Revelation 12 · Verse 11

Revelation 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Revelation 12:11, King James Version

Revelation 12:11 in other translations

BSB	They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
WEB	They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn’t love their life, even to death.
ASV	And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.
YLT	and they did overcome him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life--unto death;
DARBY	and they have overcome him by reason of the blood of the Lamb, and by reason of the word of their testimony, and have not loved their life even unto death.
BBE	And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness; and loving not their lives they freely gave themselves up to death.
Webster	And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death.

What does Revelation 12:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

11. they--emphatic in the Greek. "They" in particular. They and they alone. They were the persons who overcame. overcame--(Ro 8:33, 34, 37; 16:20). him--(1Jo 2:14, 15). It is the same victory (a peculiarly Johannean phrase) over Satan and the world which the Gospel of John describes in the life of Jesus, his Epistle in the life of each believer, and his Apocalypse in the life of the Church. by, &c.--Greek (dia to haima; accusative, not genitive case, as English Version would require, compare He 9:12), "on account of (on the ground of) the blood of the Lamb"; "because of"; on account of and by virtue of its having been shed. Had that blood not been shed, Satan's accusations would have been unanswerable; as it is, that blood meets every charge. Schottgen mentions the Rabbinical tradition that Satan accuses men all days of the year, except the day of atonement. Tittmann takes the Greek "dia," as it often means, out of regard to the blood of the Lamb; this was the impelling cause which induced them to undertake the contest for the sake of it; but the view given above is good Greek, and more in accordance with the general sense of Scripture. by the word of their testimony--Greek, "on account of the word of their testimony." On the ground of their faithful testimony, even unto death, they are constituted victors. Their testimony evinced their victory over him by virtue of the blood of the Lamb. Hereby they confess themselves worshippers of the slain Lamb and overcome the beast, Satan's representative; an anticipation of Re 15:2, "them that had gotten the victory over the beast" (compare Re 13:15, 16). unto--Greek, "achri," "even as far as." They carried their not-love of life as far as even unto death.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 11. And they overcame him. That is, he was foiled in his attempt thus to destroy the church. The reference here, undoubtedly, is primarily to the martyr age, and to the martyr spirit; and the meaning is, that religion had not become extinct by these accusations, as Satan hoped it would be, but lived and triumphed. By their holy lives; by their faithful testimony; by their patient sufferings, they showed that all these accusations were false, and that the religion which they professed was from God, and thus in fact gained a victory over their accuser. Instead of being themselves subdued, Satan himself was vanquished, and the world was constrained to acknowledge that the persecuted religion had a heavenly origin. No design was ever more ineffectual than that of crushing the church by persecution; no victory was ever more signal than that which was gained when it could be said that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."

By the blood of the Lamb. The Lord Jesus--the Lamb of God. Rev 5:6; compare Jn 1:29. The blood of Christ was that by which they were redeemed, and it was in virtue of the efficacy of the atonement that they were enabled to achieve the victory. Compare Php 4:13. Christ himself achieved a victory over Satan by his death, (Col 2:15; Heb 2:15,) and it is in virtue of the victory which he thus achieved that we are now able to triumph over our great foe.

"I ask them whence their victory came;
They, with united breath,
Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
Their triumph to his death."

And by the word of their testimony. The faithful testimony which they bore to the truth. That is, they adhered to the truth in their sufferings; they declared their belief in it, even in the pains of martyrdom, and it was by this that they overcame the great enemy; that is, by this that the belief in the gospel was established and maintained in the world. The reference here is to the effects of persecution, and to the efforts of Satan to drive religion from the world by persecution. John says that the result, as he saw it in vision, was that the persecuted church bore a faithfull testimony to the truth, and that the great enemy was overcome.

And they loved not their lives unto the death. They did not so love their lives that they were unwilling to die as martyrs. They did not shrink back when threatened with death, but remained firm in their attachment to their Saviour, and left their dying testimony to the truth and power of religion. It was by these means that Christianity was established in the world, and John, in the scene before us, saw it thus triumphant, and saw the angels and the redeemed in heaven celebrating the triumph. The result of the attempts to destroy the Christian religion by persecution demonstrated that it was to triumph. No more mighty power could be employed to crush it than was employed by the Roman emperors; and when it was seen that Christianity could survive those efforts to crush it, it was certain that it was destined to live for ever.

(a) "overcame him" Rom 8:33,37 (b) "lives" Lk 14:26

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb - Here is given the reason why the followers of Christ prevailed at this time against all their adversaries. It was because they fought against the dragon in the armor of God. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb - by proclaiming salvation to sinners through Christ crucified, and by their continual intercession at the throne of grace for the conversion of the heathen world. And by the word of their testimony - By constantly testifying against the errors and follies of mankind. And they loved not their lives unto the death - They regarded not their present temporal estate, but even gladly delivered up their lives to the fury of their persecutors, and thus sealed the truth of what they spake with their blood.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 12:7-11

The attempts of the dragon proved unsuccessful against the church, and fatal to his own interests. The seat of this war was in heaven; in the church of Christ, the kingdom of heaven on earth. The parties were Christ, the great Angel of the covenant, and his faithful followers; and Satan and his instruments. The strength of the church is in having the Lord Jesus for the Captain of their salvation. Pagan idolatry…

Read the full comment on Revelation 12:7-11 →

Revelation 12:11 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532

αὐτοὶautoithey themselvesG846

ἐνίκησανenikēsanovercameG3528

αὐτὸνautonhimG846

διὰdiathroughG1223

τὸtotheG3588

αἷμαhaimabloodG129

τοῦtouof theG3588

ἀρνίουarniouLambG721

καὶkaiandG2532

διὰdiathroughG1223

τὸνtontheG3588

λόγονlogonwordG3056

τῆςtēsof theG3588

μαρτυρίαςmarturiastestimonyG3141

αὐτῶνautōnof themG846

καὶkaiandG2532

οὐκouknotG3756

ἠγάπησανēgapēsanthey have lovedG25

τὴνtēntheG3588

ψυχὴνpsuchēnlifeG5590

αὐτῶνautōnof themG846

ἄχριachriuntoG891

θανάτου.thanatoudeath.G2288

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Revelation 12:11

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
1 John 5:5
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 16:20
And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Revelation 2:26
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Acts 20:24
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Hebrews 2:14-15
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Romans 8:33-39
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. …
1 John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
2 Timothy 4:7-8
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Revelation 3:5
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

they overcame.
2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21; Joh 16:33; Ro 8:33-39; 16:20; 1Co 15:57
2Co 10:3-5; Eph 6:13-18; 2Ti 4:7,8; Heb 2:14,15; 1Jo 2:13,14; 4:4
1Jo 5:5
the blood.
7:10-14; 14:1-4; 15:3
the word.
17; 1:2,9; 6:9; 11:7; 19:10
they loved not.
2:10,13; 20:4; Lu 14:26; Ac 20:24; 21:13; Heb 11:35-38

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Revelation 12:10
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Revelation 12:12
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Read all of Revelation 12

Revelation 12:11 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y ellos le han vencido por la sangre del Cordero, y por la palabra de su testimonio; y no han amado sus vidas hasta la muerte.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	et eux l’ont vaincu à cause du sang de l’Agneau et à cause de la parole de leur témoignage; et ils n’ont pas aimé leur vie, même jusqu’à la mort.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und sie haben ihn überwunden um des Blutes des Lammes und um des Wortes ihres Zeugnisses willen, und sie haben ihr Leben nicht geliebt bis zum Tode!
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et ipsi vicerunt eum propter sanguinem Agni, et propter verbum testimonii sui, et non dilexerunt animas suas usque ad mortem.