Revelation 13:18

Here is wisdom (wde h sopia). The puzzle that follows as in Revelation 17:9 . See Ephesians 1:17 for "a spirit of wisdom and of understanding." He that understands (o ecwn noun). "The one having intelligence" in such matters. Cf. the adverb nounecw (discreetly) in Mark 12:34 . Let him count (pshpisatw). First active imperative of pshpizw, old verb (from pshpo pebble), to count, in N.T. only here and Luke 14:28 . The number of a man (ariqmo anqrwpou). "A man's number." But what man and what name? Six hundred and sixty-six (exakosioi exhkonta ex). Unfortunately some MSS. here read 616 instead of 666. All sorts of solutions are offered for this conundrum. Charles is satisfied with the Hebrew letters for Nero Caesar, which give 666, and with the Latin form of Nero (without the final n), which makes 616. Surely this is ingenious and it may be correct. But who can really tell?