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Verse-by-Verse Study Notes
STUDY NOTES — verse by verse. [Brackets] mark English helper words. Hebrew quoted word-for-word from the Tanakh, never invented. “Lord” = kurios (title), never the Name. Greek in pinned comment; apparatus free below.
Rev 11:1 — א A P47.
Lit: “And there was given to me a reed like a rod, saying: Rise and measure the temple of Elohim and the altar and the [ones] worshiping in it.”
Heb, Ezek 40:3 (the man with the measuring reed): וַיָּבֵא אוֹתִי שָׁמָּה וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ מַרְאֵהוּ כְּמַרְאֵה נְחֹשֶׁת וּפְתִיל פִּשְׁתִּים בְּיָדוֹ וּקְנֵה הַמִּדָּה וְהוּא עֹמֵד בַּשָּׁעַר — “and He brought me there, and behold, a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax in his hand and a measuring reed, and he was standing in the gate”
Heb, Zech 2:5 (the man with the measuring line; Eng. 2:1): וָאֶשָּׂא עֵינַי וָאֵרֶא וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ וּבְיָדוֹ חֶבֶל מִדָּה — “and I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man, and in his hand a measuring line”
Rev 11:2 — א A P47.
Lit: “and the court, the [one] outside of the temple, cast out, and do not measure it, for it was given to the nations, and the holy city they shall trample [for] forty-two months.”
Heb, Ps 79:1 (the nations in the inheritance, the defiled temple): מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף אֱלֹהִים בָּאוּ גוֹיִם בְּנַחֲלָתֶךָ טִמְּאוּ אֶת הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ שָׂמוּ אֶת יְרוּשָׁלִַם לְעִיִּים — “A psalm of Asaph. O Elohim, the nations have come into Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple; they have made Jerusalem heaps”
Heb, Dan 7:25 (Aramaic — time, times, and half a time): וְיִתְיַהֲבוּן בִּידֵהּ עַד עִדָּן וְעִדָּנִין וּפְלַג עִדָּן — “and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time”
Rev 11:3 — א A P47.
Lit: “and I will give to the two witnesses of me, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred sixty days, having been clothed with sackcloth.”
Heb, Dan 12:7 (time, times, and half): כִּי לְמוֹעֵד מוֹעֲדִים וָחֵצִי — “that it shall be for a time, times, and half [a time]”
Heb, Dan 7:25 (see 11:2)
Heb: the sackcloth garb of the prophets — the book’s own image; no Tanakh verbal parallel.
Rev 11:4 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, the [ones] before Elohim of the earth, standing.”
Heb, Zech 4:14 (the two anointed ones before the Lord of all the earth): וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶּה שְׁנֵי בְנֵי הַיִּצְהָר הָעֹמְדִים עַל אֲדוֹן כָּל הָאָרֶץ — “and he said: These are the two anointed ones who stand before the Lord of all the earth”
Heb, Zech 4:3 (the two olive trees): וּשְׁנַיִם זֵיתִים עָלֶיהָ אֶחָד מִימִין הַגֻּלָּה וְאֶחָד עַל שְׂמֹאלָהּ — “and two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and one on its left”
Rev 11:5 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “and if anyone wishes to harm them, fire goes out of the mouth of them and devours the enemies of them; and if anyone should wish to harm them, thus it is necessary [for] him to be killed.”
Heb, Jer 5:14 (His words made fire in the mouth): הִנְנִי נֹתֵן דְּבָרַי בְּפִיךָ לְאֵשׁ וְהָעָם הַזֶּה עֵצִים וַאֲכָלָתַם — “behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them”
Heb, 2 Kgs 1:10 (fire from heaven devours): וְאִם אִישׁ אֱלֹהִים אָנִי תֵּרֶד אֵשׁ מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וְתֹאכַל אֹתְךָ וְאֶת חֲמִשֶּׁיךָ וַתֵּרֶד אֵשׁ מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וַתֹּאכַל אוֹתוֹ וְאֶת חֲמִשָּׁיו — “and if I am a man of Elohim, let fire come down from heaven and devour you and your fifty. And fire came down from heaven and devoured him and his fifty”
Rev 11:6 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “These have the authority to shut the heaven, so that rain may not fall [in] the days of the prophecy of them, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the land with every plague as often as they should wish.”
Heb, 1 Kgs 17:1 (no rain except by his word): חַי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתִּי לְפָנָיו אִם יִהְיֶה הַשָּׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה טַל וּמָטָר כִּי אִם לְפִי דְבָרִי — “As YudHeyVavHey, the Elohim of Israel, lives, before whom I stand — there shall be no dew or rain these years except by my word”
Heb, Deut 11:17 (the shut heaven, no rain): וְעָצַר אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא יִהְיֶה מָטָר — “and He shuts the heavens and there is no rain”
Heb, Exod 7:17 (the waters struck to blood): הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מַכֶּה בַּמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדִי עַל הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר בַּיְאֹר וְנֶהֶפְכוּ לְדָם — “behold, I am striking with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters that are in the Nile, and they shall be turned to blood”
Rev 11:7 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “And when they should finish the testimony of them, the beast, the [one] coming up out of the abyss, shall make war with them and shall conquer them and shall kill them.”
Heb: the beast coming up out of the abyss — the book’s own image; the beasts of Dan 7 rise from the sea, but no Tanakh verbal parallel for the abyss.
Rev 11:8 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “and the corpse of them [shall be] upon the street of the great city, which is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt, where also the Lord of them was crucified.”
Heb, Isa 1:10 (rulers of Sodom, people of Gomorrah): שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר יְהוָה קְצִינֵי סְדֹם הַאֲזִינוּ תּוֹרַת אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַם עֲמֹרָה — “Hear the word of YudHeyVavHey, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our Elohim, you people of Gomorrah”
Heb, Isa 1:9 (like Sodom, like Gomorrah): כִּסְדֹם הָיִינוּ לַעֲמֹרָה דָּמִינוּ — “we would have been like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah” (the crucifixion — the book’s own record; no Tanakh verbal parallel)
Rev 11:9 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “and they see, [those] from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations, the corpse of them [for] three days and a half, and the corpses of them they do not allow to be placed in a tomb.”
Heb: the three and a half days — the book’s own reckoning on the Dan 7:25 pattern; no Tanakh verbal parallel.
Rev 11:10 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “and the [ones] dwelling upon the earth rejoice over them and celebrate, and they shall send gifts to one another, because these, the two prophets, tormented the [ones] dwelling upon the earth.”
Heb, Esth 9:19 (sending portions to one another): וּמִשְׁלֹחַ מָנוֹת אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ — “and sending portions, each to his neighbor”
Heb, Neh 8:12 (sending portions and great rejoicing): וַיֵּלְכוּ כָל הָעָם לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וּלְשַׁלַּח מָנוֹת וְלַעֲשׂוֹת שִׂמְחָה גְדוֹלָה — “and all the people went to eat and to drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing”
Rev 11:11 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “And after the three days and a half, a breath of life from Elohim entered into them, and they stood upon the feet of them, and great fear fell upon the [ones] beholding them;”
Heb, Ezek 37:10 (the breath came into them; they lived and stood on their feet): וַתָּבוֹא בָהֶם הָרוּחַ וַיִּחְיוּ וַיַּעַמְדוּ עַל רַגְלֵיהֶם — “and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood upon their feet”
Heb, Gen 2:7 (the breath of life breathed in): וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים — “and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”
Rev 11:12 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “and they heard a great voice out of the heaven saying to them: Come up here, and they went up into the heaven in the cloud, and the enemies of them beheld them.”
Heb, 2 Kgs 2:11 (Elijah taken up to heaven): וַיַּעַל אֵלִיָּהוּ בַּסְעָרָה הַשָּׁמָיִם — “and Elijah went up in the whirlwind to heaven”
Rev 11:13 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “and in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth of the city fell, and there were killed in the earthquake names of men, seven thousands, and the rest became terrified and gave glory to the Elohim of the heaven.”
Heb, Josh 7:19 (give glory to YudHeyVavHey): שִׂים נָא כָבוֹד לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל — “give glory, now, to YudHeyVavHey, the Elohim of Israel”
Heb, 1 Kgs 19:18 (the seven thousand): וְהִשְׁאַרְתִּי בְיִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים — “yet I have left in Israel seven thousand” (the great earthquake — the book’s own sign; no Tanakh verbal parallel)
Rev 11:14 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “The second woe went away; behold, the third woe comes quickly.”
Heb: the woe-sequence — Revelation’s own formula, cf. 8:13; 9:12; no Tanakh verbal parallel.
Rev 11:15 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “And the seventh messenger sounded the trumpet; and there were great voices in the heaven saying: The kingdom of the world became [the kingdom] of our Elohim and of His Anointed, and He shall reign into the ages of the ages.”
Heb, Zech 14:9 (YudHeyVavHey King over all the earth): וְהָיָה יְהוָה לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ — “and YudHeyVavHey shall be King over all the earth”
Heb, Dan 7:14 (Aramaic — the everlasting dominion): שָׁלְטָנֵהּ שָׁלְטָן עָלַם דִּי לָא יֶעְדֵּה וּמַלְכוּתֵהּ דִּי לָא תִתְחַבָּל — “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed”
Heb, Obad 1:21 (the kingdom shall be YudHeyVavHey’s): וְהָיְתָה לַיהוָה הַמְּלוּכָה — “and the kingdom shall be YudHeyVavHey’s”
Heb, Dan 7:27 (Aramaic — the everlasting kingdom): מַלְכוּתֵהּ מַלְכוּת עָלַם — “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom”
Rev 11:16 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “And the twenty-four elders, the [ones] sitting before Elohim upon the thrones of them, fell upon the faces of them and worshiped Elohim,”
Heb: the twenty-four elders — Revelation’s own order, cf. 4:4; no Tanakh verbal parallel.
Rev 11:17 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “saying: We give thanks to You, O Elohim, the Almighty, the [One] being and the [One] was, because You have taken the great power of You and have begun to reign.”
Heb, Exod 3:14 (the I-AM — the ὁ ὢν formula): אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה — “I AM WHO I AM” (the thanksgiving for the taken power — the book’s own song; no further Tanakh verbal parallel)
Rev 11:18 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “and the nations were angered, and the wrath of You came, and the time of the dead to be judged and to give the reward to the servants of You, the prophets, and to the holy [ones] and to the [ones] fearing the name of You — the small and the great — and to destroy the [ones] destroying the earth.”
Heb, Ps 2:1 (why do the nations rage): לָמָּה רָגְשׁוּ גוֹיִם — “Why do the nations rage”
Heb, Dan 12:2 (the sleepers in the dust awake to judgment): וְרַבִּים מִיְּשֵׁנֵי אַדְמַת עָפָר יָקִיצוּ — “and many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground shall awake” (to destroy those destroying the earth — the book’s own sentence; no Tanakh verbal parallel)
Rev 11:19 — א A P47 C.
Lit: “And was opened the temple of Elohim, the [one] in the heaven, and was seen the ark of the covenant of Him in the temple of Him; and there were lightnings and voices and thunders and an earthquake and great hail.”
Heb, Exod 19:16 (thunders and lightnings at the mountain): וַיְהִי קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים — “and there were thunders and lightnings” (the ark of the covenant seen in the opened temple — the book’s own vision; no Tanakh verbal parallel)