What does "freely" (dorean) mean in Revelation 22:17?
Dōrean (δωρεάν) means freely, as a gift, without cost or cause. "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely [dōrean]" (Rev 22:17). It is the same word Paul uses: "justified freely by his grace" (Rom 3:24).
What the text states
Dōrean is the adverb of dōron, a gift; it means “as a gift, gratis, for nothing.” In Revelation 22:17 it is the last word of the last invitation: the water of life is taken dōrean, free of charge, by whosoever wills. In Romans 3:24 it describes justification itself, “freely by his grace.” The gift costs the receiver nothing because it cost the Giver everything.
That a thing is taken “freely” is the proof it is not earned, which is why receiving the water of life is not a work.
Go deeper
Checked 2026-09-29 by Darren. 45 Scripture citations verified against the KJV rows. Every Strong's number in the wave-3 notes resolved against our own strongs_greek / strongs_hebrew and the lemma matched the form in the file. Wave 3. 45 quoted fragments table-passed against the verses table, all pass. 21 Greek and 3 Hebrew Strong's entries cross-checked against strongs_greek (5,523 rows) and strongs_hebrew (8,674). Three notes, none a form mismatch: (1) G2434 hilasmos is glossed in our table as 'atonement... an expiator', usage 'propitiation', so Strong's own wording is softer than the answer's 'not merely expiation'; Thayer and BDAG carry the propitiation sense and the KJV renders it so. (2) G728 is spelled arrhabon in our table (double rho) against the file's arrabon; the same word, a transliteration convention. (3) our table derives skenoo (G4637) from skenos (G4636), while the answer says it is built on skene (G4633); the three are cognate and skene is the LXX's tabernacle word. One reference in the wave-3 verification notes did not exist: Rev 22:24 (Revelation 22 ends at verse 21). Ruled by Darren 2026-09-29 a typo for Rev 22:17 and corrected in the source file. The hilasmos gloss discrepancy was ruled the same day: the answer stands and is not softened.
wsb.bible/answers/dorean