Revelation 13:16

Revelation 13:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
• New International Version (NIV)It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,
• English Standard Version (ESV)Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,
• New King James Version (NKJV)He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,

Context of Revelation 13:16

14It deceives those living on earth with the signs that it is allowed to do in front of the ⌞first⌟ beast. It tells those living on earth to make a statue for the beast who was wounded by a sword and yet lived. 15The second beast was allowed to put breath into the statue of the ⌞first⌟ beast. Then the statue of the ⌞first⌟ beast could talk and put to death whoever would not worship it. The second beast forces all people—important and unimportant people, rich and poor people, free people and slaves—to be branded on their right hands or on their foreheads. 17It does this so that no one may buy or sell unless he has the brand, which is the beast’s name or the number of its name. 18In this situation wisdom is needed. Let the person who has insight figure out the number of the beast, because it is a human number. The beast’s number is 666.

Revelation 13:16 word by word

καὶ ποιεῖ πάντας, τοὺς μικροὺς καὶ τοὺς μεγάλους καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους καὶ τοὺς πτωχοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἐλευθέρους καὶ τοὺς δούλους, ἵνα δῶσιν αὐτοῖς χάραγμα ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν τῆς δεξιᾶς ἢ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῶν,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• he causethποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• smallὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• smallμικρόςmikros mikroteros · smallG3398
• greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• richπλούσιοςplousios · richG4145
• poorπτωχόςptōchos · poorG4434
• freeἐλεύθεροςeleutheros · free/freedomG1658
• bondδοῦλοςdoulos · slaveG1401
• toἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• receiveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
• ·αὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• a markχάραγμαcharagma · image/markG5480
• inἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• rightδεξιόςdexios · rightG1188
• handχείρcheir · handG5495
• orἤē · orG2228
• foreheadsμέτωπονmetopon · foreheadG3359

Cross-references for Revelation 13:16

• Revelation 11:18“The nations were angry, but your anger has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged: to reward your servants, the prophets, your holy people, and those who fear your name, no matter if they are important or unimportant, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
• Revelation 19:5A voice came from the throne. It said, “Praise our God, all who serve and fear him, no matter who you are.”
• Revelation 20:12I saw the dead, both important and unimportant people, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened, including the Book of Life. The dead were judged on the basis of what they had done, as recorded in the books.
• 2 Chronicles 15:13All people (young or old, male or female) who refused to dedicate their lives to the Lord God of Israel were to be killed.
• Psalms 115:13He will bless those who fear the Lord, from the least important to the most important.
• Acts 26:22“God has been helping me to this day so that I can stand and testify to important and unimportant people. I tell them only what the prophets and Moses said would happen.
• Job 34:19The one who is righteous and mighty does not grant special favors to princes or prefer important people over poor people because his hands made them all.
• Psalms 49:2common people and important ones, rich people and poor ones.
• Revelation 6:15Then the kings of the earth, the important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and all the slaves and free people hid themselves in caves and among the rocks in the mountains.
• Revelation 19:18Eat the flesh of kings, generals, warriors, horses and their riders, and all free people and slaves, both important or insignificant people.”
• 1 Corinthians 12:13By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether we are Jewish or Greek, slave or free, God gave all of us one Spirit to drink.
• Galatians 3:28There are neither Jews nor Greeks, slaves nor free people, males nor females. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.
• Ephesians 6:8You know that your heavenly master will reward all of us for whatever good we do, whether we’re slaves or free people.
• Colossians 3:11Where this happens, there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, uncivilized person, slave, or free person. Instead, Christ is everything and in everything.
• Revelation 14:9Another angel, a third one, followed them, and said in a loud voice, “Whoever worships the beast or its statue, whoever is branded on his forehead or his hand,
• Revelation 15:2Then I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. Those who had won the victory over the beast, its statue, and the number of its name were standing on the glassy sea. They were holding God’s harps

Commentaries on Revelation 13:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark - To ascertain the meaning of the mark which the two-horned beast causes all orders and degrees of men in the Latin world to receive, we need only refer to Revelation 14:11, where the mark imposed by the two-horned beast is called the mark of his name. The name of the beast is the Latin empire: the mark of his name must therefore be his Latin worship: for this very…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16And he caused all - He claims jurisdiction, in the matters here referred to, over all classes of persons, and compels them to do his will. This is the second beast, and, according to the interpretation given above, it relates to the papal power, and to its claim of universal jurisdiction. Both small and great - All these expressions are designed to denote universality - referring to various divisions into which the human family may be regarded as divided…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-18Verses 11-18 Those who understand the first beast to denote a worldly power, take the second to be also a persecuting and assumed power, which acts under the disguise of religion, and of charity to the souls of men. It is a spiritual dominion, professing to be derived from Christ, and exercised at first in a gentle manner, but soon spake like the dragon. Its speech betrayed it; for it gives forth those false doctrines and cruel decrees, which show it to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17small and great, rich and poor, free and slave: Everyone must accept the beast's evil mark of ownership (see Revelation 14:9, 11; 19:20; 20:4). This mark is needed to buy or sell. The text does not clearly describe what the mark is or how it looks. On the right hand or forehead suggests the branding of slaves, showing the beast owns them. the name of the beast or the number of its name: In both Hebrew and Greek, letters of the alphabet stand for numbers…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. to receive a mark--literally, "that they should give them a mark"; such a brand as masters stamp on their slaves, and monarchs on their subjects. Soldiers voluntarily punctured their arms with marks of the general under whom they served. Votaries of idols branded themselves with the idol's cipher or symbol. Thus Antiochus Epiphanes branded the Jews with the ivy leaf, the symbol of Bacchus (2 Maccabees 6:7; 3 Maccabees 2:29). Contrast God's seal and…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 13:16

• Vision

In the dictionaries

• Forehead
• Deuteronomy
• Dragon
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Literature, Sub-Apostolic
• Mark
• Nero
• Print; Printing; Printed
• Revelation of John
• Alpha

Commentaries on Revelation 13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings