Revelation 11 opens with John being given a measuring rod and told to measure the temple of God and the altar but not the outer court, which has been given to the nations who will trample the holy city for forty-two months. Two witnesses are introduced who will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. They are described as the two olive trees and two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. They have power to shut the sky, turn water to blood, and strike the earth with plagues. When they finish their testimony, the beast from the abyss kills them, and their bodies lie in the street of the great city for three and a half days while the earth's inhabitants celebrate. Then the breath of life from God enters them, they stand up, and a loud voice calls them up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watch. A great earthquake destroys a tenth of the city, killing 7,000, and the survivors give glory to God. The second woe ends, and the seventh trumpet sounds, prompting heavenly voices to declare that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. The twenty-four elders worship God, and the temple in heaven is opened, revealing the ark of the covenant amid lightning, thunder, earthquake, and hail.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
The two witnesses combine features of Moses (turning water to blood, plagues) and Elijah (shutting the sky, fire from their mouths), the two great figures of the Law and the Prophets. Their identification as 'olive trees and lampstands' draws directly from Zechariah 4, where the olive trees represent anointed figures who serve the Lord. The forty-two months / 1,260 days / three and a half years is the same period found in Daniel 7:25, 9:27, and 12:7 — a time of trial and tribulation. The seventh trumpet brings not another judgment but the climactic declaration of God's kingdom — the 'mystery of God' announced in 10:7 is fulfilled. The ark of the covenant appearing in the heavenly temple connects to the lost ark of the earthly temple, suggesting that what was lost on earth is preserved in heaven.
Translation Friction
The identity of the two witnesses has generated extensive debate: literal future individuals, Moses and Elijah returned, the Law and the Prophets, the church's witness, or Israel and the church together. We render the text as written, noting the Mosaic and Elijahnic allusions. The 'great city' (v. 8) is 'spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified' — this identifies it as Jerusalem but in the language of prophetic condemnation. The measuring of the temple (vv. 1-2) may refer to the physical temple, the spiritual community, or both.
Connections
Zechariah 4:2-14 (two olive trees and lampstands), Daniel 7:25, 9:27, 12:7 (three and a half years), 1 Kings 17:1 (Elijah shuts the sky), Exodus 7:17-20 (Moses turns water to blood), 2 Kings 1:10-12 (Elijah calls fire from heaven), Ezekiel 37:5-10 (breath of life enters the dead), Ezekiel 40-42 (measuring the temple), Daniel 7:14, 27 (kingdom given to the saints), Psalm 2:1-2 (nations rage), Isaiah 26:20-21 (God comes to judge), Exodus 25:10-22 (ark of the covenant).
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,
KJV And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The measuring of the temple echoes Ezekiel 40-42, where an angelic figure measures the new temple in detail. In Ezekiel, measuring signifies preservation and divine ownership — what is measured is claimed and protected by God. The Greek naon (not hieron) specifically refers to the inner sanctuary, the dwelling place of God's presence, not the entire temple complex. The instruction to measure 'those who worship' (tous proskynountas) extends the protection to people, not just architecture — the faithful community is measured and preserved.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Ezekiel 40-42. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
However, the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not. Since it is given to the Gentiles — and the holy city will they tread under foot forty and two months.
KJV But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The outer court (tēn aulēn tēn exōthen) — the Court of the Gentiles in the physical temple — is excluded from measurement, meaning it is not preserved but given over (edothē, divine passive) to the nations (ethnesin). The forty-two months (mēnas tesserakonta duo) equals 1,260 days (v. 3) and three and a half years — the period of tribulation drawn from Daniel 7:25, 9:27, and 12:7, where it represents a time of suffering under hostile powers. Luke 21:24 uses the same verb patēsousin ('trample') for the Gentile domination of Jerusalem. The distinction between the protected inner sanctuary and the exposed outer court may represent the preservation of God's true people amid the external suffering of the visible community.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Daniel 7:25. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."
KJV And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The speaker shifts to first person — God or Christ directly commissions the two witnesses. The 1,260 days equals forty-two months (at 30 days per month), the same period of Gentile trampling in verse 2 — the witnesses prophesy during the time of tribulation, not after it. Sackcloth (sakkous) is the garment of mourning, repentance, and prophetic lamentation (cf. Isaiah 20:2; Jonah 3:5-6). Their ministry is one of urgent warning, not celebration. The Greek martyrsin ('witnesses') is the same word that gives English 'martyr' — these witnesses will testify and die.
[TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 20:2 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
[TCR Cross-Reference] References Jonah 3:5-6 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
Revelation 11:4
οὗτοί εἰσιν αἱ δύο ἐλαῖαι καὶ αἱ δύο λυχνίαι αἱ ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου τῆς γῆς ἑστῶτες.
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
KJV These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
This verse directly identifies the witnesses with the vision of Zechariah 4:2-14, where two olive trees flanking a golden lampstand represent 'the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of all the earth.' In Zechariah, the olive trees supply oil to the lampstand — they are sources of the Spirit's power. The identification of the witnesses as both olive trees (sources of the Spirit) and lampstands (bearers of light) combines the imagery. The phrase 'the Lord of the earth' (tou kyriou tēs gēs) echoes Zechariah 4:14 and asserts God's sovereignty over the world that persecutes his witnesses.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Zechariah 4:2-14. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
If anyone would harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. If anyone would try to harm them, this is how that person must be killed.
KJV And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The fire from their mouths echoes 2 Kings 1:10-12, where Elijah calls fire from heaven on the soldiers sent to arrest him, and Jeremiah 5:14 ('I will make my words in your mouth a fire, and this people the wood it consumes'). The double statement ('if anyone would harm them...if anyone would try to harm them') emphasizes the inviolability of the witnesses during their appointed prophetic ministry. The verb dei ('must') indicates divine necessity — this is not arbitrary violence but the divinely ordained consequence of opposing God's witnesses.
[TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes 2 Kings 1:10-12 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
[TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Jeremiah 5:14 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
They have the power to shut the sky so that no rain falls during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they wish.
KJV These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Two specific powers combine Moses and Elijah: shutting the sky from rain is Elijah's signature act (1 Kings 17:1; cf. James 5:17, 'Elijah prayed fervently that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months' — notably the same three-and-a-half-year period). Turning water to blood and sending plagues is Moses's role in the Exodus (Exodus 7:17-20; chapters 7-12). The witnesses embody the combined authority of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) — the two figures who appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). The phrase hosákis ean thelēsōsin ('as often as they wish') grants them extraordinary freedom of action.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes 1 Kings 17:1. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Exodus 7:17-20. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
When they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the abyss will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.
KJV And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The temporal clause hotan telesōsin ('when they have finished') is crucial — the beast cannot touch them until their prophetic task is complete. Their death is not a failure but comes after the fulfillment of their mission. The 'beast from the abyss' (to thērion to anabainon ek tēs abyssou) is introduced here abruptly and will be fully described in chapter 13. The word thērion ('wild beast') is distinct from zōon ('living creature') used for the heavenly beings — this is a predatory, destructive entity. The verbs escalate: war (polemon), conquer (nikēsei), kill (apoktenei). The beast's 'conquering' (nikēsei) uses the same verb applied to the Lamb in 5:5 and to the faithful in the seven letters — a counterfeit victory that will itself be overcome.
Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is symbolically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
KJV And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The city is identified by three symbolic names: 'the great city' (tēs poleōs tēs megalēs — a term later applied to Babylon in 16:19, 17:18, 18:10), 'Sodom' (representing sexual immorality and divine destruction, Genesis 18-19), and 'Egypt' (representing oppression and enslavement of God's people, Exodus 1-14). The clause 'where their Lord was crucified' (hopou kai ho kyrios autōn estaurōthē) identifies the city as Jerusalem — yet Jerusalem is described with the names of Israel's archetypal enemies. The adverb pneumatikōs ('spiritually, symbolically') signals that these names are prophetic characterizations, not geographical identifiers.
[TCR Cross-Reference] References Genesis 18-19 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
[TCR Cross-Reference] References Exodus 1-14 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
For three and a half days, people from the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will gaze at their bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb.
KJV And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The fourfold formula (laōn, phylōn, glōssōn, ethnōn) indicates worldwide observation — the witnesses' humiliation is public and universal. The three and a half days (hēmeras treis kai hēmisy) mirrors the three and a half years of their ministry in miniature. Refusing burial was the ultimate dishonor in the ancient world (cf. the outrage over the unburied body of Polynices in Sophocles' Antigone; and the importance of burial in 1 Kings 14:11; Jeremiah 22:19). The denial of burial expresses contempt for the witnesses and for the God they served.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes 1 Kings 14:11. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Jeremiah 22:19. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
Those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who dwell on the earth.
KJV And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The celebration over the prophets' death — complete with gift-giving — is a grim parody of a festival. The witnesses' prophetic ministry is described as 'torment' (ebasanisan) from the perspective of the unrepentant — the truth of God's word is experienced as agony by those who reject it. The phrase hoi katoikountes epi tēs gēs ('those who dwell on the earth') recurs as Revelation's standard term for humanity in rebellion against God. The scene will be dramatically reversed in the next verses.
But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.
KJV And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The phrase pneuma zōēs ek tou theou ('breath/spirit of life from God') directly echoes Ezekiel 37:5-10, where God breathes life into the valley of dry bones and they stand on their feet — the same verb histēmi ('to stand') appears in both passages. The reversal is total: the celebrated death becomes terrifying resurrection. The divine passive construction (pneuma...eisēlthen, 'the breath entered') emphasizes God's direct action. The 'great fear' (phobos megas) that falls on observers is the typical human response to divine intervention (cf. Luke 1:12, 65; Acts 5:5, 11).
[TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Ezekiel 37:5-10. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched.
KJV And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The command 'Come up here' (anabate hōde) echoes the invitation to John in 4:1. The ascension in a cloud (en tē nephelē) recalls both Elijah's ascension (2 Kings 2:11) and Christ's ascension (Acts 1:9). The phrase 'their enemies watched' (etheōrēsan autous hoi echthroi autōn) is the ultimate reversal — the same people who refused to bury them and celebrated their death now witness their vindication. The cloud, a symbol of divine presence throughout Scripture, carries them into God's domain in full view of their persecutors.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on 2 Kings 2:11. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
At that moment a great earthquake struck, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
KJV And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The earthquake accompanies the witnesses' vindication — divine confirmation of their ministry. A tenth (to dekaton) of the city falls, and 7,000 die — precise numbers suggesting a measured, controlled judgment. The 7,000 may invert 1 Kings 19:18, where 7,000 in Israel had not bowed to Baal — there, 7,000 were the faithful remnant; here, 7,000 are the judged. Crucially, 'the rest' (hoi loipoi) gave glory to God (edōkan doxan tō theō tou ouranou) — unlike the survivors of the trumpet plagues who refused to repent (9:20-21), these survivors respond with worship. This suggests that the witnesses' ministry, including their death and resurrection, achieves what the plagues alone could not: genuine repentance.
[TCR Cross-Reference] References 1 Kings 19:18 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
The second woe has passed. The third woe is coming soon.
KJV The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
This structural marker parallels 9:12. The second woe (the sixth trumpet, including the interlude of chapters 10-11:13) has ended. The third woe is identified with the seventh trumpet, which sounds in the very next verse. The adverb tachy ('quickly, soon') heightens the urgency — there is no further delay.
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying:
"The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign forever and ever!"
KJV And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
βασιλείαbasileia
"kingdom"—kingdom, reign, rule, sovereignty, royal power
The singular form is significant — the world's rebellious power structure, despite its many manifestations, is treated as a single entity now absorbed into God's reign. The transfer of sovereignty from 'the world' to 'our Lord and his Christ' is the central eschatological event of Revelation.
Translator Notes
The seventh trumpet is the climactic moment anticipated since 10:7. The SBLGNT reads the singular hē basileia ('the kingdom') rather than the KJV's plural 'kingdoms' — the entire world-system, conceived as a single rebellious kingdom, is now claimed by God and his Christ. The phrase tou kyriou hēmōn kai tou Christou autou ('of our Lord and of his Christ') echoes Psalm 2:2 ('against the LORD and against his anointed one') — the psalm of universal rebellion is answered by universal sovereignty. The future tense basileusei ('he will reign') may be a 'prophetic future' or may indicate that the reign, while declared, is still being realized. The phrase 'forever and ever' (eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn) ensures this is no temporary political transfer but eternal dominion.
[TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Psalms 2:2 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
Then the twenty-four elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
KJV And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The elders respond to the kingdom proclamation as they did to the creation hymn in 4:10-11 — falling prostrate in worship. The pattern of heavenly worship in response to divine action is consistent throughout Revelation. Their thrones (thronous, not the KJV's 'seats') indicate their authority, yet they voluntarily prostrate themselves before the supreme throne.
Saying, We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come. Because you have taken to you your remarkable authority, and hast reigned.
KJV Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The divine title is now twofold — 'who is and who was' (ho ōn kai ho ēn) — the third element ('who is to come') is omitted because he has now come. The future arrival is no longer anticipated; it has occurred. This subtle change signals the fulfillment of the promise. The verb ebasileusas ('you have reigned/begun to reign') is an ingressive aorist — God has always been sovereign, but now he actively exercises that sovereignty in the transformation of the world's kingdoms. The thanksgiving (eucharistoumen) is the appropriate response when the long-awaited kingdom arrives.
The nations raged,
but your wrath has come,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and the time to reward your servants the prophets
and the saints and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and the time to destroy those who destroy the earth."
KJV And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The opening line 'the nations raged' (ta ethnē ōrgisthēsan) quotes Psalm 2:1 (LXX), where the nations rage against the LORD and his anointed — a rage now met by God's own wrath (hē orgē sou). The verse compresses the entire eschatological program into a single sentence: judgment of the dead, reward for the faithful (prophets, saints, God-fearers — both small and great, demolishing all social hierarchy), and destruction of the destroyers. The final phrase diaphtheirai tous diaphtheirontas tēn gēn ('to destroy those who destroy the earth') contains a powerful wordplay — the same verb is used for both God's action and the destroyers' crime. Those who corrupt and ruin God's creation will themselves be ruined.
[TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalm 2:1 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
KJV And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκηςkibōtos tēs diathēkēs
"ark of his covenant"—ark, chest, box; covenant, testament, agreement
The ark of the covenant was the gold-covered chest containing the tablets of the Law, Aaron's rod, and a jar of manna (Hebrews 9:4). It was the footstool of God's throne, the place where God's presence dwelt among his people. Its appearance in the heavenly temple at the climax of the seventh trumpet declares that God's covenant relationship with his people — the central theme of the entire Bible — is secure, eternal, and now fully realized in heaven.
Translator Notes
The heavenly temple opens to reveal the ark of the covenant (hē kibōtos tēs diathēkēs autou) — the most sacred object in Israel's worship, lost since the destruction of Solomon's temple in 586 BC. Its appearance in the heavenly temple declares that what was lost on earth is preserved in heaven — God's covenant faithfulness endures even when its earthly symbols are destroyed. The word diathēkēs ('covenant') connects this vision to the entire biblical narrative of God's binding relationship with his people. The Sinai-theophany formula recurs with full intensity: lightning, rumblings, thunder, earthquake, and now hail — the most complete iteration yet, escalating from 4:5 (lightning, rumblings, thunder) and 8:5 (those plus earthquake). Each repetition adds an element, suggesting that the revelation of God's presence intensifies as Revelation progresses.