Revelation 13:18, 666, or 616?
The number of the beast is transmitted as 666 and 616 in the supplied witnesses. Revelation 13:18 preserves both readings, separated by one Greek numeral character.
The APB text at this verse
The manuscripts, editions, and versions
The committee record at this verse
The APB's translation committee works blind: it is never told it is translating the Bible, never given a book name or a verse number, and it never sees the witnesses above. Since revision 3.5, the places where the manuscripts disagree are decided before translation by three readers, Grok 4.3, GPT-6 Astra, and Claude Fable 5.1, who see the readings and the witnesses by age and class but never a reference or a manuscript name. Whatever was done at this verse was done on the language and the evidence alone, and the record is public.
“The base text reads (nothing). The copies also carry τὸν [greek majuscule; greek papyrus; later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text. Default wording chosen because the earliest and most independent witnesses support it and the internal evidence favors the harder reading.”
“The base text reads (nothing). The copies also carry ἐστὶν [greek majuscule; greek papyrus; early greek manuscript tradition; later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text. the omission is retained as the default because its harder, shorter form plausibly explains ἐστὶν, but the early and diverse support for ἐστὶν makes this a decision worth another reader.”
“The base text reads ἕξ.¶. The copies also carry the omission [greek papyrus; early greek manuscript tradition; later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text. The committee retains the default, but would want another reader because the omission has substantial early support and the internal evidence is inconclusive.”
“The base text reads αὐτοῦ. The copies also carry ἐστὶν [greek majuscule; greek papyrus; early greek manuscript tradition; later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text. The evidence favors αὐτοῦ because it has stronger early attestation and the internal evidence suggests ἐστὶν is likely an expansion.”
“The base text reads ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ. The copies also carry ἑξακόσια ἑξήκοντα ἕξ [later majority tradition], χξϛʹ [early greek manuscript tradition]; the committee kept the base text. Default ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ is retained because the external evidence favors it and the internal evidence does not clearly overturn it.”
At this unit, APB 3.5 kept the base wording ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ rather than the listed alternatives. Its decision states: “Default ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ is retained because the external evidence favors it and the internal evidence does not clearly overturn it.” Separately, the committee's published translation prints “six hundred sixty-six.” The pericope audit verdict is clean.
The argument for each reading
If 666
Reading A, 666, is supported by NA28, a critical edition dated 2012. Its text gives the number spelled out as ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ. The packet also says that the editions agree on 666 whether written in words or numerals, and the apparatus records χξϛʹ for Treg. The APB published translation likewise says “six hundred sixty-six.” These are distinct presentations of the same numerical reading: spelled-out Greek in NA28 and a numeral in Tregelles. The evidence supplied here therefore gives A edition support in both formats.
If 616
Reading B, 616, has P115, a manuscript dated 3rd century A.D., which reads χιϛ. The packet calls P115 the earliest witness to this verse and says it gives 616. It also reports that Irenaeus knew and rejected the 616 reading, showing that the alternative was already known in the supplied record. Numerically, the two readings are close on the page: as Greek numeral letters, χιϛ and χξϛ differ by one character. The case for B therefore rests on this early manuscript evidence and the documented knowledge of the alternative.
The supplied witnesses preserve two different numbers, 666 and 616, and the material here does not settle that difference by declaration. The change affects the numerical reading in Revelation 13:18. Both readings remain a number described in the verse as the number of a human. Broader doctrines are ordinarily considered across many passages, not this variant alone.
Common questions
Which witness has 616?
P115 reads χιϛ, 616, and is dated 3rd century A.D.
Does the APB print 666 or 616?
The committee's published translation says that its number is six hundred sixty-six.
How different are 666 and 616 in Greek numeral letters?
The supplied reading labels give χξϛ for 666 and χιϛ for 616: a difference of one character.
Related entries
Witness readings for critical editions are quoted from the SBLGNT apparatus (CC BY 4.0); Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible). Readings of ancient manuscripts and versions are cited as published scholarly fact with their sources linked above. The page does not declare which reading is original.
The registry gives no verdict
The registry does not say which reading is original. Each page lists the witnesses, shows what the committee did with the same text, and leaves the judgment to the reader.