that “root” (ῥίζα) and “descendant” (γένος) are merely synonymous. It is true that in Isaiah the Messiah is viewed as growing from the stump or root of Jesse. But in Revelation 22:16, “the risen Lord … reverses the concept of Isaiah 11:1. He is the root from which David grew, and so [He is] the source of David’s line.”51 The word “root” in this context, therefore, does not mean that Jesus is David’s son (though that is true as other verses make clear); rather it suggests that He is David’s God