7When they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war with them and will conquer them and kill them. [11:8] Their corpses will lie on the street of the great city — which is called figuratively Sodom and Egypt — where also their Lord was crucified. [11:9] And some from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will gaze at their corpses for three and a half days, and will not permit their corpses to be placed in a tomb. [11:10] And those dwelling on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets had tormented those dwelling on the earth. [11:11] After the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell on those who saw them. [11:12] They heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in the cloud, and their enemies saw them. [11:13] In that hour a great earthquake occurred, and a tenth of the city fell; and seven thousand names of people were killed in the earthquake. The rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. [11:14] The second woe has passed. Look — the third woe is coming quickly.
REV 11:7-14
The Witnesses Killed and Raised
In the world it was spoken into
In the first century, public exposure of corpses was a deliberate act of dishonor and intimidation, particularly in Roman urban centers. Leaving bodies unburied was a violation of both Jewish and Greco-Roman burial customs, which held that proper interment was essential for respect and ritual purity. The reference to the city as 'Sodom and Egypt' would evoke immediate associations with moral corruption and oppression, familiar to Jewish audiences steeped in scriptural tradition. The mention of 'three and a half days' aligns with apocalyptic symbolism, signifying a period of tribulation and divine intervention. The beast from the abyss reflects widespread Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic imagery, where such creatures symbolize chaotic, anti-divine forces. The rejoicing of 'those dwelling on the earth' underscores the tension between the faithful and the broader Roman imperial culture, which often celebrated the suppression of dissenting groups. The resurrection of the witnesses would resonate with Jewish and Christian hopes for vindication and divine justice.
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How other translations render this
REV 11:7
- 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.
- BSB
- When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.
- Koinōnos
- When they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war with them and will conquer them and kill them.
REV 11:8
- 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.
- BSB
- Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.
- Koinōnos
- Their corpses will lie on the street of the great city — which is called figuratively Sodom and Egypt — where also their Lord was crucified.
REV 11:9
- 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.
- BSB
- For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb.
- Koinōnos
- And some from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will gaze at their corpses for three and a half days, and will not permit their corpses to be placed in a tomb.
REV 11:10
- 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.
- BSB
- And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.
- Koinōnos
- And those dwelling on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets had tormented those dwelling on the earth.
REV 11:11
- 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.
- BSB
- But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them.
- Koinōnos
- After the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell on those who saw them.
REV 11:12
- 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.
- BSB
- And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them.
- Koinōnos
- They heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in the cloud, and their enemies saw them.
REV 11:13
- 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.
- BSB
- And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
- Koinōnos
- In that hour a great earthquake occurred, and a tenth of the city fell; and seven thousand names of people were killed in the earthquake. The rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
REV 11:14
- KJV
- The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
- BSB
- The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly.
- Koinōnos
- The second woe has passed. Look — the third woe is coming quickly.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
REV 11:8
- body:The word translated 'body' here specifically refers to a corpse or a fallen body, emphasizing the lifeless state of the witnesses.
- figuratively:The term used here for 'figuratively' carries the sense of something being understood in a spiritual or symbolic way, rather than literally or physically.
REV 11:9
- gaze:The word translated 'gaze' implies a more active and intentional act of seeing or looking, often with attention or observation, beyond a simple glance.
REV 11:10
- tormented:The word translated 'tormented' originally referred to the process of testing metals on a touchstone, and by extension, to intense suffering or torture used to extract information or punish.