Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
The court (thn aulhn). The uncovered yard outside the house. There were usually two, one between the door and the street, the outer court, the other the inner court surrounded by the buildings (Mark 14:66). This is here the outer court, "which is without the temple" (thn ecwqen tou naou), outside of the sanctuary, but within the ieron where the Gentiles could go (carrying out the imagery of the Jerusalem temple).
Leave without (ekbale ecwqen). Literally, "cast without" (second aorist active imperative of ekballw.
Do not measure it (mh authn metrhshv). Prohibition with mh and the first aorist active (ingressive) subjunctive of metrew. This outer court is left to its fate. In Herod's temple the outer court was marked off from the inner by "the middle wall of partition" (to mesoitoixon tou fragmou, Ephesians 2:15), beyond which a Gentile could not go. In this outer court was a house of prayer for the Gentiles (Mark 11:17), but now John is to cast it out and leave to its fate (given to the Gentiles in another sense) to be profaned by them.
They shall tread under foot (pathsousin). Future active of patew, here to trample with contempt as in Luke 21:24, even the holy city (Matthew 4:5; Isaiah 48:2; Nehemiah 11:1). Charles thinks that only the heavenly city can be so called here (Revelation 21:2, Revelation 21:10; Revelation 22:19) because of Revelation 11:8 (Sodom and Gomorrah). But the language may be merely symbolical. See Daniel 9:24.
Forty and two months (mhnav tesserakonta kai duo). Accusative of extent of time. This period in Daniel 7:25; Daniel 12:7. It occurs in three forms in the Apocalypse (forty-two months, here and Revelation 13:5; 1260 days, Revelation 11:3; Revelation 12:6; time, times and half a time or 3 1/2 years, Revelation 12:14 and so in Daniel). This period, however its length may be construed, covers the duration of the triumph of the Gentiles, of the prophesying of the two witnesses, of the sojourn of the woman in the wilderness.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Revelation 11:2:
Revelation 10:2
Revelation 11:1
Revelation 11:1
Revelation 11:8
Revelation 12:6
Revelation 14:20
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