SEV Biblia, Chapter 11:3
¶ Y dar a mis dos testigos, y ellos profetizarn por mil doscientos sesenta días, vestidos de cilicio.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 11:3
Verse 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.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 3. And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses , etc.] 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 14:1,3). 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.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 3-13 - In the time of treading down, God kept his faithful witnesses to attes the truth of his word and worship, and the excellence of his ways, The number of these witnesses is small, yet enough. They prophesy i sackcloth. It shows their afflicted, persecuted state, and deep sorro for the abominations against which they protested. They are supporte during their great and hard work, till it is done. When they ha prophesied in sackcloth the greatest part of 1260 years, antichrist the great instrument of the devil, would war against them, with forc and violence for a time. Determined rebels against the light rejoice as on some happy event, when they can silence, drive to a distance, or destroy the faithful servants of Christ, whose doctrine and conduc torment them. It does not appear that the term is yet expired, and the witnesses are not a present exposed to endure such terrible outwar sufferings as in former times; but such things may again happen, an there is abundant cause to prophesy in sackcloth, on account of the state of religion. The depressed state of real Christianity may relat only to the western church. The Spirit of life from God, quickens dea souls, and shall quicken the dead bodies of his people, and his dyin interest in the world. The revival of God's work and witnesses, wil strike terror into the souls of his enemies. Where there is guilt there is fear; and a persecuting spirit, though cruel, is a cowardl spirit. It will be no small part of the punishment of persecutors, bot in this world, and at the great day, that they see the faithfu servants of God honoured and advanced. The Lord's witnesses must not be weary of suffering and service, nor hastily grasp at the reward; but must stay till their Master calls them. The consequence of their being thus exalted was a mighty shock and convulsion in the antichristia empire. Events alone can show the meaning of this. But whenever God' work and witnesses revive, the devil's work and witnesses fall befor him. And that the slaying of the witnesses is future, appears to be probable.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 δωσω 1325 5692 τοις 3588 δυσιν 1417 μαρτυσιν 3144 μου 3450 και 2532 προφητευσουσιν 4395 5692 ημερας 2250 χιλιας 5507 διακοσιας 1250 εξηκοντα 1835 περιβεβλημενοι 4016 5772 σακκους 4526
Vincent's NT Word Studies
3. Power. Omit.Two witnesses. The reader may profitably consult on this point the lectures of Professor Milligan on the Revelation of St. John. He maintains that the conception of the Apocalypse is powerfully molded by John's recollections of the life of Jesus; that there is a close parallelism between the Apocalypse and the delineation of the life of Christ contained in the fourth Gospel; and that the Apocalypse is, in the deeper conceptions which pervade it, a repetition of the Gospel. See pp. 59-69.
They shall prophesy (profhteusousin). See on prophet, Luke vii. 26. Commonly explained of preaching repentance, though some take it in the later sense of foretelling future events.
Clothed in sackcloth. The garb of preachers of repentance. Compare Isa. xxii. 12; Jer. iv. 8; Jon. iii. 5; Matt. iii. 4. For sackcloth see on Luke x. 13.
