The Meaning of Revelation 11:11 Explained

Revelation 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.

YLT: And after the three days and a half, a spirit of life from God did enter into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon those beholding them,

Darby: And after the three days and a half the spirit of life from God came into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon those beholding them.

ASV: And after the three days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them that beheld them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Revelation 11:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The breath of life from God will revive the witnesses" dead bodies (cf. 2 Kings 13:20-21; Genesis 7:15; Genesis 7:22; Genesis 6:17; Ezekiel 37:5; Ezekiel 37:10). Their resurrections will terrify onlookers because these God-haters could do no more to silence their enemies than kill them. The use of the prophetic present tense in the verbs in this verse pictures what is future as fact.

Context Summary

Revelation 11:1-13 - The "two Witnesses"
We cannot in this brief note indicate the various interpretations of this chapter, but certain great principles underlie it, which are true of every age.
(1) During the darkest ages, men have been raised up to testify against the prevailing corruption of their time, and especially the corruption of the apostate Church. Their opponents have endeavored to silence their voice and blacken their character, but God has ever vindicated them and given life out of death. (2) Always when the enemies of the truth have deemed themselves triumphant, there has been a rekindling of gospel testimony. A few years before Luther appeared, a medal was struck to commemorate the extinction of so-called heresy. (3) Such witness-bearing as is suggested by the comparison with Zechariah's vision, is fed from the heart of Christ. He is the root of the martyr line; His Spirit is the life-breath of His witnesses. All through the centuries, commonly called Christian, though generally very un-Christian, there has been an unbroken succession of pure and noble souls who have stood for Jesus Christ even unto death. Let us dare to stand with them and our Lord, that He may not be ashamed of us at His coming. [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 11

1  The two witnesses prophesy
6  They have power to shut heaven so that it rain not
7  The beast shall fight against them, and kill them
8  They lie unburied;
11  and after three and a half days rise again
14  The second woe is past
15  The seventh trumpet sounds

Greek Commentary for Revelation 11:11

After the [μετα τας]
The article τας — tas (the) points back to Revelation 11:9. [source]
The breath of life from God [πνευμα ζωης εκ του τεου]
This phrase Second aorist active indicative of εισερχομαι — eiserchomai with εν — en rather than εις — eis after it (cf. Luke 9:46). The prophecy has here become fact (change from future πεμπσουσιν — pempsousin to aorist εισηλτεν — eisēlthen).They stood upon their feet Ingressive second aorist active indicative of ιστημι — histēmi (intransitive). Reference to Ezekiel 37:10, but with the accusative in place of genitive there after επι — epi as in 2 Kings 13:21.Fell upon (επεπεσεν επι — epepesen epi). Second aorist active indicative of επιπιπτω — epipiptō with repetition of επι — epi The same prophetic use of the aorist as in εισηλτεν — eisēlthen and εστησαν — estēsan (τεωρουντας — theōrountas). Present active articular participle of τεωρεω — theōreō “The spectators were panic-stricken” (Swete). [source]
Entered into them [εισηλτεν εν αυτοις]
Second aorist active indicative of εισερχομαι — eiserchomai with εν — en rather than εις — eis after it (cf. Luke 9:46). The prophecy has here become fact (change from future πεμπσουσιν — pempsousin to aorist εισηλτεν — eisēlthen). [source]
They stood upon their feet [εστησαν επι τους ποδας αυτων]
Ingressive second aorist active indicative of ιστημι — histēmi (intransitive). Reference to Ezekiel 37:10, but with the accusative in place of genitive there after επι — epi as in 2 Kings 13:21.Fell upon (επεπεσεν επι — epepesen epi). Second aorist active indicative of επιπιπτω — epipiptō with repetition of επι — epi The same prophetic use of the aorist as in εισηλτεν — eisēlthen and εστησαν — estēsan (τεωρουντας — theōrountas). Present active articular participle of τεωρεω — theōreō “The spectators were panic-stricken” (Swete). [source]
Fell upon [επεπεσεν επι]
Second aorist active indicative of επιπιπτω — epipiptō with repetition of επι — epi The same prophetic use of the aorist as in εισηλτεν — eisēlthen and εστησαν — estēsan Present active articular participle of τεωρεω — theōreō “The spectators were panic-stricken” (Swete). [source]
Spirit of life [πνεῦμα ζῶης]
Rev., breath. See on John 3:8. [source]
Entered into them []
Compare Ezekiel 37:1-10. [source]
Saw [θεωροῦντας]
See on John 1:18. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 11:11

John 3:8 The wind [τὸ πνεῦμα]
Some hold by the translation spirit, as Wyc., the spirit breatheth where it will. In Hebrew the words spirit and wind are identical. Πνεῦμα is from πνέω tobreathe or blow, the verb used in this verse (bloweth ), and everywhere in the New Testament of the blowing of the wind (Matthew 7:25, Matthew 7:27; Luke 12:55; John 6:18). It frequently occurs in the classics in the sense of wind. Thus Aristophanes, τὸ πνεῦμ ' ἔλαττον γίγνεται , the wind is dying away (“Knights,” 441), also in the New Testament, Hebrews 1:7, where the proper translation is, “who maketh His angels winds,” quoted from 1Kings href="/desk/?q=1ki+18:45&sr=1">1 Kings 18:45; 1 Kings 19:11; 2 Kings 3:17; Job 1:19. In the New Testament, in the sense of breath, 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 11:11. The usual rendering, wind, is confirmed here by the use of the kindred verb πνεῖ , bloweth, and by φωνὴν , sound, voice. Tholuck thinks that the figure may have been suggested to Jesus by the sound of the night-wind sweeping through the narrow street. [source]
Hebrews 12:9 And live [καὶ ζήσομεν]
Have true life; not limited to the future life. Comp. John 5:26; John 6:57; 1 John 5:11; Revelation 11:11; Acts 16:28; Romans 6:11; Romans 14:8; 1 John 4:9, and see on living God, Hebrews 3:12. [source]
Hebrews 1:7 Who maketh his angels spirits [ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα]
For spirits rend. winds This meaning is supported by the context of the Psalm, and by John 3:8. Πνεῦμα often in this sense in Class. In lxx, 1 Kings 18:45; 1 Kings 19:11; 2 Kings 3:17; Job 1:19. Of breath in N.T., 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 11:11. In Hebrew, spirit and wind are synonymous. The thought is according to the rabbinical idea of the variableness of the angelic nature. Angels were supposed to live only as they ministered. Thus it was said: “God does with his angels whatever he will. When he wishes he makes them sitting: sometimes he makes them standing: sometimes he makes them winds, sometimes fire.” “The subjection of the angels is such that they must submit even to be changed into elements.” “The angel said to Manoah, 'I know not to the image of what I am made; for God changes us each hour: wherefore then dost thou ask my name? Sometimes he makes us fire, sometimes wind.”' The emphasis, therefore, is not on the fact that the angels are merely servants, but that their being is such that they are only what God makes them according to the needs of their service, and are, therefore, changeable, in contrast with the Son, who is ruler and unchangeable. There would be no pertinency in the statement that God makes his angels spirits, which goes without saying. The Rabbis conceived the angels as perishable. One of them is cited as saying, “Day by day the angels of service are created out of the fire. stream, and sing a song, and disappear, as is said in Lamentations 3:23, 'they are new every morning.'” For λειτουργοὺς ministerssee on ministration, Luke 1:23, and see on ministered, Acts 13:2. [source]
Revelation 13:15 To give breath to it [δουναι πνευμα αυτηι]
This second beast, probably a system like the first (not a mere person), was endowed with the power to work magical tricks, as was true of Simon Magus and Apollonius of Tyana and many workers of legerdemain since. Πνευμα — Pneuma here has its original meaning of breath or wind like πνευμα ζωης — pneuma zōēs (breath of life) in Revelation 11:11. [source]

What do the individual words in Revelation 11:11 mean?

And after the three days a half [the] spirit of life from - God entered into them they stood upon the feet of them fear great fell those beholding them
Καὶ μετὰ τὰς τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἥμισυ πνεῦμα ζωῆς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσῆλθεν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτῶν φόβος μέγας ἐπέπεσεν τοὺς θεωροῦντας αὐτούς

μετὰ  after 
Parse: Preposition
Root: μετά  
Sense: with, after, behind.
τρεῖς  three 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: τρεῖς 
Sense: three.
ἡμέρας  days 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: ἡμέρα  
Sense: the day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night.
ἥμισυ  a  half 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: ἥμισυς  
Sense: half.
πνεῦμα  [the]  spirit 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: πνεῦμα  
Sense: a movement of air (a gentle blast.
ζωῆς  of  life 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ζωή  
Sense: life.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
εἰσῆλθεν  entered 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰσέρχομαι  
Sense: to go out or come in: to enter.
ἐν  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐν 
Sense: in, by, with etc.
ἔστησαν  they  stood 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἵστημι  
Sense: to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set.
ἐπὶ  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
πόδας  feet 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: πούς  
Sense: a foot, both of men or beast.
αὐτῶν  of  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
φόβος  fear 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: φόβος  
Sense: fear, dread, terror.
μέγας  great 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: μέγας  
Sense: great.
ἐπέπεσεν  fell 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐπιπίπτω  
Sense: to fall upon, to rush or press upon.
τοὺς  those 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
θεωροῦντας  beholding 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: θεωρέω  
Sense: to be a spectator, look at, behold.