New Living Translation
Revelation 13:18
18Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.
Revelation 13:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
- New International Version (NIV)This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
- English Standard Version (ESV)This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Context of Revelation 13:18
16He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.
Read all of Revelation 13Revelation 13:18 word by word
Ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν. ὁ ἔχων νοῦν ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου, ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν, καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτοῦ ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Hereὧδεhōde · hereG5602
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- wisdomὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- wisdomσοφίαsophia · wisdomG4678
- that hathἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- understandingνοῦςnous · mindG3563
- countψηφίζωpsēphizō · to calculateG5585
- the numberἀριθμόςarithmos · numberG706
- of the beastθηρίονthērion · wild animalG2342
- forγάρgar · forG1063
- of a manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- Six hundred threescoreχξϛchi xi stigma · 666G5516
Cross-references for Revelation 13:18
- Revelation 1:3God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.
- Revelation 17:9“This calls for a mind with understanding: The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills where the woman rules. They also represent seven kings.
- Psalms 107:43Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.
- Daniel 12:10Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
- Hosea 14:9Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.
- Mark 13:14“The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where he should not be.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
- Revelation 15:2I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them.
- Revelation 21:17Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel).
- Deuteronomy 3:11(King Og of Bashan was the last survivor of the giant Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)
- Romans 3:5“But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.)
Commentaries on Revelation 13:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six - In this verse we have the very name of the beast given under the symbol of the number 666. Before the invention of figures by the Arabs, in the tenth century, letters of the alphabet were used for numbers. The Greeks in the time of Homer, or soon after, are thought by some to have assigned to…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Here is wisdom - That is, in what is stated respecting the name and the number of the name of the beast. The idea is, either that there would be need of special sagacity in determining what the “number” of the “beast” or of his “name” was, or that special “wisdom” was shown by the fact that the number could be thus expressed. The language used in the verse would lead the reader to suppose that the attempt to make out the “number” was not absolutely…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. 18a call for wisdom: John gives a clue to help his readers understand the meaning of the beast’s number. of a man: John hides the man’s identity, possibly to protect himself and his readers from danger (compare the use of Babylon as a symbol for Rome, Revelation 17:9). The number 666 represents supernatural evil (see “Symbolic Numbers” Theme Note). John might have used the transliteration Caesar Neron (a Hebrew spelling of the name) to reach the number 666…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. wisdom--the armory against the second beast, as patience and faith against the first. Spiritual wisdom is needed to solve the mystery of iniquity, so as not to be beguiled by it. count ... for--The "for" implies the possibility of our calculating or counting the beast's number. the number of a man--that is, counted as men generally count. So the phrase is used in Re 21:17. The number is the number of a man, not of God; he shall extol himself above the…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 13:18
In the dictionaries
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
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