13:1 sea Represents turmoil and chaos and connects this account with the account of ch. 12 (see Dan 7:2 and note; compare Rev 12:12).

a beast The description of the beast is reminiscent of Dan 7:1–7.

ten horns and seven heads This description is the same as the dragon (see Rev 12:3). Daniel’s fourth beast had ten horns (Dan 7:7, 24). The ten horns and seven heads are later identified as ten kings and seven hills (Rev 17:9, 12).

ten royal headbands In contrast to the dragon, his crowns are on his horns rather than his heads.

blasphemous name Possibly indicates the divine titles Roman emperors used for themselves. Domitian wished to be called “our Lord and God” and viewed himself as the savior of the world (see 4:11 and note). Compare 17:3.

13:2 leopard Like the third beast in Daniel’s vision (Dan 7:6).

a bear’s Like the second beast in Daniel’s vision (Dan 7:5).

lion Like the first beast in Daniel’s vision (Dan 7:4).

great authority The beast is a vassal who acts on behalf of and with the destructive force of the dragon. Since the dragon bestows his power on the beast, the beast shares many of the dragon’s characteristics.

13:3 though slaughtered to death The beast’s wound is a parody of the Lamb’s wound in Rev 5:6.

its fatal wound had been healed The exact nature of his wound is unknown. Presumably it was such that any recovery would be deemed miraculous. It is also possible that he would die and be brought back to life by the dragon or false prophet.

the whole earth was astonished and followed This should have been the response to Christ’s resurrection. Instead, the beast receives this attention and response.

13:4 they worshiped the dragon By worshiping the beast, people are actually worshiping Satan—the force behind the beast’s power (compare note on 12:9).

they worshiped the beast Likely a veiled reference to emperor worship.

Who is like the beast This is a parody of Israel’s praises of Yahweh’s uniqueness in the ot (e.g., Exod 15:11; Psa 35:10; Isa 40:25).

who is able to make war with him This question will be answered definitively. John is preparing his audience for the events of Rev 19.

13:5 speaking great things and blasphemies A further allusion to Dan 7 (compare Dan 7:8, 11, 20).

forty-two months This defined period of time would have been a comfort to Christians; they knew the beast’s reign of terror would not last forever. See Rev 11:2 and note.

13:7 to make war with the saints Another allusion to Daniel, specifically with regard to the villainous ruler Antiochus (see Dan 7:25; 8:24; 11:30–31). This can also be seen as the warring efforts of the returned Nero; he would come to exact revenge on Rome and be allowed to harm the saints in the process (physical harm, not spiritual).

13:8 from the foundation of the world This may refer to the time when the names were entered in the book of life—suggesting that these people can have confidence in God’s work. But the Greek phrase used here, apo katabolēs kosmou, follows and may modify tou esphagemenou (“who was slain”). In this regard, it may be translated as: “those whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb, who was slaughtered from the foundation (or founding) of the world.” This translation could mean that Christ’s saving death was always part of God’s plan of salvation (compare 1 Pet 1:19–20).

13:9 let him hear Repeats the exhortation from chs. 2 and 3 (see 2:7 and note).

13:10 into captivity he goes A call not to resist “captivity,” possibly alluding to arrest or governmental censure. John’s audience should avoid religious compromise at all cost, even to the point of death (martyrdom). Compare Jer 15:2; 43:11; Matt 26:52.

is to be killed In opposition to the previous stanza, this clause reveals the fate of those who resist and take matters into their own hands.

patient endurance and the faith of the saints John calls his readers to endure in the same manner as Christ. They are urged not to compromise their faith or fight back when encountering opposition.

13:11 coming up from the earth This may be a parody on the Lamb, who rose from the earth at the resurrection.

two horns In contrast to the Lamb’s seven in 5:6.

he was speaking like a dragon Distinguishes him from the Lamb. Perhaps “like a dragon” refers to the dragon from which he receives authority.

13:12 whose fatal wound had been healed The text does not say how the first beast is healed, but the signs mentioned in the next verse suggest that this false prophet (the second beast) may have been responsible for healing the first beast (compare note on v. 3).

13:13 he performs great signs The signs authenticated his message and demonstrated that the beast should be worshiped.

causes fire from heaven to come down As Elijah did in 1 Kgs 18:38 and 2 Kgs 1:10–12. This second beast may be imitating the miracles of God’s prophets in an attempt to demonstrate his superiority over them and to identify the first beast as divine.

13:14 to make an image to the beast In John’s day, images, busts, and statues were set up throughout the empire in tribute to the deified emperor.

13:15 spoke Possibly hyperbolic language used to express the authority that the false prophet and the images had. The command to worship and the threat upon the disobedient was so real that the images themselves seemed to be demanding allegiance.

should be killed Illustrates the situation John’s audience faced in Asia Minor.

13:16 a mark In the ancient world religious branding was a common way to display devotion to a particular deity. The Greek word charagma (meaning “mark, brand, stamp”) describes the imperial logo on commercial documents, merchandise, and coinage.

right hand or on their forehead This may be a parody of the seal that Christians had (Rev 7:3; 14:1) or of the Israelites’ bearing God’s law. Jews often wore boxes (called phylacteries) containing portions of the Law on their foreheads or hands (see Exod 13:9 and note; Deut 6:8).

13:17 able to buy or to sell There would be economic depression and poverty for those who would not bear the mark. The church in Smyrna may have already been feeling these effects (see note on Rev 2:9).

13:18 his number is six hundred sixty-six John may be employing gematria—the practice of assigning numbers to letters of the alphabet. The number may allude to Roman oppression, since one spelling of Emperor Nero’s name, transliterated from Greek into Hebrew, adds up to 666 by this method. An alternative is to see a contrast between this number and seven, the number of completion. Three sixes might indicate that the beast falls short of completion.

Gematria in the Book of Revelation