And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

REVELATION 11:3KJV
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Revelation 11:3 (KJV)

What does Revelation 11:3 mean?

Revelation 11:3 describes God granting authority to two special witnesses who will speak His message for 1,260 days while wearing sackcloth, a sign of mourning or repentance. This verse introduces these two figures as key messengers during a difficult period, emphasizing their God-given role and the seriousness of their message.

In the context of Revelation, this is part of a vision given to John, where God is speaking and revealing future events. The two witnesses are presented as prophets who will testify during a set time of trouble. Their clothing—sackcloth—shows the somber and urgent nature of their mission, and the specific number of days points to a limited, divinely appointed period.

The Greek behind Revelation 11:3

  • μάρτυσιν (martysin, "witnesses"): This word means "witnesses" or "those who testify." In this context, it highlights that these two are not just observers but active proclaimers of God’s message, possibly even at great personal cost.
  • προφητεύσουσιν (prophēteusousin, "prophesy"): The Greek here means to speak forth or declare God’s message, not just predict the future. It stresses that their main task is to communicate what God wants people to hear.
  • σάκκους (sakkous, "sackcloth"): Sackcloth was rough clothing worn in times of grief or repentance. The Greek word here underlines that their message is connected to warning, sorrow, or a call to turn back to God.

Why Revelation 11:3 matters

  • This verse clears up that the two witnesses are not acting on their own but are specifically empowered and sent by God, which gives weight to their testimony.
  • The mention of sackcloth helps readers understand the mood and purpose of their message—it is not triumphant but urgent and serious, calling for attention and possibly repentance.
  • The set period of 1,260 days ties this event to other timeframes in Revelation, helping readers connect the witnesses’ ministry to the larger story of tribulation and God’s unfolding plan.

Where else these words appear

“sackcloth” Greek G4526 · used in 4 verses

  • Matthew 11:21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
  • Luke 10:13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
  • Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

“hundred” Greek G1250 · used in 7 verses

  • Mark 6:37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
  • John 21:8 And the other disciples came in a little ship;(for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
  • Acts 27:37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.

“threescore” Greek G1835 · used in 8 verses

  • Matthew 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
  • Mark 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
  • Luke 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.

“thousand” Greek G5507 · used in 10 verses

  • 2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
  • Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
  • Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.