Bible Strands
Revelation 11:4
These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator addresses the reader in the vision of Revelation 11, immediately following the declaration that the two witnesses will prophesy for 1,260 days.
The words — ἐλαῖαι (elaiai) = olive trees, and δύο (duo) = two; the Greek text directly equates the witnesses with these paired symbols rather than offering an interpretive gloss.
The thread — The text points to Zechariah 4:11, where the prophet asks the angel about two olive trees beside a lampstand, and to Jeremiah 11:16, which applies an olive tree image to Israel.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to identify the witnesses as figures functioning under the biblical symbols of anointed provision and divine presence before the Lord of the earth.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Cross-references
- Zechariah 4:11 Then I asked the angel, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?”
- Zechariah 4:2 “What do you see?” he asked. “I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps.
- Jeremiah 11:16 The LORD once called you a flourishing olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit. But with a mighty roar He will set it on fire, and its branches will be consumed.
- Psalms 52:8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in the loving devotion of God forever and ever.
- Isaiah 54:5 For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.
- Revelation 1:20 This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
- Romans 11:17 Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root,
- Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
- Luke 11:33 No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.
- Exodus 8:22 But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies will be found there. In this way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land.