Revelation 22:2b → Ezekiel 47:12

Ezekiel 47:12 describes the trees lining the temple river: "Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for healing." Revelation 22:2 echoes this closely: "On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." The verbal parallels are extensive: trees on both banks, monthly fruit, and leaves for healing (therapeian / terufah). John synthesizes Ezekiel's temple river vision with the tree of life from Genesis 2-3, creating a composite image. The escalation is from Ezekiel's restored temple environs to the center of the New Jerusalem, and from physical healing to the healing of the nations — cosmic restoration.