The Number of the Beast (Greek: Ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου, Arithmos tou Thēriou) is a term in the Book of Revelation, of the New Testament, that is associated with the Beast of Revelation in chapter 13. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the beast is 666. In critical editions of the Greek text, such as the Novum Testamentum Graece, it is noted that 616 is a variant.
The Number of the beast is described in the passage of Revelation 13:15–18. The actual number is only mentioned once, in verse 18. In the Greek manuscripts, the Book of Revelation is titled The Apocalypse of John where this number is rendered in Greek numerical form as χξϜ, or sometimes literally as ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ, hexakósioi hexēkonta héx, “six hundred and sixty-six”. There are several interpretations-translations for the meaning of the phrase “Here is Wisdom, Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast” where the peculiar Greek word ψηφισάτω (psephisato) is used. Possible translations include not only “to count,” “to reckon” but also “to vote” or “to decide”.
In the Textus Receptus, derived from Byzantine text-type manuscripts, the number 666 is represented by the final 3 letters χξϜ.
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Author: Wikipedia
Keywords: 666, Six six six, Mark of the beast, Number of the beast, Beast's number, Number of man, Beast's mark
Bible reference(s): Revelation 13:15-18, Revelation 14:9, Revelation 14:11, Revelation 15:2, Revelation 16:2, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:4
Source: This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Number of the Beast,” which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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