Textual variant
The number of the beast: 666 and 616
The number given in Revelation 13:18 is not uniform across the tradition. The reading six hundred sixty-six is the familiar one; a reading of six hundred sixteen is also attested.
Variant, not contradiction
Variant unit
Manuscript- Unit
- Revelation 13:18
- Passages
- Revelation 13:18
- Readings recorded
- 2
Text as seeded
TextThe passage text CodexTrace holds, in the seeded translation.
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.
Readings
ManuscriptSix hundred threescore and six
The number is given as 666.
Translation: The reading in effectively all English translations.
Six hundred and sixteen
The number is given as 616.
Translation: Not adopted in the running text of standard English translations; noted in some critical apparatus and study notes.
Witness evidence
ManuscriptManuscripts, versions and citations supporting each reading, with the source each entry came from.
Research pending. CodexTrace has not curated a witness list for this variant unit, and does not approximate one — an unverified siglum is indistinguishable from a verified one to most readers. Curating this requires attaching witness rows, each with its own source record.
Translation and interpretive impact
InterpretationTranslation impact
English readers encounter 666 in the running text; the alternative reading is visible only through notes or critical editions.
Interpretive impact
Interpretations that compute the number from a name are sensitive to which reading is adopted, since the two totals correspond to different spellings.
Manuscript resources
ManuscriptManuscript evidence has not yet been curated for this record.
Linked contradiction records
AnalysisClaims whose tension may be explained, in whole or part, by this variant.
No contradiction record is linked to this variant.
Sources
Source- [1]
CodexTrace. "CodexTrace editorial research". licence: CC-BY-4.0
Critical / scholarlyotherCC-BY-4.0 - [2]
King James Version (Authorised Version)
"King James Version (Authorised Version)". licence: public-domain-us
Primarytranslationpublic-domain-usLink unverified
Community
CommunityCommunity discussion requires a configured Supabase project on this deployment. Research pages are unaffected.