Revelation 13:5-18

13:5 The beast¹ was given a mouth speaking proud words² and blasphemies, and he was permitted³ to exercise ruling authority⁴ for forty-two months. 13:6 So⁵ the beast⁶ opened his mouth to blaspheme against God – to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place,⁷ that is, those who dwell in heaven. 13:7 The beast⁸ was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them.⁹ He was given ruling authority¹⁰ over every tribe, people,¹¹ language, and nation, 13:8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast,¹² everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world¹³ in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed.¹⁴ 13:9 If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!

13:10 If anyone is meant for captivity,

into captivity he will go.

If anyone is to be killed by the sword,¹⁵

then by the sword he must be killed.

This¹⁶ requires steadfast endurance¹⁷ and faith from the saints.

13:11 Then¹⁸ I saw another beast¹⁹ coming up from the earth. He²⁰ had two horns like a lamb,²¹ but²² was speaking like a dragon. 13:12 He²³ exercised all the ruling authority²⁴ of the first beast on his behalf,²⁵ and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. 13:13 He²⁶ performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven in front of people²⁷ 13:14 and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told²⁸ those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. 13:15 The second beast²⁹ was empowered³⁰ to give life³¹ to the image of the first beast³² so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 13:16 He also caused³³ everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave³⁴) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 13:17 Thus no one was allowed to buy³⁵ or sell things³⁶ unless he bore³⁷ the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number.³⁸ 13:18 This calls for wisdom:³⁹ Let the one who has insight calculate the beast’s number, for it is man’s number,⁴⁰ and his number is 666.⁴¹

¹tn Grk “and there was given to him.” Here the passive construction has been simplified, the referent (the beast) has been specified for clarity, and καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²tn For the translation “proud words” (Grk “great things” or “important things”) see BDAG 624 s.v. μέγας 4.b.

³tn Grk “to it was granted.”

⁴tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

⁵tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the permission granted to the beast.

⁶tn Grk “he” (or “it”); the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷tc The reading “and his dwelling place” does not occur in codex C, but its omission is probably due to scribal oversight since the phrase has the same ending as the phrase before it, i.e., they both end in “his” (αὐτοῦ, autou). This is similar to the mistake this scribe made in 12:14 with the omission of the reading “and half a time” (καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ, kai {hmisu kairou).

⁸tn Grk “and it was given to him to go to war.” Here the passive construction has been simplified, the referent (the beast) has been specified for clarity, and καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁹tc Many mss omit the phrase “it was given to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Ì⁴⁷ A C 2053 Ï^A sa). It is, however, found in Ì^115vid א 051 1006 (1611) 1841 (1854) 2329 2344 2351 (Ï^K) lat sy^ph,(h) bo. Although the ms evidence is somewhat in favor of the shorter reading, the support of Ì¹¹⁵ (a recently-discovered ms) for the longer reading balances things out. Normally, the shorter reading should be given preference. However, in an instance in which homoioteleuton could play a role, caution must be exercised. In this passage, accidental omission is quite likely. That this could have happened seems apparent from the two occurrences of the identical phrase “and it was given to him” (καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ, kai edoqh autw) in v. 7. The scribe’s eye skipped over the first καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ and went to the second, hence creating an accidental omission of eleven words.

¹⁰tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

¹¹tn Grk “and people,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here or before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

¹²tn Grk “it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³tn The prepositional phrase “since the foundation of the world” is traditionally translated as a modifier of the immediately preceding phrase in the Greek text, “the Lamb who was killed” (so also G. B. Caird, Revelation [HNTC], 168), but it is more likely that the phrase “since the foundation of the world” modifies the verb “written” (as translated above). Confirmation of this can be found in Rev 17:8 where the phrase “written in the book of life since the foundation of the world” occurs with no ambiguity.

¹⁴tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

¹⁵tc Many mss (C 051* 2351 Ï^A pc) read “if anyone will kill with the sword, it is necessary for him to be killed with the sword” (εἴ τις ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτενεῖ, δεῖ αὐτὸν ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι). Other mss (א 1006 1611* 1854 al) are similar except that they read a present tense “kills” (ἀποκτείνει, apokteinei) in this sentence. Both of these variants may be regarded as essentially saying the same thing. On the other hand, codex A reads “if anyone is to be killed by the sword, he is to be killed by the sword” (εἴ τις ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι). Thus the first two variants convey the idea of retribution, while the last variant, supported by codex A, does not. (There are actually a dozen variants here, evidence that scribes found the original text quite difficult. Only the most important variants are discussed in this note.) The first two variants seem to be in line with Jesus’ comments in Matt 26:52: “everyone who takes up the sword will die by the sword.” The last variant, however, seems to be taking up an idea found in Jer 15:2: “Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.” Though G. B. Caird, Revelation (HNTC), 169-70, gives four arguments in favor of the first reading (i.e., “whoever kills with the sword must with the sword be killed”), the arguments he puts forward can be read equally as well to support the latter alternative. In the end, the reading in codex A seems to be original. The fact that this sentence seems to be in parallel with 10a (which simply focuses on God’s will and suffering passively and is therefore akin to the reading in codex A), and that it most likely gave rise to the others as the most difficult reading, argues for its authenticity.

¹⁶tn On ὧδε (Jwde) here, BDAG 1101 s.v. 2 states: “a ref. to a present event, object, or circumstance, in this case, at this point, on this occasion, under these circumstances…in this case moreover 1 Cor 4:2. ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν…Rv 13:18; cf. 17:9. ὧδέ ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονή…13:10; 14:12.”

¹⁷tn Or “perseverance.”

¹⁸tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

¹⁹sn This second beast is identified in Rev 16:13 as “the false prophet.”

²⁰tn Grk “and it had,” a continuation of the preceding sentence. On the use of the pronoun “he” to refer to the second beast, see the note on the word “It” in 13:1.

²¹tn Or perhaps, “like a ram.” Here L&N 4.25 states, “In the one context in the NT, namely, Re 13:11, in which ἀρνίον refers literally to a sheep, it is used in a phrase referring to the horns of an ἀρνίον. In such a context the reference is undoubtedly to a ‘ram,’ that is to say, the adult male of sheep.” In spite of this most translations render the word “lamb” here to maintain the connection between this false lamb and the true Lamb of the Book of Revelation, Jesus Christ.

²²tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

²³tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²⁴tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

²⁵tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”

²⁶tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²⁷tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both men and women.

²⁸tn Grk “earth, telling.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek.

²⁹tn Grk “it”; the referent (the second beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁰tn Grk “it was given [permitted] to it [the second beast].”

³¹tn Grk “breath,” but in context the point is that the image of the first beast is made to come to life and speak.

³²tn Grk “of the beast”; the word “first” has been supplied to specify the referent.

³³tn Or “forced”; Grk “makes” (ποιεῖ, poiei).

³⁴tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

³⁵tn Grk “and that no one be able to buy or sell.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Although the ἵνα (Jina) is left untranslated, the English conjunction “thus” is used to indicate that this is a result clause.

³⁶tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context. In the context of buying and selling, food could be primarily in view, but the more general “things” was used in the translation because the context is not specific.

³⁷tn Grk “except the one who had.”

³⁸tn Grk “his name or the number of his name.”

³⁹tn Grk “Here is wisdom.”

⁴⁰tn Grk “it is man’s number.” ExSyn 254 states “if ἀνθρώπου is generic, then the sense is, ‘It is [the] number of humankind.’ It is significant that this construction fits Apollonius’ Canon (i.e., both the head noun and the genitive are anarthrous), suggesting that if one of these nouns is definite, then the other is, too. Grammatically, those who contend that the sense is ‘it is [the] number of a man’ have the burden of proof on them (for they treat the head noun, ἀριθμός, as definite and the genitive, ἀνθρώπου, as indefinite – the rarest of all possibilities). In light of Johannine usage, we might also add Rev 16:18, where the Seer clearly uses the anarthrous ἄνθρωπος in a generic sense, meaning ‘humankind.’ The implications of this grammatical possibility, exegetically speaking, are simply that the number ‘666’ is the number that represents humankind. Of course, an individual is in view, but his number may be the number representing all of humankind. Thus the Seer might be suggesting here that the antichrist, who is the best representative of humanity without Christ (and the best counterfeit of a perfect man that his master, that old serpent, could muster), is still less than perfection (which would have been represented by the number seven).” See G. K. Beale, Revelation, [NIGTC], 723-24, who argues for the “generic” understanding of the noun; for an indefinite translation, see the ASV and ESV which both translate the clause as “it is the number of a man.”

⁴¹tc A few mss (Ì¹¹⁵ C, along with a few mss known to Irenaeus {and two minuscule mss, 5 and 11, no longer extant}), read 616 here, and several other witnesses have other variations. Irenaeus’ mention of mss that have 616 is balanced by his rejection of such witnesses in this case. As intriguing as the reading 616 is (since the conversion of Nero Caesar’s name in Latin by way of gematria would come out to 616), it must remain suspect because such a reading seems motivated in that it conforms more neatly to Nero’s gematria.