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Revelation 22:18-21, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Revelation 22:18-21
Guard the Prophecy, Pray for Jesus' Coming, Receive Grace
The warning guards this prophecy, not every later bound Bible
John testifies to every one that hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. If any one shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. The fence is around this disclosed prophecy. It does not forbid textual criticism, translation comparison, questions, or responsible interpretation. It does not authorize threats against readers who disagree.
Parts of 22:16–21 in the later Greek tradition behind the KJV were affected by Erasmus retroverting from Latin where his Greek copies ran out, including book of life in verse 19 where other witnesses read tree of life. Naming that history is obedience to the warning, not a taking away. Grace, not fear manipulation, still has to be the last pastoral use of these verses.
The hearers answer Come, and the letter ends as it began
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The community's prayer is the right response to nearness language. Quickly still does not provide a date, and it does not fund holy war while you wait.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. The circular letter opened in grace and closes in grace. New Jerusalem remains gift. The beast, the mark, and Babylon remain this book's horizon of imperial worship and economic participation, not a required modern ID. The lake of fire remains God's, not ours.
How this should shape us
Guard the words by reading them carefully, not by threatening people who ask hard questions. Pray Come, Lord Jesus, live under grace with everyone the letter names, and refuse every use of this ending that dates the hour, erases Israel, or puts a sword or a torch in your hand.
Teach it back
Explain Revelation 22:18-21 in your own words. Include its place in Revelation's visionary movement, one major interpretive uncertainty, one Old Testament or first-century control, and one use the passage does not authorize.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters differ?
Best judgment: The warning directly guards Revelation, not a later bound Bible canon. Erasmus lacked Greek manuscript text for parts of 22:16–21 and retroverted from Latin, materially affecting the KJV/TR history, including verse 19's 'book of life' versus 'tree of life.'
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete coverage.
Revelation 22:18-21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations checked independently of the KJV.
Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Revelation.txt, 22:18-21
Supports: Greek form, morphology, and lexical-range cross-check; lexical data does not decide context by itself.
STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Acts–Revelation data, rows for 22:18-21
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual variants, imagery, cross-references, and stated alternatives.
NET Bible Revelation PDF, printed pp. 2408–2447, 22:18-21 and attached translator/textual notes
Supports: Revelation's textual transmission, KJV/TR history, local uncertainty, and limits of reconstructing an earliest text.
Hernández, 'The Greek Text of Revelation,' author preprint, sections on textual plurality, Textus Receptus, Erasmus, manuscript recovery, Hoskier, Schmid, and Text und Textwert; local implications for 22:18-21
Supports: Methodological control for verbal, thematic, structural, authorial, reader, and later intertextual claims.
Moyise, 'Intertextuality and the Use of Scripture in the Book of Revelation?' pp. 391–401; allusion-method discussion applied to 22:18-21
Supports: Authorship, date, audience, genre, cycles, Roman setting, Lamb-shaped conquest, and limits on persecution reconstructions.
Oxford Handbook authorized preview: Koester, 'Revelation in Its Historical and Theological Context,' printed pp. 1–20; Reddish, 'The Genre of the Book of Revelation,' printed pp. 21–32; applied to 22:18-21
Supports: Reader-first whole-book context, Roman Asia, symbolism, worship, judgment, endurance, and responsible reception.
Enter the Bible Revelation course, sections Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and Bible in the World; applied to 22:18-21
Supports: Full confessional commentary, Greek observations, Old Testament links, four major interpretive approaches, millennial options, and application.
Tabb, 'Revelation,' commentary heading covering Revelation 22:18-21 plus Introduction and Theology
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete coverage.
Exact location: Revelation 22:18-21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations checked independently of the KJV.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Revelation.txt, 22:18-21
Open the Revelation Greek text file ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Greek form, morphology, and lexical-range cross-check; lexical data does not decide context by itself.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Acts–Revelation data, rows for 22:18-21
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Revelation with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual variants, imagery, cross-references, and stated alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible Revelation PDF, printed pp. 2408–2447, 22:18-21 and attached translator/textual notes
Open the official NET Revelation PDF ↗peer reviewed handbook chapter author preprint
The Greek Text of Revelation
Juan Hernández Jr.
The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation, 2020
Supports: Revelation's textual transmission, KJV/TR history, local uncertainty, and limits of reconstructing an earliest text.
Exact location: Hernández, 'The Greek Text of Revelation,' author preprint, sections on textual plurality, Textus Receptus, Erasmus, manuscript recovery, Hoskier, Schmid, and Text und Textwert; local implications for 22:18-21
Open Hernández's author-uploaded preprint ↗peer reviewed open access article
Intertextuality and the Use of Scripture in the Book of Revelation?
Steve Moyise
Scriptura 84, 2003; online record 2013
Supports: Methodological control for verbal, thematic, structural, authorial, reader, and later intertextual claims.
Exact location: Moyise, 'Intertextuality and the Use of Scripture in the Book of Revelation?' pp. 391–401; allusion-method discussion applied to 22:18-21
Open Moyise's Scripture-use article ↗modern scholarly handbook preview
The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation — publisher preview
Craig R. Koester, editor; chapters by Craig R. Koester and Mitchell G. Reddish
Oxford University Press, 2020
Supports: Authorship, date, audience, genre, cycles, Roman setting, Lamb-shaped conquest, and limits on persecution reconstructions.
Exact location: Oxford Handbook authorized preview: Koester, 'Revelation in Its Historical and Theological Context,' printed pp. 1–20; Reddish, 'The Genre of the Book of Revelation,' printed pp. 21–32; applied to 22:18-21
Open the Oxford Handbook preview ↗modern scholarly book introduction
Revelation course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Craig R. Koester and Kristofer Phan Coffman
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, current online course inspected 2026
Supports: Reader-first whole-book context, Roman Asia, symbolism, worship, judgment, endurance, and responsible reception.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Revelation course, sections Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and Bible in the World; applied to 22:18-21
Open the Enter the Bible Revelation course ↗modern open commentary
Revelation
Brian J. Tabb
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023 online edition
Supports: Full confessional commentary, Greek observations, Old Testament links, four major interpretive approaches, millennial options, and application.
Exact location: Tabb, 'Revelation,' commentary heading covering Revelation 22:18-21 plus Introduction and Theology
Open Tabb's Revelation commentary ↗