Revelation of John 11:8 · Bible study
Revelation 11:8 Commentary: The Great City
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine the identity of the great city: is it literal Jerusalem or a symbol of oppressive power? Unpack the names Sodom, Egypt, and the crucifixion clue.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The great city where the two witnesses lie dead is identified spiritually as Sodom and Egypt and historically as the place where Jesus was crucified, likely Jerusalem, but with symbolic weight for all oppressive powers.
- Key words: πνευματικῶς (pneumatikōs), 'spiritually, figuratively,' signals the city's symbolic name; πτῶμα (ptōma), 'corpse, fall,' stressing the humiliation of unburied bodies; ἐσταυρώθη (estaurōthē), 'was crucified,' anchoring the city to Golgotha.
- Main debate: Literal Jerusalem vs. mystical Babylon/Rome. The crucifixion clause favors Jerusalem; the 'great city' title elsewhere favors Babylon. Many see Jerusalem as representative of all rebellion.
- Theological theme: The temporary triumph of evil over God’s witnesses is reversed by resurrection. The city that kills God’s servants cannot thwart God’s purposes. Christ’s victory is shared with his witnesses.
- Best use: Preaching on the sovereignty of God in persecution, the vindication of faithful witnesses, and the call to stand firm even when the world mocks.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Their dead bodies will be in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
KJV King James Version 1769
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and their dead bodies are upon the broad-place of the great city (that is called spiritually Sodom, and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified,)
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and their body [shall be] on the street of the great city, which is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And their bodies shall lie in the streets of the great city which is called spiritually, Sodom and Egypt: where their Lord also was crucified.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y sus cuerpos serán echados en las plazas de la grande ciudad, que espiritualmente es llamada Sodoma y Egipto, donde también nuestro Señor fué crucificado.
E os cadáveres delas jazerão na praça da grande cidade, que espiritualmente se chama Sodoma e Egito, onde nosso Senhor também foi crucificado.
Et leurs cadavres seront sur la place de la grande ville, qui est appelée, dans un sens spirituel, Sodome et Égypte, là même où leur Seigneur a été crucifié.
Und ihre Leichname werden liegen auf der Gasse der großen Stadt, die da heißt geistlich “ Sodom und Ägypten”, da auch der HERR gekreuzigt ist.
En hun dode lichamen zullen liggen op de straat der grote stad, die geestelijk genoemd wordt Sodoma en Egypte, alwaar ook onze Heere gekruist is.
E i loro corpi morti giaceranno sulla piazza della gran città, che spiritualmente si chiama Sodoma ed Egitto, dove anche il Signor loro è stato crocifisso.
A trupy ich leżeć będą na ulicy miasta wielkiego, które nazywają duchownie Sodomą i Egiptem, gdzie też Pan nasz ukrzyżowany jest.
и трупы их оставит на улице великого города, который духовно называется Содом и Египет, где и Господь наш распят.
他們的 屍首 就倒在大 城 裡的街 上；這 城按著靈意 叫 所多瑪，又叫 埃及，就是 他們的 主 釘十字架 之處。
And their dead bodies will be in the open street of the great town, which in the spirit is named Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was put to death on the cross.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Revelation of John 11:8
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 city in Revelation 11:8 is not named directly; instead it is described 'spiritually' (πνευματικῶς, pneumatikōs), a term Vincent's Word Studies notes means 'typically or allegorically.' The adverb appears only here and in 1 Corinthians 2:14, where it relates to the Spirit's work in discerning truth. Here it signals that the city's true character, not its literal name, is what matters.
Most commentators see the phrase 'where also their Lord was crucified' as the decisive clue. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges argues this identifies the city as Jerusalem, since Jesus died there. Matthew Henry and Wesley agree, with Wesley adding that Constantine's enclosing Golgotha within the city walls makes the 'street' plausible for the two witnesses' bodies. Walvoord (in the tradition of many) notes that the crucifixion reference is 'hard to explain if the city is Rome.'
Yet others, like Gill and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, point out that Revelation consistently calls Rome/Babylon 'the great city' (Revelation 16:19, 17:18, 18:10). Barnes adds that Jerusalem is never called 'the great city' in the New Testament. The tension is resolved by some, such as Gill, who see Jerusalem as becoming the last capital of worldwide apostasy, so the city is both Jerusalem and the symbol of all godless power.
The consensus is thus that the city represents the world system hostile to God's witnesses. Its spiritual names, Sodom (sexual immorality, Genesis 13:13) and Egypt (oppression, Exodus 1:13-14), underline its rejection of God. The crucifixion of Christ and now the killing of his witnesses show that this city is the place where God's servants suffer.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: High
Main views:
- Literal Jerusalem: The phrase 'where their Lord was crucified' most naturally refers to Golgotha, outside Jerusalem; Isaiah 1:10 calls Jerusalem 'Sodom'.
- Mystical Babylon (Rome/empire): Revelation consistently uses 'great city' for Babylon (14:8, 16:19, 17:18); the crucifixion can be explained through Pilate's role or Christ suffering in his servants.
- Jerusalem as representative of all rebellion: Jerusalem is the historical place of crucifixion, but her moral failure makes her a symbol of every city or system that opposes God—thus both literal and symbolic.
What is clear: The verse is not concerned with identifying one city for its own sake, but with showing that the powers that killed Jesus and his witnesses are spiritually the same: immoral, oppressive, and doomed to witness God’s resurrection power.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the great city | The city is described spiritually, not by its literal name, and it represents a place hostile to God and his people. | Some (Wesley, Matthew Henry, Cambridge) identify it as literal Jerusalem because of the crucifixion reference. Others (Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Barnes) read it as Rome/mystical Babylon, noting that Revelation elsewhere reserves 'great city' for Babylon. A third view (Lange, many moderns) sees Jerusalem as the historical referent but functioning symbolically for all oppressive power. |
| Meaning of 'spiritually called Sodom and Egypt' | The terms are symbolic, condemning the city for immorality (Sodom) and oppression (Egypt). | Some emphasize the literal moral sins of Jerusalem (like Sodom), while others stress that Egypt typifies political bondage and idolatry. Lange and others see both as pointing to the city's rejection of God and persecution of his people. |
| The two witnesses as individuals or symbols | They represent faithful testimony in the face of persecution, empowered by God like the prophets of old. | Some traditions (e.g., early church, many modern futurists) identify them as literal prophets (often Elijah and Enoch) who will appear in the end times. Others (historicist and idealist views) see them as symbolic of the church or of the law and the prophets throughout history. |
| The beast from the abyss | This beast is a hostile power that kills the witnesses, and it ascends from the abyss, indicating demonic origin. | Protestant historicists often identify the beast as the papacy or the Roman empire (Gill, Barnes). Other traditions (preterist, futurist) see it as a specific end-times Roman ruler (Giertz) or the force of evil in the first-century Roman world (many moderns). |
Historical & Cultural Context
The setting is the second half of Revelation's interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. Two witnesses have prophesied for 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3). After their testimony is finished, the beast from the abyss kills them (v. 7). Their bodies lie unburied in the street of 'the great city.'
Leaving corpses exposed was a profound disgrace in both Jewish and Greco-Roman culture. Barnes cites passages like 2 Samuel 21:9-13 and Isaiah 14:18-20 to show that burial was a sacred duty. To be left unburied meant total contempt. In the Ajax of Sophocles, the refusal to bury a fallen enemy is a mark of extreme dishonour. John’s original readers would have understood this as the ultimate degradation, the enemies of the witnesses mock them publicly, celebrate their death, and even exchange gifts (v. 10). The three-and-a-half-day period echoes the length of the witnesses' prophecy and likely recalls the time of drought under Elijah (Luke 4:25; James 5:17).
The 'street' (πλατείας, plateias) is a broad avenue or boulevard, a public square where people gather. The Cambridge Bible notes that the word is used for the main street of a city, such as the piazza in Italian towns. The humiliation of the witnesses is therefore very public, seen by 'peoples, tribes, languages, and nations' (v. 9).
The city is named 'spiritually' as Sodom and Egypt. Sodom, destroyed for its wickedness (Genesis 19:24), represents sexual sin and rebellion against God. Egypt represents oppressive bondage and idolatry, the place where God’s people were enslaved (Exodus 20:2) and where God demonstrated his power through plagues (Psalm 78:43, 51). By combining these names, John condemns the city as both immoral and oppressive. The crucifixion of Jesus outside Jerusalem’s walls completes the picture: this is the city that rejected its Messiah and continues to persecute his followers.
Early Christian readers would have seen Rome as the current embodiment of this evil, but the symbolic language allows the text to speak beyond one historical location. The specificity of the crucifixion keeps Jerusalem in view, yet the city's spiritual identity broadens the reference to any society or system that crucifies Christ anew in his people.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note two textual variants. First, the Greek word for 'dead bodies' (πτῶμα, ptōma) appears in the singular in many early manuscripts (A, B, C), while others have the plural (πτώματα). Jamieson-Fausset-Brown observes that the singular 'dead body' treats the two witnesses as one body in their death, emphasizing their unity in suffering. Second, the pronoun 'their' (αὐτῶν, autōn) is read by most modern editions as 'their' (i.e., the Lord of the witnesses), while some manuscripts read 'our' (ἡμῶν, hēmōn), as in the KJV. Vincent and the Cambridge Bible both prefer 'their,' noting that it connects the Lord to the witnesses more directly. These variants do not change the central meaning of the verse, but they affect the nuance: the singular 'body' heightens the indignity, and the correct pronoun keeps the focus on the witnesses' relationship with Christ.
Reception History
Interpreters have long debated the city's identity. Early commentators such as Victorinus of Pettau (3rd century) and Tyconius (4th century) read the witnesses as Elijah and Enoch and understood the city as literal Jerusalem. In the medieval period, this verse was seen as a prophecy of the end-time persecution of the church, with the great city representing the world in opposition to God. During the Reformation, Protestant interpreters like Luther and John Calvin tended to identify the city with Rome, the seat of papal authority, which they saw as spiritual 'Sodom and Egypt.' Matthew Henry (Presbyterian) and Wesley (Methodist) retained the Jerusalem interpretation, emphasizing the continuity with the crucifixion of Christ. In the 19th century, historicist commentators (like Gill and Barnes) developed elaborate schemes mapping the 1,260 days to church history, while futurists (like Darby and JFB) projected the events into a future tribulation period. More recent scholarship often reads the passage as a symbolic portrayal of the church's suffering and vindication, with the city representing any oppressive system that opposes God's people.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The city’s identity: Jerusalem or the world system? The phrase 'where their Lord was crucified' points to Jerusalem, but the spiritual names 'Sodom and Egypt' reveal its true character, oppression and rebellion. The city represents every place where God’s people are persecuted.
- The witnesses’ humiliation: public disgrace and mockery. Their dead bodies lie in the street, unburied for three and a half days. The world rejoices over their silence. This reflects the temporary triumph of evil, but God’s timing is not undone by human contempt.
- God’s vindication: resurrection and ascent. After the time of shame, the Spirit of life enters them; they stand, and a voice calls them to heaven. Their enemies watch. The resurrection of the witnesses is a foretaste of the final victory over death and persecution.
Five-point outline
- The setting: Jerusalem (or the symbolic city) becomes the stage for the final opposition to God’s witnesses.
- The attack: The beast ascends from the abyss, kills the witnesses, and prevents their burial.
- The celebration: The world rejoices, exchanging gifts as if they have escaped torment.
- The resurrection: After three and a half days, God breathes life into their corpses, and they stand.
- The ascension: The witnesses are taken up to heaven in a cloud, as their enemies look on in fear.
Illustration hooks
- An empty chair in a family gathering: When a Christian leader is silenced or dies, opponents may celebrate, but the absence is only temporary. God brings life back to his witnesses.
- A mock funeral with no burial: The public shaming of a faithful believer (social media ridicule, dismissal from a job) can feel like an unburied corpse, a message that the person's testimony is finished. But God always has the final word.
- The tomb that couldn’t hold Jesus: The witnesses’ resurrection echoes Christ's own. The city that crucified the Lord cannot keep his servants dead.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is this about literal two prophets in the future, or does it describe the ongoing experience of the church through history?
- How can we know which city John means, and does it affect how I should live today?
- Why does God allow his faithful witnesses to be killed and mocked before raising them?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits in a vision of God’s sovereign plan even when evil appears to win. The two witnesses are killed, their bodies left exposed, and the world celebrates. But God is not finished. Read Revelation 11:7-12 together, then discuss.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What details does John give about the city where the witnesses die? List the names and descriptions.
- Observation: How do the people of the world react to the death of the witnesses (v. 9-10)? What does this tell you about their attitude toward God?
- Interpretation: Why do you think John calls the city 'spiritually' Sodom and Egypt? What do those names communicate about the city’s character?
- Interpretation: The crucifixion of Jesus is mentioned. How does that shape your understanding of what the witnesses are experiencing? Are they following their Lord in suffering?
- Application: In what ways do we see 'Sodom and Egypt' in our own world today? What systems or attitudes oppress God’s people or mock their testimony?
- Application: How does the resurrection of the witnesses (v. 11) encourage you when the church seems to be losing ground or when faithful Christians are silenced?
- Closing: The witnesses ascend to heaven. What hope does this give for believers who face persecution or even death for their faith?
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)
| Genesis 13:13 | Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh. |
| Genesis 19:24 | Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of the sky. |
| Exodus 1:13 | The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve, |
| Exodus 1:14 | and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve. |
| Exodus 3:7 | Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. |
| Exodus 20:2 | “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. |
| Psalms 78:43 | how he set his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the field of Zoan, |
| Psalms 78:51 | and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham. |
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
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke presents two possible identifications for the great city—Rome or Jerusalem—and explains why each fits the symbolic names given. He acknowledges arguments for Rome but also notes that Jerusalem itself may be intended, then humbly declines to decide between them, leaving the question open.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues the city is not named literally but described metaphorically. He identifies it as Rome, not Jerusalem, because Rome's persecution of Christians mirrors the wickedness of Sodom and the oppression of Egypt. The phrase about crucifying the Lord is figurative, meaning persecuting his church is like crucifying Christ again.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator argues that "the great city" is Jerusalem, not Rome or Babylon. He notes that most of its inhabitants repent at God's judgment, unlike in Revelation 16:9, and that Scripture calls Jerusalem "Sodom" in Isaiah and Ezekiel. He also reads "their Lord" as identifying the city where the witnesses' Lord was crucified.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize that the beast from the abyss cannot overcome and kill the two witnesses until their testimony is completely finished. This timing highlights that God's servants are protected until their appointed work is done; their martyrdom comes only after their witness is complete.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies the great city not as Jerusalem but as Rome, the seat of antichrist. He suggests the "street" may refer to Great Britain, where the witnesses will be publicly disgraced and antichrist will briefly establish his power. The city is called Sodom for its sins and Egypt for its idolatry and oppression.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB identifies the great city as Jerusalem, since the Lord was crucified there. He sees Jerusalem becoming the world's capital of idolatrous apostasy, which is why it is also called Babylon, Sodom, and Egypt. In a wider sense, the term applies to the whole world outside the sanctuary.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent draws attention to the Greek wording for "dead bodies" (ptoma, meaning carcass) and notes that "the great city" is never a name for Jerusalem in Scripture. He explains "spiritually" means allegorically, pointing expositors toward Rome or Babylon. A textual note prefers "their" Lord over "our" Lord.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley reads the city in two layers: spiritually it is called Sodom and Egypt because the same abominations flourish there, but historically it is Jerusalem, where Christ was crucified. He suggests the witnesses bodies may hang on a cross, possibly on the very spot where the Lords cross stood, which Constantine later enclosed within the city walls.