1. Revelation 22:14 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does the word “blessed” mean?

Revelation 22:14 (ESV)

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

This is the seventh and final beatitude in the book of Revelation (see Revelation 1:3; Revelation 14:13; Revelation 16:15; Revelation 19:9; Revelation 20:6; Revelation 22:7). The term conveys God’s pronouncement that the recipient is happy, fortunate. So it speaks to the nature of the recompense the Lord will give upon his return to particular people. The implication is that others will receive a reward that does not generate a sense of blessedness.