapter.
The tree of life -…
The heavenly state which was before described as a city, and called the new Jerusalem, is here described as a paradise,…
In the midst … of the river The picture is, almost certainly, that the river runs along the broad high-street or piazza…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture