He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches: this injunction appears in all seven letters. It is much like Christ’s saying, found in all three Synoptic Gospels (see Matt 13.9; Mark 4.9; Luke 8.8). It is addressed to all believers in Ephesus, all of whom are hearing the letter being read to them. The exclusively masculine He who has is easily dealt with by the use of the plural, “Those who have….”

The literal who has an ear, taken to the extreme, can sound ridiculous. Which of the two ears? Is there anyone who doesn’t have an ear? The organ of hearing, “ear,” represents here the sense of hearing. So it is better to translate “If you can hear.” Or, as Revised English Bible has it, “You have ears, so hear…,” or “You can hear can’t you, so listen.” Or note at “Let anyone who can hear listen to…,” or Phillips “Let every listener hear….” The meaning of “let” in such a context is a way of phrasing a command, an order, in English; it does not mean permission.

For the Spirit a translation may need to say “the Holy Spirit” or “the Spirit of God.” And the message, what … says to the churches is precisely the message of the letters and of the whole book. A given letter is addressed not only to one particular church, but to all the churches. God’s Spirit speaks to them through the risen Christ. On the translation of Spirit or “Holy Spirit,” see 1.10, and on churches see 1.4.

To him who conquers: this is not what the Spirit is saying to the churches but is a continuation of the words of the risen Christ. The military figure “to conquer” (see also 2.11, 17, 26; 3.5; 12.11; 21.7) has no direct object; what is implied is all that is opposed to the Christian faith. The Christian life is seen as a combat against the forces of evil. If an object is required, perhaps “forces of evil” can be used. The exclusively male rendering of Revised Standard Version can be easily remedied by using the plural form, “To those who conquer….” Conquers may also be expressed as “has the victory over” or “defeats.”

I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God: the risen Christ promises spiritual food, the food of eternal life in the coming Kingdom of God or Christ. I will grant to eat is not a natural expression in modern English; New Revised Standard Version is better, “I will give permission to eat,” and Revised English Bible “I will give the right to eat.” The imagery is drawn from Gen 2.9; 3.22, 24 (see also Rev 22.2, 14). The phrase of the tree means “the fruits of the tree.” The tree of life is “the life-giving tree” or “the tree that gives life,” not “the tree that lives (forever),” as a literal translation may suggest.

The tree grows in the paradise of God, that is, in the garden of Eden, a symbol of heaven (as in the Septuagint of Ezek 28.13; 31.8). The Greek word translated paradise means a garden, or a fruit orchard, and became a way of speaking of heaven (see Luke 23.43; 2 Cor 12.3).

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• You can hear, can’t you? Then listen to what (or, the things that) the Spirit of God says to the churches.
To those people who defeat the forces of evil, I will give permission (or, allow) to eat the fruit from the tree that gives life, which grows in the heavenly Garden of God.

Or:

• You have ears, so you must listen to what the Spirit of God says to the groups of God’s people.
I will give those people who are victorious over the forces of evil the right to eat the fruit….

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .