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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Revelation 11:3–13. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
In this time of treading down, God has reserved to himself his faithful witnesses, who will not fail to attest the truth of his word and worship, and the excellency of his ways. Here observe,
I.The number of these witnesses: it is but a small number and yet it is sufficient.
1.It is but small. Many will own and acknowledge Christ in times of prosperity who will desert and deny him in times of persecution; one witness, when the cause is upon trial, is worth many at other times.
2.It is a sufficient number; for in the mouth of two witnesses every cause shall be established. Christ sent out his disciples two by two, to preach the gospel. Some think these two witnesses are Enoch and Elias, who are to return to the earth for a time: others, the church of the believing Jews and that of the Gentiles: it should rather seem that they are God's eminent faithful ministers, who shall not only continue to profess the Christian religion, but to preach it, in the worst of times.
II.The time of their prophesying, or bearing their testimony for Christ.
A thousand two hundred and threescore days; that is (as many think), to the period of the reign of antichrist; and, if the beginning of that interval could be ascertained, this number of prophetic days, taking a day for a year, would give us a prospect when the end shall be.
III.Their habit, and posture:
they prophesy in sackcloth, as those that are deeply affected with the low and distressed state of the churches and interest of Christ in the world.
IV.How they were supported and supplied during the discharge of their great and hard work:
they stood before the God of the whole earth, and he gave them power to prophesy. He made them to be like Zerubbabel and Joshua, the two olive-trees and candlestick in the vision of Zechariah, Zac 4:2, etc. God gave them the oil of holy zeal, and courage, and strength, and comfort; he made them olive-trees, and their lamps of profession were kept burning by the oil of inward gracious principles, which they received from God. They had oil not only in their lamps, but in their vessels - habits of spiritual life, light, and zeal.
V.Their security and defence during the time of their prophesying:
If any attempted to hurt them, fire proceeded out of their mouths, and devoured them, Rev 11:5. Some think this alludes to Elias's calling for the fire from heaven, to consume the captains and their companies that came to seize him, Kg2 1:12. God promised the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 5:14), Behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people shall be wood, and it shall devour them. By their praying and preaching, and courage in suffering, they shall gall and wound the very hearts and consciences of many of their persecutors, who shall go away self-condemned, and be even terrors to themselves; like Pashur, at the words of the prophet Jeremiah, Jer 20:4. They shall have that free access to God, and that interest in him, that, at their prayers, God will inflict plagues and judgments upon their enemies, as he did on Pharaoh, turning their rivers into blood, and restraining the dews of heaven, shutting heaven up, that no rain shall fall for many days, as he did at the prayers of Elias, Kg1 17:1. God has ordained his arrows for the persecutors, and is often plaguing them while they are persecuting his people; they find it hard work to kick against the pricks.
VI.The slaying of the witnesses.
To make their testimony more strong, they must seal it with their blood. Here observe,
1.The time when they should be killed: When they have finished their testimony. They are immortal, they are invulnerable, till their work be done. Some think it ought to be rendered, when they were about to finish their testimony. When they had prophesied in sackcloth the greatest part of the 1260 years, then they should feel the last effect of antichristian malice.
2.The enemy that should overcome and slay them - the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit. Antichrist, the great instrument of the devil, should make war against them, not only with the arms of subtle and sophistical learning, but chiefly with open force and violence; and God would permit his enemies to prevail against his witnesses for a time.
3.The barbarous usage of these slain witnesses; the malice of their enemies was not satiated with their blood and death, but pursued even their dead bodies.
(1.)They would not allow them a quiet grave; their bodies were cast out in the open street, the high street of Babylon, or in the high road leading to the city. This city is spiritually called Sodom for monstrous wickedness, and Egypt for idolatry and tyranny; and here Christ in his mystical body has suffered more than in any place in the world.
(2.)Their dead bodies were insulted by the inhabitants of the earth, and their death was a matter of mirth and joy to the antichristian world, Rev 11:10. They were glad to be rid of these witnesses, who by their doctrine and example had teased, terrified, and tormented the consciences of their enemies; these spiritual weapons cut wicked men to the heart, and fill them with the greatest rage and malice against the faithful.
VII.The resurrection of these witnesses, and the consequences thereof. Observe,
1.The time of their rising again; after they had lain dead three days and a half (Rev 11:11), a short time in comparison of that in which they had prophesied. Here may be a reference to the resurrection of Christ, who is the resurrection and the life. Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Or there may be a reference to the resurrection of Lazarus on the fourth day, when they thought it impossible. God's witnesses may be slain, but they shall rise again: not in their persons, till the general resurrection, but in their successors. God will revive his work, when it seems to be dead in the world.
2.The power by which they were raised: The spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet. God put not only life, but courage into them. God can make the dry bones to life; it is the Spirit of life from God that quickens dead souls, and shall quicken the dead bodies of his people, and his dying interest in the world.
3.The effect of their resurrection upon their enemies: Great fear fell upon them. The reviving of God's work and witnesses will strike terror into the souls of his enemies. Where there is guilt, there is fear; and a persecuting spirit, though cruel, is not a courageous, but a cowardly spirit. Herod feared John the Baptist.
VIII.The ascension of the witnesses into heaven and the consequences thereof, Rev 11:12, Rev 11:13. Observe,
1.Their ascension. By heaven we may understand either some more eminent station in the church, the kingdom of grace in this world, or a high place in the kingdom of glory above. The former seems to be the meaning: They ascended to heaven in a cloud (in a figurative, not in a literal sense) and their enemies saw them. It will be no small part of the punishment of persecutors, both in this world and at the great day, that they shall see the faithful servants of God greatly honoured and advanced. To this honour they did not attempt to ascend, till God called them, and said, Come up hither. The Lord's witnesses must wait for their advancement, both in the church and in heaven, till God calls them; they must not be weary of suffering and service, nor too hastily grasp at the reward; but stay till their Master calls them, and then they may gladly ascend to him.
2.The consequences of their ascension - a mighty shock and convulsion in the antichristian empire and the fall of a tenth part of the city. Some refer this to the beginning of the reformation from popery, when many princes and states fell off from their subjection to Rome. This great work met with great opposition; all the western world felt a great concussion, and the antichristian interest received a great blow, and lost a great deal of ground and interest,
(1.)By the sword of war, which was then drawn; and many of those who fought under the banner of antichrist were slain by it.
(2.)By the sword of the Spirit: The fear of God fell upon many. They were convinced of their errors, superstition, and idolatry; and by true repentance, and embracing the truth, they gave glory to the God of heaven. Thus, when God's work and witnesses revive, the devil's work and witnesses fall before him.
Historical interpretation
Six Centuries of Reception
7 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Since they do not allow their bodies to be gathered in a suitable place, they prevent a day for their memory to be indicated by a sacred celebration of the living.… It is no wonder that the earthly minded rejoice over the deaths of the righteous. For in addition to the plagues that beset the human race on account of the testaments of God, even the very sight of the righteous oppresses the unrighteous, as it is written, “Even the sight of him is a burden to us.” Not only does it oppress, it also causes him to melt away, and so the psalm says, “The sinner will see and be angry; he will gnash his teeth and melt away.”
The intentions are expressed by which the impious strive to remove the church of Christ from the world, as the psalmist says, “Let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” And although they are unable to fulfill their desire, yet they make their evil intention known.
Those Jews and Gentiles, who once were overpowered by the false wonders of the antichrist and who had indelibly engrafted that abominable name upon their hearts, prohibited the holy bodies from being buried, and they rejoiced because they were free from the torments that [the prophets] gave for their correction. For they did not acknowledge that “the Lord reproves him whom he loves,” and that “he scourges every son whom he receives” and “by muzzle and bridle he will pull and tug at those who are not near to him.” And God works in this way so that they might turn from necessity into the straight way from which they turned aside when they were deceived. We must make petition of the Lord and pray, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes,” and “Turn us, O God of our salvation, that you do not enter into judgment with your servant.” “When we are judged by you, our beneficent master, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the world” but may rather through a few torments escape an eternal punishment.
And those from the peoples and tribes, etc. He did not say: The peoples and tribes will see, but many from the peoples, who, while others believe, openly mock the saints.
And they will not allow their bodies to be laid in tombs. He spoke of their intention and opposition. Not that they are able to prevent the Church from being remembered. As: Neither do you enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in (Matthew XXIII), while they enter, though being opposed by them. But they will clearly act concerning the bodies of the living and the dead, for they will not allow the living to be gathered for sacred celebrations in memory, nor the dead to be commemorated, nor their bodies to be buried in memory of the witnesses of God.
And they of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, shall see their bodies for three days and a half: and they shall not suffer their bodies to be laid in sepulchres. Just as graves protect bodies from human eyes, so do quiet times protect the saints from tribulation. Therefore since there will be no peace for the saints, consequently they are said to remain unburied. Let it look contradictory to no one if we have said that the dead men can be understood to mean not only the slain but also the afflicted, because he is metaphorically indicating the whole men by the bodies. So is the sum of three years and six months represented by the time of three days and a half: the whole is symbolized by a part.
And seeing that those deceived by the Antichrist from every tribe witness the destruction of the martyrs, they will rejoice over them as if their king has been victorious.
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Summary
Revelation 11:9 describes the global, hostile reaction to the death of God's two witnesses in the end times. Following their martyrdom by the beast, people from every tribe, language, and nation will gaze upon their unburied corpses for three and a half days, celebrating their demise and refusing them the dignity of a proper burial, an act of profound contempt and public desecration that underscores the world's intense opposition to divine truth.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is situated within the dramatic narrative of the Two Witnesses in Revelation chapter 11. These mysterious figures, empowered by God, prophesy for 1,260 days (or 42 months), a period often understood as coinciding with a significant phase of tribulation. Their powerful ministry, marked by signs and plagues, is abruptly concluded when the beast ascending from the bottomless pit makes war against them and kills them. Verse 9 details the immediate aftermath of their death, specifically the global public spectacle of their unburied bodies, serving as a stark contrast to their triumphant resurrection just a few verses later in Revelation 11:11-12.
Historical & Cultural Context
In ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman cultures, the proper burial of the dead was a deeply significant ritual, considered a sacred duty and a mark of respect for the deceased and their family. Denying burial was an extreme act of dishonor and contempt, often reserved for the most despised criminals or enemies, meant to humiliate them even in death and prevent their spirit from finding rest. Their bodies would be left exposed to the elements and scavengers, a public display of triumph over them. This act in Revelation 11:9 would have conveyed to John's original audience the ultimate expression of hatred and defiance against God's messengers.
Key Themes
Revelation 11:9 powerfully contributes to several key themes within the Book of Revelation. Firstly, it highlights the global scope of the spiritual conflict, emphasizing that the opposition to God's truth is not localized but transcends all human divisions, as seen in the phrase "people and kindreds and tongues and nations." Secondly, it underscores the intense animosity of the world toward God's witnesses, portraying a profound hatred that culminates in public desecration and mockery. Thirdly, the "three days and an half" signifies the temporary triumph of evil, a brief period of apparent victory for the forces of darkness before God's swift and dramatic intervention, foreshadowing the ultimate vindication of His servants and the final defeat of His enemies, a theme echoed throughout the book, particularly in the final victory of Christ.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word refers to the physical organ of the tongue, but by implication, it signifies a language, especially one naturally unacquired. In the context of Revelation, "tongues" consistently denotes distinct language groups, emphasizing the universal reach of events and messages to all linguistic communities across the earth.
Derived from a root suggesting "habit," this term refers to a race or tribe. Specifically, in the New Testament, it often denotes foreign, non-Jewish peoples, frequently implying pagan or Gentile populations. Its inclusion here signifies that the global audience observing the witnesses' bodies includes all non-Israelite peoples, underscoring the universal nature of the beast's dominion and the world's unified rejection of God's truth.
This word, derived from a verb meaning "to fall," refers to a ruin or, specifically, a lifeless body, a corpse, or carrion. Its use here starkly emphasizes the physical state of the witnesses after their martyrdom, highlighting the gruesome reality of their death and the contemptuous manner in which their remains are treated.
Verse Breakdown
"And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations"
This comprehensive phrase emphasizes the universality of the audience. It signifies that the event of the witnesses' death and the subsequent desecration of their bodies will be witnessed and celebrated by every segment of humanity, transcending all ethnic, linguistic, and national boundaries, demonstrating a unified global opposition to God's messengers.
"shall see their dead bodies three days and an half"
This clause describes the public spectacle of the witnesses' corpses. The duration, "three days and an half," is highly symbolic, representing a divinely ordained, limited period of apparent triumph for evil, mirroring the 1,260 days (or 3.5 years) of the witnesses' prophecy and the tribulation period, but also hinting at a swift reversal. The public viewing underscores the world's gloating and mockery.
"and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves"
This final clause reveals the profound act of desecration. By refusing burial, the global populace expresses ultimate contempt and triumph over the witnesses. It is an act designed to dishonor them even in death, preventing any respectful remembrance and leaving their remains exposed to public shame and decay, a stark symbol of the world's open defiance against God and His servants.
Literary Devices
The verse employs several potent Literary Devices. The phrase "people and kindreds and tongues and nations" is an example of Merism or Synecdoche, where a comprehensive whole is represented by listing its constituent parts, thereby emphasizing the truly global and universal nature of the event. This also functions as Hyperbole, exaggerating the scope to underscore the pervasive reach of the beast's influence and the world's unified hostility. The "three days and an half" is a clear instance of Symbolism, a precise yet short duration that signifies a limited period of evil's triumph, contrasting with the eternal reign of God. Finally, the act of refusing burial is deeply Symbolic, representing extreme dishonor, public humiliation, and the world's ultimate defiance against God's authority and His messengers.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Revelation 11:9 profoundly illustrates the depth of the world's rebellion against God and His truth. The global celebration of the witnesses' death and the public desecration of their bodies reveal a pervasive, unified hatred for divine authority and those who faithfully proclaim it. This passage underscores the reality of spiritual warfare, where the forces of evil, empowered by the beast, achieve a temporary, but highly visible, victory over God's servants. Yet, even in this moment of apparent defeat, the precise duration of "three days and an half" subtly signals God's ultimate sovereignty and the predetermined, limited nature of evil's triumph, setting the stage for a dramatic divine intervention that will vindicate His witnesses and demonstrate His unchallengeable power.
Reflection and Application
Revelation 11:9, while describing a future prophetic event, offers profound insights for believers today. It serves as a stark reminder that faithfulness to God and His truth can evoke intense hostility from a world that often rejects divine authority. The global celebration of the witnesses' death underscores the pervasive nature of spiritual opposition, urging us to be prepared for potential rejection, mockery, and even persecution for our faith. However, the verse also subtly points to the limited nature of evil's triumph; the "three days and an half" signifies that God's enemies will only experience a temporary victory. This should instill in us a deep trust in God's ultimate sovereignty and His perfect timing, knowing that He is always in control, even when circumstances seem dire. Our call, then, is to maintain unwavering faithfulness, to continue bearing witness to Christ's truth, and to find strength in the assurance that our ultimate vindication and reward come from God alone, not from worldly approval.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the "three days and an half" in this verse?
The "three days and an half" (or 3.5 days) is a highly symbolic duration in biblical prophecy, particularly in the Book of Revelation and Daniel. It represents a precise, divinely appointed, and limited period of time during which evil appears to triumph. This specific duration is half of a "seven" (a number often signifying completeness or perfection in biblical numerology), suggesting an incomplete or truncated period of suffering or dominion for God's people. In the context of Revelation 11, it directly contrasts with the 1,260 days (or 3.5 years) of the witnesses' prophecy, signifying a brief interlude of public desecration before their dramatic resurrection. Theologically, it assures believers that even when evil seems to prevail, its victory is always temporary and subject to God's sovereign timetable, ultimately leading to His decisive intervention and the vindication of His faithful servants.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
While Revelation 11:9 describes the future fate of the Two Witnesses, their experience profoundly foreshadows and reflects the ultimate suffering and vindication of Jesus Christ. Just as the witnesses are publicly despised and their bodies left unburied, so too was Christ "despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain" (Isaiah 53:3). His crucifixion was a public spectacle, a moment of apparent triumph for His enemies, where He was exposed to the scorn and mockery of the crowds, dying outside the city gates, a place of shame and dishonor (Hebrews 13:12). The world rejoiced in His death, believing they had silenced God's ultimate Witness. However, just as the witnesses' public desecration lasts for a mere "three days and an half" before their resurrection, Christ's death was followed by His glorious resurrection on the third day (Luke 24:46), turning apparent defeat into ultimate victory. He is the Lamb "slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8), whose suffering and resurrection set the pattern for all who would faithfully bear witness to God, promising that even in death, vindication and eternal life await those who belong to Him.