Revelation 11:4

Contemporary English Version

These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord who rules the earth.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

King James Version (1611)
These are the two oliue trees, and the two candlestickes, standing before the God of the earth.

King James Version
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

New American Standard Bible
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

New Century Version
These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

English Standard Version
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Berean Standard Bible
These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Complete Jewish Bible
These are the two olive trees and the two menorahs standing before the Lord of the earth.

Darby Translation
These are the two olive trees and the two lamps which stand before the Lord of the earth;

Easy-to-Read Version
These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Geneva Bible (1587)
These are two oliue trees, and two candlestickes, standing before the God of the earth.

George Lamsa Translation
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks, standing before the LORD of the earth.

Good News Translation
The two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lamps that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Lexham English Bible
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Literal Translation
These are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands, standing before the God of the earth.

Amplified Bible
These [witnesses] are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth.

American Standard Version
These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth.

Bible in Basic English
These are the two olive-trees and the two lights, which are before the Lord of the earth.

Hebrew Names Version
These are the two olive trees and the two menorot, standing before the Lord of the eretz.

International Standard Version
These witnessesThese ones">[fn] are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing in the presence of the Lord of the earth.Psalm 52:8; Jeremiah 11:16; Zechariah 4:3,11, 14;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
These are the two olive (trees) and two candlesticks which before the Lord of the earth do stand.

Murdock Translation
These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks which stand before the Lord of the earth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
These are two oliue trees, and two candlestickes, standyng before the God of the earth.

English Revised Version
These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth.

World English Bible
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, standing before the Lord of the earth.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth.

Weymouth's New Testament
"These witnesses are the two olive-trees, and they are the two lamps which stand in the presence of the Lord of the earth.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
These ben tweyne olyues, and twei candilstikis, and thei stonden in the siyt of the Lord of the erthe.

Update Bible Version
These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, who stand before the Lord of the earth.

Webster's Bible Translation
These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

New English Translation
(These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.)

New King James Version
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God [fn] of the earth.

New Living Translation
These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth.

New Life Bible
These two men who tell what they know are the two olive trees and the two lights that stand before the Lord of the earth.

New Revised Standard
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
These, are the two olive-trees, and the two lamps, which, before the Lord of the earth, do stand.

Douay-Rheims Bible
These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Revised Standard Version
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
These are two olyve trees and two cadlestyckes stodinge before ye god of ye erth

Young's Literal Translation
these are the two olive [trees], and the two lamp-stands that before the God of the earth do stand;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
These are two olyue trees, and two candelstyckes, stondinge before the God of the earth.

Mace New Testament (1729)
these are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the Lord of the earth.

Simplified Cowboy Version
The two cowboys are the two olive trees and the two lanterns that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Contextual Overview

³ My two witnesses will wear sackcloth, while I let them preach for one thousand two hundred sixty days. ⁴ These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord who rules the earth. ⁵ Any enemy who tries to harm them will be destroyed by the fire that comes out of their mouths. ⁶ They have the power to lock up the sky and to keep rain from falling while they are prophesying. And whenever they want to, they can turn water to blood and cause all kinds of terrible troubles on earth. ⁷ After the two witnesses have finished preaching God's message, the beast that lives in the deep pit will come up and fight against them. It will win the battle and kill them. ⁸ Their bodies will be left lying in the streets of the same great city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. And that city is spiritually like the city of Sodom or the country of Egypt. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ Everyone on earth will celebrate and be happy. They will give gifts to each other, because of what happened to the two prophets who caused them so much trouble. ¹¹ But three and a half days later, God will breathe life into their bodies. They will stand up, and everyone who sees them will be terrified. ¹² The witnesses then heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, "Come up here." And while their enemies were watching, they were taken up to heaven in a cloud.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

two olive: Psalms 52:8, Jeremiah 11:16, Zechariah 4:2, Zechariah 4:3, Zechariah 4:11-14, Romans 11:17

two candlesticks: Revelation 1:20, Matthew 5:14-16, Luke 11:33

standing: Deuteronomy 10:8, 1 Kings 17:1

the God: Exodus 8:22, Isaiah 54:5, Micah 4:13, Zechariah 4:14

Reciprocal: Exodus 27:20 - pure oil olive beaten Leviticus 24:4 - the pure Zechariah 4:12 - What be Matthew 18:19 - That if Mark 11:25 - stand Mark 14:22 - this Luke 8:16 - when

Cross-References

Genesis 6:4
The children of the supernatural beings who had married these women became famous heroes and warriors. They were called Nephilim and lived on the earth at that time and even later.

Genesis 11:8
So the people had to stop building the city, because the Lord confused their language and scattered them all over the earth. That's how the city of Babel got its name.

Genesis 11:13
Arpachshad had more children and died at the age of four hundred thirty-eight.

Deuteronomy 1:28
We are afraid, because the men who explored the land told us that the cities are large, with walls that reach to the sky. The people who live there are taller and stronger than we are, and some of them are Anakim. We have nowhere to go."

Deuteronomy 4:27
Only a few of you will survive, and the Lord will force you to leave the land and will scatter you among the nations.

Deuteronomy 9:1
Moses said: Israel, listen to me! You will soon cross the Jordan River and go into the land to force out the nations that live there. They are more powerful than you are, and the walls around their cities reach to the sky.

2 Samuel 8:13
David fought the Edomite army in Salt Valley and killed eighteen thousand of their soldiers. When he returned, he built a monument.

Psalms 92:9
and your hateful enemies will be scattered and then destroyed.

Proverbs 10:7
Good people are remembered long after they are gone, but the wicked are soon forgotten.

Daniel 4:11
It grew stronger and higher, until it reached to heaven and could be seen from anywhere on earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

These are the two olive trees,.... Or represented by the two olive trees in Zechariah 4:3, which there design Joshua and Zerubbabel; and who in laying out themselves, their gifts and wealth, in rebuilding and finishing the temple, were types of these witnesses, the ministers of the Gospel, in the successive ages of the apostasy; who may be compared to olive trees, because of the oil of grace, and the truth of it in them; and because of the gifts of the Spirit of God bestowed on them, or their having that anointing which teacheth all things; and because they freely impart their gifts, and the golden oil of the Gospel unto others, and also bring the good tidings of peace and salvation by Christ, of which the olive leaf is a symbol; and because they are like the olive tree, fat, flourishing, and fruitful in spiritual things; they are sons of oil, and God's anointed ones:

and the two candlesticks; which hold forth the light of the word, in the midst of Popish darkness: this shows that churches, as well as ministers, are designed by the witnesses, since the candlesticks are explained of the churches, Revelation 1:20, though the simile well agrees with ministers of the word, who are the lights of the world, or hold forth the light of the Gospel, which is put into them by Christ: and these olive trees and candlesticks are represented as

standing before the God of the earth; ministering unto him, enjoying his presence, and having his assistance, and being under his protection. The Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, read, "the Lord of the earth"; and so the Complutensian edition; see Zechariah 4:14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These are the two olive-trees - These are represented by the two olive-trees, or these are what are symbolized by the two olive-trees. There can be little doubt that there is an allusion here to Zechariah 4:3, Zechariah 4:11, Zechariah 4:14, though the imagery is in some respects changed. The prophet Zechariah 4:2-3 saw in vision “a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which were upon the top thereof; and two olive-trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.” These two “olive branches” were subsequently declared Revelation 11:14 to be “the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” The olive-trees, or olive-branches Revelation 11:12, appear in the vision of the prophet to have been connected with the ever-burning lamp by golden pipes; and as the olive-tree produced the oil used by the ancients in their lamps, these trees are represented as furnishing a constant supply of oil through the golden pipes to the candlestick, and thus they become emblematic of the supply of grace to the church. John uses this emblem, not in the sense exactly in which it was employed by the prophet, but to denote that these two “witnesses,” which might be compared with the two olivetrees, would be the means of supplying grace to the church. As the olive-tree furnished oil for the lamps, the two trees here would seem properly to denote ministers of religion; and as there can be no doubt that the candlesticks, or lamp-bearers, denote churches, the sense would appear to be that it was through the pastors of the churches that the oil of grace which maintained the brightness of those mystic candlesticks, or the churches, was conveyed. The image is a beautiful one, and expresses a truth of great importance to the world; for God has designed that the lamp of piety shall be kept burning in the churches by truth supplied through ministers and pastors.

And the two candlesticks - The prophet Zechariah saw but one such candlestick or lamp-bearer; John here saw two - as there are two “witnesses” referred to. In the vision described in Revelation 1:12, he saw seven - representing the seven churches of Asia. For an explanation of the meaning of the symbol, see the notes on that verse.

Standing before the God of the earth - So Zechariah 4:14, “These be the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” The meaning is, that they stood, as it were, in the very presence of God - as, in the tabernacle and temple, the golden candlestick stood “before” the ark on which was the symbol of the divine presence, though separated from it by a veil. Compare the notes on Revelation 9:13. This representation, that the ministers of religion “stand before the Lord,” is one that is not uncommon in the Bible. Thus it is said of the priests and Levites: “The Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to staled before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless his name,” Deuteronomy 10:8; compare Deuteronomy 18:7. The same thing is said of the prophets, as in the cases of Elijah and Elisha: “As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand,” 1 Kings 17:1; also, 1 Kings 18:15; 2Ki 3:14; 2 Kings 5:16; compare Jeremiah 15:19. The representation is, that they ministered, as it were, constantly in his presence, and under his eye.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 11:4. These are the two olive trees — Mentioned Zechariah 4:14, which there represent Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest. The whole account seems taken from Zechariah 4:1-14. Whether the prophet and the apostle mean the same things by these emblems, we know not.