Revelation 11:3

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

And I will give unto my two witnesses, that they shall prophesy, a thousand two hundred and sixty days, arrayed in sackcloth.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
And I will give power to my two witnesses. And they will prophesy for 1260 days. They will be dressed in sackcloth."

Revised Standard Version
And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And I will geve power vnto my two wytnesses and they shall prophesy .M.iic. and .lx. dayes clothed in sacke cloth.

Hebrew Names Version
I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

New American Standard Bible
"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."

New Century Version
And I will give power to my two witnesses to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, and they will be dressed in rough cloth to show their sadness."

Update Bible Version
And I will give to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Webster's Bible Translation
And I will give [power] to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

World English Bible
I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And I will give to my two witnesses to prophesy twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

Weymouth's New Testament
And I will authorize My two witnesses to prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y schal yyue `to my twey witnessis, and thei schulen prophesie a thousynde daies two hundrid and sixti, and schulen be clothid with sackis.

English Revised Version
And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Berean Standard Bible
And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."

Contemporary English Version
My two witnesses will wear sackcloth, while I let them preach for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

Amplified Bible
"And I will grant authority to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years), dressed in sackcloth."

American Standard Version
And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Bible in Basic English
And I will give orders to my two witnesses, and they will be prophets for a thousand, two hundred and sixty days, clothed with haircloth.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Also I will give power to my two witnesses; and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth."

Darby Translation
And I will give [power] to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

International Standard Version
I will give my two witnesses who wear sackcloth the authority to prophesy for 1,260 days."Revelation 12:6; 19:10; 20:4;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And I will give my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy, DAYS A THOUSAND AND TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY, clothed in sackcloth.

Murdock Translation
And I will give my two witnesses; and they will prophesy a thousand and two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

King James Version (1611)
And I will giue power vnto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesie a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes clothed in sackcloth.

New Living Translation
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days."

New Life Bible
I will give power to my two men who tell what they know. They will speak for God for 1,260 days (forty-two months). They will be dressed in clothes made from the hair of animals."

New Revised Standard
And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth."

English Standard Version
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."

Geneva Bible (1587)
But I wil giue power vnto my two witnesses, and they shall prophecie a thousande two hundreth and threescore dayes, clothed in sackcloth.

George Lamsa Translation
Then I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand and two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I will give unto my two witnesses: and they shall prophesy, a thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And I wyl geue power vnto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesie a thousande, two hundred, and threescore dayes, clothed in sackcloth.

Good News Translation
I will send my two witnesses dressed in sackcloth, and they will proclaim God's message during those 1, 260 days."

Christian Standard Bible®
I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.”

King James Version
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Lexham English Bible
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, dressed in sackcloth."

Literal Translation
And I will give to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy a thousand, two hundred and sixty days, dressed in sackcloth.

Young's Literal Translation
and I will give to My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy days, a thousand, two hundred, sixty, arrayed with sackcloth;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And I wil geue power vnto my two wytnesses, and they shal prophesy .M.ijc. and lx. dayes clothed in sacke cloth.

Mace New Testament (1729)
by virtue of my power, my two witnesses shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days cloathed in sackcloth.

THE MESSAGE
"Meanwhile, I'll provide my two Witnesses. Dressed in sackcloth, they'll prophesy for 1,260 days. These are the two Olive Trees, the two Lampstands, standing at attention before God on earth. If anyone tries to hurt them, a blast of fire from their mouths will incinerate them—burn them to a crisp just like that. They'll have power to seal the sky so that it doesn't rain for the time of their prophesying, power to turn rivers and springs to blood, power to hit earth with any and every disaster as often as they want.

New English Translation
And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth."

New King James Version
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."

Simplified Cowboy Version
I will send my two cowboys to preach the message for 1,260 days."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."

Contextual Overview

³ And I will give unto my two witnesses, that they shall prophesy, a thousand two hundred and sixty days, arrayed in sackcloth. ⁴ These, are the two olive-trees, and the two lamps, which, before the Lord of the earth, do stand. ⁵ And, if any one, upon them, chooseth to inflict injury, fire, cometh forth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and, if anyone shall choose, upon them, to inflict injury, thus, must he be slain. ⁶ These, have authority to shut heaven, in order that, no rain, be moistening in the days of their prophesying; and, authority, have they, over the waters, to be turning them into blood, and to smite the land, with any manner of plague, as often as they will. ⁷ And, as soon as they have completed their witnessing, the wild-beast that is to come up out of the abyss, will make war with them, and overcome them, and slay them. ⁸ And their dead bodies lie upon the broadway of the great city, the which is called, spiritually, Sodom and Egypt, where, their Lord also was crucified. ⁹ And some of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, see, their dead bodies three days and a half, and, their dead bodies, do they not suffer to be put into a tomb. ¹⁰ And, they who are dwelling upon the earth, rejoice over them, and make merry, and, gifts, will they send one to another, - because, these two prophets, tormented them that were dwelling upon the earth. ¹¹ And, after thethree days and a half, a spirit of life from God, entered within them, and they stood upon their feet; and, great fear, fell upon them who were beholding them. ¹² And they heard a loud voice out of heaven, saying unto them - Come up hither! And they went up into heaven, in the cloud, and, their enemies, beheld them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I will give power: etc. or, I will give unto my two witnesses, that they may prophesy, John 3:27, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11

two: Numbers 11:26, Deuteronomy 17:6, Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1

witnesses: Revelation 20:4, Luke 24:48, John 15:27, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:32, Acts 3:15, Acts 13:31

they shall: Revelation 19:10

a thousand: Revelation 11:2, Revelation 12:6

clothed: Genesis 37:34, 1 Chronicles 21:16, Esther 4:1, Esther 4:2, Job 16:15, Isaiah 22:12, Lamentations 2:10, John 3:5-8

Reciprocal: Numbers 12:6 - a prophet Numbers 14:34 - the number Numbers 35:30 - General 1 Kings 20:31 - put sackcloth 2 Kings 1:8 - an hairy man Psalms 37:18 - the days Psalms 44:22 - killed Psalms 94:5 - afflict Psalms 137:1 - we wept Proverbs 22:12 - eyes Ecclesiastes 3:17 - for Isaiah 3:24 - a girding Isaiah 20:2 - the sackcloth Isaiah 20:3 - three Isaiah 24:13 - there Isaiah 54:11 - thou afflicted Isaiah 66:10 - that mourn Jeremiah 1:10 - I have Jeremiah 48:37 - upon the loins Ezekiel 4:6 - each day for a year Ezekiel 43:3 - to destroy the city Daniel 7:25 - a time Daniel 8:14 - Unto Daniel 11:36 - till Daniel 12:7 - that it Zechariah 13:4 - wear Zechariah 14:6 - not Matthew 3:4 - his raiment Matthew 11:8 - A man Mark 6:7 - two and Luke 7:19 - two Luke 10:1 - two and Luke 10:2 - are John 8:17 - that Romans 9:2 - General 1 Thessalonians 5:20 - General Hebrews 11:37 - in sheepskins Revelation 6:9 - slain Revelation 11:7 - when Revelation 11:9 - three Revelation 12:14 - for a time Revelation 13:5 - and power

Cross-References

Genesis 11:4
And they said Come on! let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower with its head in the heavens, so let us make for ourselves a name, - lest we be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth.

Genesis 11:6
Then said Yahweh: Lo! one people and one manner of speech, have they all, this, then is what they have begun to do, - now, therefore, nothing will be withholden from them which they may plan to do.

Genesis 11:7
Come on! let us go down, and there confuse their speech, - that they may not under-stand, each man the speech of his friend.

Genesis 11:18
And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:

Genesis 14:10
Now, the valley of the open fields, had many pits of bitumen, so the king of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there, - while, they who remained, towards a mountain, fled.

Exodus 1:14
and embittered their lives with harsh service, in clay and in bricks, and in all manner of service in the field, - all their service, wherein they rigorously made them serve.

Exodus 2:3
And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of paper-reed, and covered it over with bitumen, and with pitch, - and put therein the child, and laid it among the rushes upon the bank of the river.

2 Samuel 12:31
the people also that were therein, brought he forth, and put them to the saw, and to threshing sledges of iron, and to axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln, and thus used he to do unto all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.

Psalms 64:5
They strengthen for them a wicked word, They talk of hiding snares, They have said, Who can see them?

Proverbs 1:11
If they say - Come with us, - Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us watch in secret for him who is needlessly innocent;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses,.... By whom are meant, not Enoch and Elias, as some of the ancient fathers thought, who, they supposed, would come before the appearance of Christ, and oppose antichrist, and be slain by him, which sense the Papists greedily catch at; nor are the Scriptures, the two Testaments, Old and New, designed, though their name and number agree, and also their office, which is to testify of Christ; but then to be clothed in sackcloth, to be killed, and rise again, and ascend to heaven, are things that cannot so well be accommodated to them: but these witnesses intend the ministers of the Gospel and churches of Christ, who have bore testimony for Christ, and against antichrist, ever since he appeared in the world; and particularly the churches and ministers in Piedmont bid fair for this character; who were upon the spot when antichrist arose, always bore their protest against him, and were ever independent of the church of Rome, and subsisted in the midst of the darkness of the apostasy; and suffered much, and very great persecutions, from the Papists; and have stood their ground, and continue to this day; and have been like olive trees and candlesticks, imparting oil and light to others. Though they ought not to be considered exclusive of other ministers and churches, who also have bore, and still do bear a witness for Christ, and against the idolatries of the church of Rome: no two individual persons can be meant, since these witnesses were to prophesy 1260 days, that is, so many years, but a succession of ministers and churches; and these are called two, both on account of the fewness of them, and because the testimony of two is sufficient to confirm any matter; and it may be in allusion to the various instances of two eminent persons being raised up at certain periods of time, as Moses and Aaron, at the deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt; Caleb and Joshua, at their entrance into Canaan; Elijah and Elisha in the idolatrous times of Ahab; and Joshua and Zerubbabel at the rebuilding and finishing of the second temple. Now the Angel, and who is Christ, here promises that he will give something to these witnesses: some supply the words, "I will give it"; that is, the holy city, or the church, to them, to be taken care of and defended; others, "I will give" them a mouth and wisdom, which their adversaries shall not be able to resist, according to the promise in Luke 21:15. We supply the words, "I will give power"; that is, authority to preach the Gospel, and strength to profess it, and to continue to bear a testimony to it, signified by prophesying; see 1 Corinthians 14:1.

And they shall prophesy; that is, "that they may prophesy"; which is supported by the Arabic and Ethiopic versions, the former rendering the words, "I will give to my two witnesses to prophesy", and the latter, "I will give in command to my two witnesses that they may prophesy"; the sense is, that Christ will give to them a mission and commission, sufficient authority, all needful gifts and grace, courage and presence of mind to preach his Gospel, to hold forth his word, and bear a testimony for him during the whole time of the apostasy, even

a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days; that is, so many years, which, as before observed, is the date of the beast's reign, of the holy city being trodden under foot of the Gentiles, and of the church's retirement into the wilderness: it is observable, that the date of the beast's reign and tyranny is expressed by months, and the date of the church's being in the wilderness, and the prophesying of the witnesses, is signified by days; and the reason which some give is not despicable, as that the beast and his followers are the children of darkness and of the night, over which the moon presides, from whence months are, numbered; and the church and the witnesses are children of the day, over which the sun rules. The habit of these witnesses during their time of prophesying follows,

clothed in sackcloth; expressive either of their outward state and condition, being poor, mean, and abject, while the followers of the beast are clad in silks, and live deliciously; or else of the inward frame of their minds, as mourning for the sad estate of the church of Christ, groaning under the tyranny and persecutions of antichrist.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And I will give power unto my two witnesses - In respect to this important passage Revelation 11:3-13 I propose to pursue the same method which I have pursued all along in this exposition: first, to examine the meaning of the words and phrases in the symbol, with a purpose to ascertain the fair signification of the symbols; and, secondly, to inquire into the application - that is, to inquire whether any events have occurred which, in respect to their character and to the time of their occurrence, can be shown to be a fair fulfillment of the language.

And I will give power - The word “power” is not in the original. The Greek is simply, “I will give” - that is, I will grant to my two witnesses the right or the power of prophesying during the time specified - correctly expressed in the margin, “give unto my two witnesses that they may prophesy.” The meaning is not that he would send two witnesses to prophesy, but rather that these were in fact such “witnesses,” and that he would during that time permit them to exercise their prophetic gifts, or give them the privilege and the strength to enunciate the truth which they were commissioned to communicate as his “witnesses” to mankind. Some word, then, like “power, privilege, opportunity, or boldness,” it is necessary to supply in order to complete the sense.

Unto my two witnesses - The word “two” evidently denotes that the number would be small; and yet it is not necessary to confine it literally to two persons, or to two societies or communities. Perhaps the meaning is, that as, under the law, two witnesses were required, and were enough, to establish any fact (notes on John 8:17), such a number would during those times be preserved from apostasy as would be sufficient to keep up the evidence of truth; to testify against the prevailing abominations, errors, and corruptions; to show what was the real church, and to bear a faithful witness against the wickedness of the world. The law of Moses required that there should be two witnesses on a trial, and this, under that law, was deemed a competent number. See Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; John 5:30-33. The essential meaning of this passage then is, that there would be “a competent number” of witnesses in the case; that is, as many as would be regarded as sufficent to establish the points concerning which they would testify, with perhaps the additional idea that the number would be small.

There is no reason for limiting it strictly to two persons, or for supposing that they would appear in pairs, two and two; nor is it necessary to suppose that it refers particularly to two people or nations. The word rendered “witnesses” - μάρτυρί marturi - is that from which we have derived the word “martyr.” It means properly one who bears testimony, either in a judicial sense Matthew 18:16; Matthew 26:65, or one who can in any way testify to the truth of what he has seen and known, Luke 24:48; Romans 1:9; Phi 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:10; 1 Timothy 6:12. Then it came to be employed in the sense in which the word “martyr” is now - to denote one who, amidst great sufferings or by his death, bears witness to the truth; that is, one who is so confident of the truth, and so upright, that he will rather lay down his life than deny the truth of what he has seen and known, Acts 22:20; Revelation 2:13. In a similar sense it comes to denote one who is so thoroughly convinced on a subject that it is not susceptible of being seen and heard, or who is so attached to one that he is willing to lay down his life as the evidence of his conviction and attachment. The word, as used here, refers to those who, during this period of “forty and two months,” would thus be witnesses for Christ in the world; that is, who would bear their testimony to the truth of his religion, to the doctrines which he had revealed, and to what was required of man - who would do this amidst surrounding error and corruption, and when exposed to persecutions and trials on account of their belief. It is not uncommon in the Scriptures to represent the righteous as witnesses for God. See the notes on Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 43:12; Isaiah 44:8.

And they shall prophesy - The word “prophesy” does not necessarily mean that they would predict future events; but the sense is, that they would give utterance to the truth as God had revealed it. See the notes on Revelation 10:11. The sense here is, that they would in some public manner hold up or maintain the truth before the world.

A thousand two hundred and threescore days - The same period as the forty and two months Revelation 11:2, though expressed in a different form. Reckoning a day for a year, this period would be twelve hundred and sixty years, or the same as the “time and times and the dividing of time” in Daniel 7:25. See the notes on that place; also Editor’s Preface. The meaning of this would be, therefore, that during that long period, in which it is said that “the holy city would be trodden under foot,” there would be those who might be properly called “witnesses” for God, and who would be engaged in holding up his truth before the world; that is, there would be no part of that period in which there would not be found some to whom this appellation could with propriety be given. Though the “holy city” - the church - would seem, to be wholly trodden down, yet there would be a few at least who would assert the great doctrines of true godliness.

Clothed in sackcloth - Sackcloth - σάκκους sakkous - was properly a coarse black cloth commonly made of hair, used for sacks, for straining, and for mourning garments. See the Revelation 6:12 note; Isaiah 3:24 note; and Matthew 11:21 note. Here it is an emblem of mourning; and the idea is, that they would prophesy in the midst of grief. This would indicate that the time would be one of calamity, or that, in doing this, there would be occasion for their appearing in the emblems of grief, rather than in robes expressive of joy. The most natural interpretation of this is, that there would be but few who could be regarded as true witnesses for God in the world, and that they would be exposed to persecution.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 11:3. My two witnesses — This is extremely obscure; the conjectures of interpreters are as unsatisfactory as they are endless on this point. Conjecturas conjecturis superstruunt, parum verosimiles, says Rosenmuller: quorum sententias enarrare, meum non est. I say the same. Those who wish to be amused or bewildered, may have recourse both to ancients and moderns on this subject.