What Is the Meaning of the Number 666?

The number 666 is mentioned in Revelation 13:18 as the “number of a person,” which is also “the number of the beast.” If the method of gematria is employed, the number 666 is interpreted as the numerical equivalent of the name of a person. 

The results of efforts to find such a name vary depending on the choice of the Greek, Hebrew, or Latin alphabet as the basis for the calculation. Since many names yield the numerical value of 666, since names and titles can be combined (and abbreviated) in many different ways, and since there was no fixed orthography of personal names in antiquity, it has to be assumed that John’s readers knew the individual to whom he was referring. John refers, perhaps, to a tradition known to some of his readers regarding the person associated with the number 666. 

The emperor Nero is the best candidate for such an identification, not least because the numerical value for the Greek term for “beast” is also 666. Since John describes the false Christian prophets who put congregations at risk as “antichrist,” it is possible that he regarded “Nero the Beast” as a fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy regarding evil forces who oppose God, claiming to have divine authority and persecuting God’s people.

It is also possible to interpret the number 666 symbolically, pointing to the Antichrist’s failure to achieve divine perfection: the number 666 signifies “complete incompleteness” in comparison with 777, the number of the “complete completeness” of divine perfection.

Due to the endless possibilities of calculating the numerical value of personal names, it is impossible to identify a particular person on the basis of the number 666. This is confirmed by the numerous interpretations of the number 666.


Schnabel, E. J. (2011). 40 Questions about the End Times. (B. L. Merkle, Ed.) (pp. 191–192). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional.