Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. New Living Translation And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them. English Standard Version For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, Berean Standard Bible 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. Berean Literal Bible And those of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations look at their bodies three and a half days, and they will not allow their bodies to be put into a tomb. King James Bible 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. New King James Version Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. New American Standard Bible Those from the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. NASB 1995 Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. NASB 1977 And those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. Legacy Standard Bible And those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. Amplified Bible Those from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. Berean Annotated Bible For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues (languages) and nations {ethnōn} will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb. Christian Standard Bible And some of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. Holman Christian Standard Bible And representatives from the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. American Standard Version And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. Contemporary English Version For three and a half days the people of every nation, tribe, language, and race will stare at the bodies of these two witnesses and refuse to let them be buried. English Revised Version And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. GOD'S WORD® Translation For 3 1/2 days some members of the people, tribes, languages, and nations will look at the witnesses' dead bodies and will not allow anyone to bury them. Good News Translation People from all nations, tribes, languages, and races will look at their bodies for three and a half days and will not allow them to be buried. International Standard Version For three and a half days some members of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead bodies and will not allow them to be placed in a tomb. NET Bible For three and a half days those from every people, tribe, nation, and language will look at their corpses, because they will not permit them to be placed in a tomb. New Heart English Bible From among the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be placed in a tomb. Webster's Bible Translation And they of the people, and kindreds, and languages, and nations, shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. Weymouth New Testament And men belonging to all peoples, tribes, languages and nations gaze at their dead bodies for three days and a half, but they refuse to let them be laid in a tomb. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleFor 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. World English Bible From among the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations, people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand they gaze—[those] of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations—on their dead bodies three and a half days, and they will not allow their dead bodies to be put into tombs, Berean Literal Bible And those of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations look at their bodies three and a half days, and they will not allow their bodies to be put into a tomb. Young's Literal Translation and they shall behold -- they of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations -- their dead bodies three days and a half, and their dead bodies they shall not suffer to be put into tombs, Smith's Literal Translation And they from the people and tongues and nations shall see their slain bodies three days and a half, and they shall not suffer their slain bodies to be put into tombs. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd they of the tribes, and peoples, 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. Catholic Public Domain Version And those from the tribes and peoples and languages and nations shall be watching their bodies for three and one half days. And they shall not permit their bodies to be placed in tombs. New American Bible Those from every people, tribe, tongue, and nation will gaze on their corpses for three and a half days, and they will not allow their corpses to be buried. New Revised Standard Version For three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb; Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd their dead bodies will be seen by the peoples and kindred and nations and tongues for three days and a half, and it will not be permitted to bury their dead bodies in graves. Aramaic Bible in Plain English “And then they of the peoples and generations, languages and nations will look upon their corpses 3 1/2 days, and they will not allow their corpses to be placed in tombs.” NT Translations Anderson New TestamentAnd some of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will see their dead bodies three days and a half, and will not suffer their dead bodies to be put into sepulchers. Godbey New Testament And those of the peoples and of tribes and of the tongues and of the nations see their dead body three days and a half, and do not suffer their bodies to be put in a sepulchre. Haweis New Testament And they of the people and tribes and tongues and nations will look upon their corpses three days and half, and they will not permit their corpses to be laid in sepulchres. Mace New Testament the people of different tribes, languages, and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and not suffer them to be buried in the grave. Weymouth New Testament And men belonging to all peoples, tribes, languages and nations gaze at their dead bodies for three days and a half, but they refuse to let them be laid in a tomb. Worrell New Testament And some of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, look upon their corpses three days and a half; and they suffer not their corpses to be put into a tomb. Worsley New Testament And various people, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and not suffer their corpses to be buried. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Witnesses Killed and Raised…8Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified. 9 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. 10And 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.… Cross References For three and a half days Daniel 12:7 And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, and times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has finally been shattered, all these things will be completed.” Daniel 7:25 He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time. Revelation 12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. Revelation 13:7 Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. will view their bodies John 19:37 And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.” Luke 23:35 The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” Psalm 22:17 I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me. and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb. Jeremiah 16:4 “They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine, and their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth.” Psalm 79:2-3 They have given the corpses of Your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth. / They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead. 1 Kings 14:11 Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.’ For the LORD has spoken. Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.” Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all the nations for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city. Ezekiel 37:11-12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’ / Therefore prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O My people, I will open your graves and bring you up from them, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Treasury of Scripture 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. the people. Revelation 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. Revelation 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. Revelation 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. three. Revelation 11:2,3,11 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months… and shall not. Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. Revelation 19:17,18 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; … Psalm 79:2,3 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth… Jump to Previous Allow Belonging Bodies Body Burial Dead Gaze Graves Half Kindreds Languages Nation Nations Peoples Permit Placed Refuse Sepulchre Suffer Three Tomb Tombs Tongues Tribe TribesJump to Next Allow Belonging Bodies Body Burial Dead Gaze Graves Half Kindreds Languages Nation Nations Peoples Permit Placed Refuse Sepulchre Suffer Three Tomb Tombs Tongues Tribe TribesRevelation 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. For three and a half days The period of three and a half days is symbolic and often interpreted as a time of trial or judgment. This timeframe echoes the three and a half years (42 months) mentioned elsewhere in Revelation, which is associated with tribulation and persecution. It also parallels the ministry of Jesus, who was in the tomb for three days, suggesting a period of apparent defeat before victory. all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb Persons / Places / Events 1. Two WitnessesCentral figures in Revelation 11, these witnesses prophesy for 1,260 days and are eventually killed by the beast. Their bodies lie in the street for three and a half days. 2. Peoples, Tribes, Tongues, and Nations This phrase emphasizes the global scope of the event, indicating that people from all over the world will witness the dead bodies of the two witnesses. 3. The Beast The antagonist who kills the two witnesses. This figure represents opposition to God and His people. 4. Jerusalem (Symbolic) While not explicitly named in this verse, the context of Revelation 11 suggests that the events occur in a place symbolically called Sodom and Egypt, where the Lord was crucified, often interpreted as Jerusalem. 5. Three and a Half Days A specific period during which the bodies of the two witnesses remain unburied, symbolizing a temporary triumph of evil over good. Teaching Points Global WitnessThe event's worldwide visibility underscores the universal nature of God's message and the global impact of His witnesses. Believers are called to be witnesses to all nations. Temporary Triumph of Evil The three and a half days symbolize a short-lived victory of evil. Christians can take comfort in knowing that any apparent triumph of evil is temporary and will be overcome by God's ultimate victory. Perseverance in Faith The endurance of the two witnesses serves as an example for believers to remain steadfast in their faith, even in the face of persecution and death. Public Testimony The refusal to bury the witnesses highlights the public nature of their testimony. Believers are encouraged to live out their faith openly and courageously. Hope in Resurrection The eventual resurrection of the witnesses (not covered in this verse but in the subsequent verses) points to the hope of resurrection for all believers, affirming the promise of eternal life. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Revelation 11:9?2. How does Revelation 11:9 illustrate the global impact of the two witnesses' deaths? 3. What role does technology play in fulfilling Revelation 11:9's prophecy today? 4. How does Revelation 11:9 connect with Jesus' warning in Matthew 24:14? 5. How can believers prepare for the events described in Revelation 11:9? 6. What does Revelation 11:9 teach about the world's reaction to God's messengers? 7. How does Revelation 11:9 relate to modern global communication and media? 8. What historical events might Revelation 11:9 be predicting or referencing? 9. How does Revelation 11:9 challenge the concept of prophecy fulfillment? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Revelation 11? 11. What does 'every tribe and tongue' mean in salvation? 12. What are the key themes in the Book of Revelation? 13. How do the UN, end times, and Revelation's beast connect? 14. In Leviticus 22:10, does the exclusion of non-priests from eating sacred offerings conflict with later biblical themes of inclusivity? What Does Revelation 11:9 Mean For three and a half days• The number is precise, echoing earlier time markers in the chapter—“They will prophesy for 1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3). Just as the 1,260 days are literal, the three-and-a-half days of death are literal. • God often uses short, distinct periods to mark turning points: Jonah spent “three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish” (Matthew 12:40); Jesus lay in the tomb three days before rising (Luke 24:7). • After this brief pause, “the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet” (Revelation 11:11). The drama underscores God’s control of time—He sets both the limits of opposition and the moment of vindication. all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations • The phrase mirrors the redeemed multitude in heaven (Revelation 7:9), but here it spotlights an unbelieving world united in hostility. • Global witness is now technologically feasible; the same worldwide audience that hears the witnesses’ preaching also watches their apparent defeat. Jesus foretold such worldwide exposure of end-time events: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14). • The reach is total, leaving no excuse; Psalm 2:1-3 describes the nations raging against the Lord and His Anointed—exactly what is seen here. will view their bodies • The bodies are those of the two witnesses just slain by “the beast that comes up from the abyss” (Revelation 11:7). Their corpses lie in “the great city” (11:8), physically visible to onlookers. • Public display of the dead was a sign of triumph for the wicked and shame for the victim (Psalm 79:2-3). Yet God allows it only temporarily, turning the spectacle into a stage for resurrection glory (Revelation 11:11-12). • The watching world thinks the witnesses are silenced, but heaven is watching too (Hebrews 12:1), ready to reverse the scene. and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb • Burial was a basic act of respect (Genesis 23:3-4); denying it signified ultimate contempt. Deuteronomy 21:22-23 warns against leaving a body exposed overnight, so the refusal here is a deliberate violation of God’s law. • Leaving the witnesses unburied fulfills the pattern of godless regimes disgracing God’s servants, as when Jezebel denied Naboth honorable burial (2 Kings 21:13). • The world’s hatred reaches its peak, yet this very dishonor sets up the Lord’s dramatic reversal—“Come up here!” (Revelation 11:12). The stone the builders rejected will again become the cornerstone (Psalm 118:22). summary Revelation 11:9 paints a literal, time-stamped scene: for three and a half days the entire world gapes at the dead bodies of God’s two witnesses, gloating and refusing burial. The episode showcases human rebellion and God’s sovereign timetable. By allowing this brief humiliation, the Lord sets the stage for a resurrection that will jolt the watching nations and vindicate His servants, reminding believers that every second of history remains firmly in His hands. Verse 9. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves; and from among the peoples and tribes, etc., do [men] look upon, etc., and suffer not, etc., in a tomb (Revised Version). The fourfold enumeration points to the wide distribution of the state of things symbolized (cf. Revelation 4:6; Revelation 5:9, etc.), and seems of itself almost sufficient to demonstrate that the two witnesses are not two individual persons who are hereafter to appear. The period is but three days and a half; again, as in vers. 2, 3, a broken, that is, a finite but uncertain period; but, as compared with the three years and a half - the period of the world's existence - very short. (On the signification of the last clause, see on ver. 8.) It is the usual Eastern mark of contempt and degradation. The whole verse, together with the preceding and succeeding verses, describes symbolically, but graphically, the scorn and contempt to which the Church and God's Word will be subjected by men.Parallel Commentaries ... Greek For threeτρεῖς (treis) Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural Strong's 5140: Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; 'three'. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. a half ἥμισυ (hēmisy) Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 2255: Half. Neuter of a derivative from an inseparable prefix akin to hama and meaning semi-; half. days ἡμέρας (hēmeras) Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset. all ἐκ (ek) Preposition Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out. peoples λαῶν (laōn) Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural Strong's 2992: Apparently a primary word; a people. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. tribes φυλῶν (phylōn) Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural Strong's 5443: A tribe or race of people. From phuo; an offshoot, i.e. Race or clan. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. tongues γλωσσῶν (glōssōn) Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural Strong's 1100: The tongue; by implication, a language. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. nations ἐθνῶν (ethnōn) Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural Strong's 1484: Probably from etho; a race, i.e. A tribe; specially, a foreign one. will view βλέπουσιν (blepousin) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 991: (primarily physical), I look, see, perceive, discern. A primary verb; to look at. their αὐτῶν (autōn) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons. bodies πτῶμα (ptōma) Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 4430: A fall; a carcass, corpse, dead body. From the alternate of pipto; a ruin, i.e., lifeless body. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. will not permit ἀφίουσιν (aphiousin) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 863: From apo and hiemi; to send forth, in various applications. [them] πτώματα (ptōmata) Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural Strong's 4430: A fall; a carcass, corpse, dead body. From the alternate of pipto; a ruin, i.e., lifeless body. to be laid τεθῆναι (tethēnai) Verb - Aorist Infinitive Passive Strong's 5087: To put, place, lay, set, fix, establish. A prolonged form of a primary theo to place. in εἰς (eis) Preposition Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases. a tomb. μνῆμα (mnēma) Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 3418: A tomb, monument, memorial. From mnaomai; a memorial, i.e. Sepulchral monument. Links Revelation 11:9 NIVRevelation 11:9 NLT Revelation 11:9 ESV Revelation 11:9 NASB Revelation 11:9 KJV Revelation 11:9 BibleApps.com Revelation 11:9 Biblia Paralela Revelation 11:9 Chinese Bible Revelation 11:9 French Bible Revelation 11:9 Catholic Bible NT Prophecy: Revelation 11:9 From among the peoples tribes languages (Rev. Re Apocalypse) |
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