Revelation of John 11:2 · Bible study
Revelation 11:2 Commentary: The Court Excluded, the City Trampled
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Learn how Revelation 11:2 uses temple imagery to distinguish true worship from outward appearances, and what the 42-month trampling means for God’s people.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God distinguishes true worshippers (measured/preserved) from those who are outwardly religious but not genuinely His (excluded outer court).
- Key words: “cast out” (ἐκβαλε, aorist imperative, forceful exclusion); “given” (ἐδόθη, aorist passive, divine permission); “tread under foot” (πατήσουσιν, future active, hostile occupation).
- Main debate: Whether the outer court represents the apostate church, the Jewish nation, or a future literal temple setting, and whether the 42 months is a symbolical 1260 years or a literal 3.5 years.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty over history: He sets boundaries for oppression and preserves a remnant that truly worships.
- Best use: Teaching on divine preservation in the midst of persecution; comforting Christians who feel the “holy city” is under attack.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don’t measure it, for it has been given to the nations. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months.
KJV King James Version 1769
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and the court that is without the sanctuary leave out, and thou mayest not measure it, because it was given to the nations, and the holy city they shall tread down forty-two months;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And the court which [is] without the temple cast out, and measure it not; because it has been given [up] to the nations, and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty-two months.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But the court which is without the temple, cast out and measure it not: because it is given unto the Gentiles. And the holy city they shall tread under foot, two and forty months:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y echa fuera el patio que está fuera del templo, y no lo midas, porque es dado á los Gentiles; y hollarán la ciudad santa cuarenta y dos meses.
Mas deixa fora ao pátio, que está fora do templo, e não o meças; porque ele foi dado às nações; e pisarão a santa cidade por quarenta e dois meses.
Mais le parvis extérieur du temple, laisse-le en dehors, et ne le mesure pas; car il a été donné aux nations, et elles fouleront aux pieds la ville sainte pendant quarante-deux mois.
Aber den Vorhof außerhalb des Tempels wirf hinaus und miß ihn nicht; denn er ist den Heiden gegeben, und die heilige Stadt werden sie zertreten zweiundvierzig Monate.
En laat het voorhof uit, dat van buiten den tempel is, en meet dat niet, want het is den heidenen gegeven; en zij zullen de heilige stad vertreden twee en veertig maanden.
ma tralascia il cortile che è fuori del tempio, e non lo misurare, perché esso è stato dato ai Gentili, e questi calpesteranno la santa città per quarantadue mesi.
Ale sień, która jest przed kościołem, wyrzuć precz, a nie mierz jej; albowiem dana jest poganom, a miasto święte deptać będą czterdzieści i dwa miesiące.
А внешний двор храма исключи и не измеряй его, ибо он дан язычникам: они будут попирать святый город сорок два месяца.
只是 殿 外 的 院子 要留下 不用 量，因為 這是給了 外邦人的； 他們要踐踏 聖 城 四十 二 個月。
But do not take the measure of the space outside the house; because it has been given to the nations: and the holy town will be under their feet for forty-two months.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Revelation of John 11:2
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the command to “leave out” (Greek ἐκβαλε ἔξω, “cast out”) the outer court from measurement deliberately separates what belongs to God from what does not. Barnes and the Cambridge Bible note the force of ἐκβάλλω: it implies a decisive exclusion, not a casual omission. The outer court, identified by most as the Court of the Gentiles in Herod’s Temple, represents a realm that appears attached to worship but is “given” (ἐδόθη, aorist passive) to the nations. This is a divine permission, not a defeat. The 42 months (three and a half years, equivalent to 1260 days in v. 3) is a limited period, appearing in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 as “a time, times, and half a time.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown and Clarke stress it as a symbolical period. Whether applied to the entire age of Gentile domination or to a specific future tyranny, the verb “tread under foot” (πατήσουσιν) echoes Luke 21:24 and Psalm 79:1. The core point of agreement: God controls both the measuring and the trampling. He knows His own and sets a boundary on suffering.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Preterist (AD 70 fulfillment): Luke 21:24; the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; 42 months as symbolical length of the war
- Historicist (long papal period): Numbers 14:34 (year-day principle); identification of outer court with apostate church; 1260-year period
- Futurist (future tribulation): Literal temple rebuilt; Antichrist’s oppression in a final 3.5-year period; parallels to Daniel 9:27
- Spiritual/timeless (church-age application): The outer court as nominal Christians; trampling as ongoing persecution; the 42 months as symbolical of any bounded suffering
What is clear: God distinguishes true worshippers from those who only appear to belong, and He sets a definite limit on the period of oppression, whatever its historical referent.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the outer court | The outer court is a place of apparent religious connection but is not counted as holy; it is given over to the nations. | Some traditions (e.g., Calvin, Matthew Henry) identify it with nominal or apostate Christians; others (e.g., Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Cambridge Bible) see it as the literal Court of the Gentiles in Jerusalem. |
| Meaning of the 42 months | The period is limited and derives from Daniel’s “time, times, and half a time.” It applies to the duration of the nations’ trampling. | Historicist readers (Gill, many Reformed) interpret it as 1260 years of papal or Gentile domination; futurists read it as a literal 3.5-year tribulation; preterists see it symbolising the Roman-Jewish War (AD 66, 70). |
| Nature of the trampling | The holy city is “tread under foot” by hostile powers; this involves defilement and oppression. | Some regard it as the physical destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70; others as a spiritual trampling of the church throughout the age; others as a future desecration by the Antichrist. |
| Purpose of the measurement | Measuring indicates God’s evaluation and protection of what is truly His. | Whether the measurement is for preservation (the sanctuary) or for judgment (outer court abandoned) is debated. Barnes and Cambridge Bible note that measuring can signify either protection (Ezekiel 40) or destruction (2 Kings 21:13). |
Historical & Cultural Context
The temple in view is Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem, with its nested courts. The innermost sanctuary (the ναός) housed the Holy Place and Holy of Holies, while the outer court, the Court of the Gentiles, stood beyond, accessible to non-Jews. For a Jewish reader, proximity to the sanctuary did not make the Gentile court holy; it was part of the temple complex yet distinct in status.
John’s vision draws directly on Ezekiel 40, 42, where the prophet measures a visionary temple with a reed. In Ezekiel, measuring symbolised restoration and preservation. Here the same action implies protection for what is measured (the true worshippers) and abandonment for what is not. The command to “cast out” the outer court recalls Lamentations 2:8 and 2 Kings 21:13, where measuring can signal demolition.
“The holy city” (Isaiah 48:2) once stood as God’s dwelling place. Yet Jesus had foretold that Jerusalem would be “trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). The 42-month period, three and a half years, appears repeatedly in Daniel (7:25; 12:7) as a period of persecution limited by divine decree. In Jewish tradition, three and a half years represented a complete but broken period of suffering (compare Elijah’s drought in Luke 4:25; James 5:17).
Some early readers connected the trampling to the Roman destruction of AD 70. Others saw it as an ongoing pattern of opposition that would intensify before Christ’s return. The text itself does not specify a single historical fulfillment; its language is deliberately symbolic, drawing on Old Testament patterns of judgment and restoration.
Textual Notes
The Greek text of Revelation 11:2 is stable across the major manuscript families (Alexandrian, Western, Byzantine). No significant variants are noted by the consulted sources. The only minor variation is the presence or absence of the conjunction “and” (καί) at the beginning of the verse; some early manuscripts read “And the court…” while others begin with “But…” This does not affect meaning.
Reception History
Revelation 11:2 has been interpreted along three main lines. Preterist readers (e.g., many early church writers and modern amillennialists) connect the trampling to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the 42 months symbolising the period of the Jewish War. Historicist interpreters after the Reformation (e.g., Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) applied the 42 months to the 1260-year reign of the papacy, identifying the outer court as nominal Christians who fall away. Futurist readings (popularised in the 19th century and still common) see a literal rebuilt temple, a future Antichrist who desecrates it, and a final three-and-a-half-year tribulation. Across all traditions, the verse has been used to comfort believers under persecution by affirming that God controls both the identity of His true people and the duration of their suffering.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God measures what He preserves. The temple, altar, and worshippers are measured, a sign of value, protection, and belonging to Him.
- God excludes what is not truly His. The outer court is “cast out” of the measurement. Appearances of closeness do not guarantee inclusion.
- God sets a limit on oppression. Forty-two months is a precise, bounded period. The trampling is real but will not last forever.
Five-point outline
- The command to measure (v. 1), God assesses His people.
- The exclusion of the outer court (v. 2a), deliberate separation of what is holy from what is profane.
- The giving over to the nations (v. 2b), God permits the outward realm to be occupied.
- The trampling of the holy city (v. 2c), the experience of suffering and desecration.
- The specific time limit (v. 2d), 42 months, pointing to a definite end.
Illustration hooks
- A building inspector measures every load-bearing wall but skips the decorative porch. The porch looks fine, but it is not part of the structure that keeps the building standing.
- A school exam tests only the core subjects; the elective classes are not counted in the final grade. Students learn which subjects the school truly values.
- A hospital triage tag sorts patients: red tag means immediate care; green tag means wait. The green tag patients are not ignored, but they are not in the life-saving category.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God let bad things happen to the city He once set apart? This verse shows that trampling can be something God gives over, a permission that does not mean He has lost control.
- How do I know if I am part of the measured temple or just the outer court? The question presses us to examine the reality of our worship, not just our location in the building.
- Why 42 months? What does a specific number mean for us? It assures us that suffering under hostile powers has a term and a limit set by God.
Leading a Discussion
Revelation 11:2 confronts us with a painful division: some things are measured, some are not. The outer court, close to the sanctuary but not holy, is given over to the nations to be trampled. This passage invites us to consider what it means to be part of God’s true people, especially when the “holy city” itself undergoes humiliation.
Discussion questions
- What does the act of “measuring” communicate in Ezekiel 40, 42 and here? Why is measurement associated with preservation?
- The Greek verb for “leave out” is ἐκβαλε ἔξω, “cast out.” Why do you think John chose such a forceful word? What does that say about the status of the outer court?
- Who are “the nations” (τὰ ἔθνη) in this context? In what sense is the outer court “given” to them? Does this imply passive abandonment or active divine permission?
- What does “tread the holy city under foot” mean for you? Can you think of times when God’s people have felt trampled by hostile powers?
- The period of 42 months appears also as 1260 days (v. 3) and “a time, times, and half a time” (12:14). How does a bounded period of suffering change your perspective on trials?
- In what ways might the distinction between the inner temple and the outer court apply to the church today? Are there dangers in assuming that proximity to worship equals true belonging?
- How does this verse help you trust God’s sovereignty when evil seems to be winning?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 14:34 | After the number of the days in which you spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, you will bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you will know my alienation.’ |
| Psalms 79:1 | A Psalm by Asaph. God, the nations have come into your inheritance. They have defiled your holy temple. They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. |
| Isaiah 48:2 | for they call themselves citizens of the holy city, and rely on the God of Israel; Yahweh of Armies is his name. |
| Isaiah 52:1 | Awake, awake! Put on your strength, Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city, for from now on the uncircumcised and the unclean will no more come into you. |
| Lamentations 1:10 | The adversary has spread out his hand on all her pleasant things; for she has seen that the nations have entered into her sanctuary, concerning whom you commanded that they should not enter into your assembly. |
| Ezekiel 40:17 | Then he brought me into the outer court. Behold, there were rooms and a pavement made for the court all around. Thirty rooms were on the pavement. |
| Ezekiel 40:20 | He measured the length and width of the gate of the outer court which faces toward the north. |
| Ezekiel 42:20 | He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, the length five hundred cubits, and the width five hundred cubits, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke reads the temple measurement as a prophecy of its destruction by the Romans, ending the Levitical worship. He treats the 42 months as a symbolic period of three and a half years, not a literal timeline, during which the Gentiles would tread down the city.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads the outer court as the Gentile court, excluded from the true temple to show that not everyone near worship truly belongs. He takes the holy city as the church and the 42 months as prophetic time equaling 1260 years, rejecting a literal three-and-a-half-year trampling of Jerusalem.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator identifies the 42 months as equivalent to the 1260 days and the time, times, and half a time found elsewhere in Scripture. While some interpreters apply the year-day principle to these prophetic periods, the writer cautions that such calculations have consistently failed to predict actual events and warns against trusting them.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes see the reed like a rod as a symbol of correction and authority, not simply measurement. They explain that this measuring marks out true worshippers from the false, showing that God will preserve his true church even when outward forms are corrupted.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies the outer court worshippers as nominal Protestants who have religious form but lack spiritual power, distinguishing them from both true believers and the Papists he calls Gentiles. He interprets these outward worshippers eventually falling to Rome, which will trample Christendom for the prophetic 1260-year period.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB interprets the 42 months as half of the sacred number seven, symbolizing a broken period when earthly powers dominate the heavenly kingdom. He links this time frame to various historical oppressors but stresses its precise meaning will only become clear at the final consummation. For now, it reminds the church that she is in a wilderness pilgrimage, not yet at sabbath rest.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the two witnesses as the Christian Church and the Christian State, not literal individuals. Their death occurs when party spirit replaces right principles, and the beast from the abyss represents a demonic spirit of the times that destroys both institutions. The whole passage offers a cyclical picture of the New Testament age.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees the measuring not as a simple preservation of the temple but as a divine inspection and reformation. The temple, altar, and worshippers are all measured against the gospel standard to see whether the church’s structure, its worship centered on Christ, and its people’s hearts and lives align with God’s rule.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent clarifies that "the court outside the temple" means everything not inside the Holy and Most Holy places, not just the outer court. He notes the Greek verb means "throw out," indicating a forceful dismissal from measurement. He also observes that the period of forty-two months appears in three equivalent forms in Revelation.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley distinguishes between the ongoing historical trampling of Jerusalem by Romans, Persians, Saracens, and Turks, and a future, more severe treading under the seventh angel. This final trampling will last exactly forty-two months or 1,260 days, a brief period within the whole time. The outer court is left unmeasured because it is not holy to the same degree.