Translation
Blessed are those whose robes are washed clean, which will grant them the right to the tree of life,
and they shall enter into the city by its gates.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
Blessed are those who are living a pure life which will grant them the right to what life was intended to be, a fulfilling, never-ending life, and their freedom as the people of God will be characterized by protection and honor.
Footnotes
1
The walls were a sign of protection and the gates were the most fortified parts of those walls because they were the points of access. The city gates were also where the city officials met and where important business transactions took place in ancient mid-eastern cultures. Thus the city gate came to be a place of honor. However, it was a source of shame to enter a city by any other way than its gates, and only the scoundrels and those with mal intent did so.