Revelation 11:2
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.
Study Note
Study Note
The instruction to leave the outer court unmeasured 'for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months' applies Zechariah's measuring-for-protection motif (Zechariah 2:1-5) but makes the outer-court exclusion theologically significant. The 'forty and two months' (1,260 days = 3½ years) is the Danielic half-week (Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7) that structures much of Revelation's eschatological timetable, representing a limited period of Gentile oppression under divine permission. The text reflects the historical reality of 70 AD's destruction of Jerusalem, which many early Christian interpreters read as the fulfilment of Jesus' prophecy in Luke 21:24 ('Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled'). The measured inner court preserved represents the church's spiritual security even amid physical vulnerability.
Other Translations
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.
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;
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.
Cross References
Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth …
For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts …
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away …
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride …
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of …
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having …
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her …
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon …
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, …
The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered …