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Revelation 11:6

in Revelation 11

These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

These have the power to shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophecy: and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they shall desire.

KJV

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

This verse in Revelation 11

Commentary

15 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

These have power to shut heaven - As Elijah did, 1 Kings 17:1-18:46. To turn them to blood - As Moses did, Exo 7:19-25. They shall have power to afflict the land with plagues, similar to those which were inflicted on the Egyptians.

This site's exposition

fire proceeds from their mouths

on Revelation 11:5-6

When anyone would harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies, as fire fell on Elijah's captains in 2 Kings 1. They can shut the sky so that no rain will fall, as Elijah did, and turn the waters into blood, as Moses did.

This site's exposition

power to shut the sky

Adam Clarke traces the two powers to their sources, Elijah's closed sky in 1 Kings 17 and the Nile turned to blood in Exodus 7. Elijah's drought ran three years and six months by Luke 4:25 and James 5:17. That is the span of these witnesses' 1,260 days.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers5 voices

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 550.

proposed

And he says they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they desire. For "the presence" of the Antichrist will be revealed "in the power of Satan through all …
These two candlesticks and two olive trees He has to this end spoken of, and admonished you that if, when you have read of them elsewhere, you have not understood, you may understand here. For in Zechariah, one of the twelve prophets, it is thus written: These are the two olive trees and two candlesticks which stand in the presence of the Lord of the earth; Zechariah 4:14 that is, they are in paradise. Also, in another sense, standing in the presence of the lord of the earth, that is, in the presence of Antichrist. Therefore they must be slain by Antichrist.

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Dubious Hippolytus Fragments · Written before 235.

proposed

And the half of the week the two prophets, along with John, will take for the purpose of proclaiming to all the world the advent of Antichrist, that is to say, for a "thousand two hundred and sixty days clothed in sackcloth; " and they will work signs and wonders with the object of making men ashamed and repentant, even by these means, on account of their surpassing lawlessness and impiety. "And if any man will hurt them, fire will proceed out of their mouth, and devour their enemies.

A commentator

Ticonius

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11:6 · Written before 390.

proposed

It says, "they have," not "they will have." For whoever remains in the faith of the one church of God will in no way be wanting in that power conferred upon him by God. "They have power to turn the waters into blood and to …

A commentator

Primasius of Hadrumetum

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11:6 · Written before 560.

proposed

Not only do they suspend the rain, but also they make useless that rain that falls. That is, they turn the waters into blood on account of those who judge in a carnal way those things which the church gives to be discerned in a …
7 more voices on this verse

The Medieval Church4 voices

A commentator

Andreas of Caesarea

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11:5-6 · Written before 614.

proposed

How deep is the divine goodness! For he brings a healing that is commensurate with the wound. For since he has received the full operation of the devil, the antichrist will come with every false sign and wonder and will be more wondrous than every …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

These have the power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls, etc. All power in heaven and on earth is given to the Church in Christ, with the keys to bind and loose entrusted to it (Matthew XXVIII). But spiritually, the heaven is shut …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

And they have the power over waters, etc. They not only withhold waters but also make those that descended useless, which is to turn waters into blood. The good fragrance of Christ emanating from the Church, to some is the smell of death unto death, …

A commentator

Alcuin of York

COMMENTARY ON REVELATION · Written before 804.

proposed

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy. What do we understand by heaven but the same thing as by the two witnesses, namely the holy preachers of the Church? When they shut heaven that it rain …

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

These have power to shut heaven,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

These . . . power--Greek, "authorized power." it rain not--Greek, "huetos brechee," "rain shower not," literally, "moisten" not (the earth). smite . . . with all plagues--Greek, "with (literally, 'in') every plague."
These have power to shut heaven - That is, so far as rain is concerned - for this is immediately specified. There is probably a reference here to an ancient opinion that the rain was kept in the clouds of heaven as in reservoirs or bottles, and that when they were opened it rained; when they were closed it ceased to rain. So Job, “He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them,” Job 26:8. “Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly,” Job 36:28. “Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven?” Job 38:37; compare Gen 1:7; Gen 7:12; Gen 8:2; 2Ki 7:2. To shut or close up the heavens, therefore, is to restrain the rain from descending, or to produce a drought. Compare notes on Jas 5:17. That it rain not in the days of their prophecy - In the time when they prophesy. Probably the allusion here is to what is said of Elijah, 1Ki 17:1. This would properly refer to some miraculous power; but still it may be used to denote merely that they would be clothed with the power of causing blessings to be withheld from people, as if rain were withheld; that is, that in consequence of the calamities that would be brought upon them, and the persecutions which they would endure, God would bring judgments upon people as if they were clothed with this power. The language, therefore, it seems to me, does not necessarily imply that they would have the power of working miracles. And have power over waters to turn them to blood - The allusion here is doubtless to what occurred in Egypt, Exo 7:17. Compare the notes on Rev 8:8. This, too, would literally denote the power of working a miracle; but still it is not absolutely necessary to suppose that this is intended. Anything that would be represented by turning waters into blood, would correspond with all that is necessarily implied in the language. […]

The words behind it

36 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Kings 17:1

    Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in…

    it leads to

    • James 5:17

      Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Luke 4:25–26

      But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all…

    • Luke 1:17

      And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to…

    • 1 Kings 22:14

      But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.”

    • 2 Kings 3:14

      Then Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not for my regard for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at…

  • Through

    Luke 4:25

    But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all…

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 17:1

      Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in…

    • Matthew 20:15

      Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

    • Isaiah 55:8

      “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

Where this verse is studied

About Revelation

The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alcuin of York, COMMENTARY ON REVELATION; Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11:5-6; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Hippolytus of Rome, Dubious Hippolytus Fragments; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation; Primasius of Hadrumetum, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11:6; Ticonius, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 11:6 and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.