SEV Biblia, Chapter 13:14
Y engaa a los moradores de la tierra por las seales que le ha sido dado hacer en presencia de la bestia, mandando a los moradores de la tierra que hagan una imagen de la bestia que tiene la herida de cuchillo, y vivi.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:14
Verse 14. Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.] The image of the beast must designate a person who represents in himself the whole power of the Latin empire, therefore it cannot be the emperor; for though he was, according to his own account, supremum caput Christianitatis, the supreme head of Christendom, yet he was only the chief of the Germanic confederation, and consequently was only sovereign of the principal power of the Latin empire. The image of the beast must be the supreme ruler of the Latin empire, and as it is through the influence of the false prophet that this image is made for the first beast, this great chief must be an ecclesiastic. Who this is has been ably shown by Bishop Newton in his comment on the following verse.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth , etc.] The Complutensian edition, and two of Stephens's copies, read mine, instead of them; creatures of God, and professors of Christ, carnal and unregenerate men; not the elect of God, and true believers in Christ, these cannot be deceived by the signs and wonders of false Christs and false prophets; antichrist's deceivableness of unrighteousness only operates in them that perish: by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast ; the secular power of the Papacy encouraging, confirming, and giving a sanction to those lying miracles, and obliging all to believe them, and come into the things, doctrines, or practices, they are designed to promote: saying to them that dwell on the earth : the apostate church, or the carnal inhabitants of the empire: ordering and commanding them that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword, and did live ; meaning the Roman empire, which had received a deadly wound in its sixth head, the emperors, by the sword of the Goths, Huns, etc. but now revived in its seventh head, the pope of Rome, to whom the ten kings gave their kingdoms: the image made to this beast some understand of the translation of the empire to Charles the great, and his successors the emperors, by the pope of Rome, he ordaining so many electors to chose a king of the Romans, and elect an emperor when one was wanting; and this was an image to the first beast, a shadow, an appearance of the Roman empire, and but a shadow; for the power of inaugurating and crowning these emperors, and of setting up and deposing them when the pope pleased, lie reserved to himself: but rather this designs the image worship, or the worshipping of idols of gold and silver, of wood and stone, which he caused the inhabitants of the earth to make, and give adoration to; or else the whole Papal religion, and the Papacy itself, for the beast, and the image of the beast, are all along in this book afterwards mentioned together as being the same, ( Revelation 14:9 15:2 16:2 19:20 20:4), which is an image of the Gentile religion, in their high priest, priests, temples, idols, offerings, garments, worshipping of angels, and saints departed, with a numerous train of rites and ceremonies, borrowed from the old Pagan religion; hence the Papists are called Gentiles, ( Revelation 11:2), the Roman empire, represented by these two beasts, and this image, had now one head, the pope, as before an emperor, and a religion in it much resembling its ancient one; but, before that was set up, this image was in being.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 11-18 - Those who understand the first beast to denote a worldly power, tak the second to be also a persecuting and assumed power, which acts unde the disguise of religion, and of charity to the souls of men. It is spiritual dominion, professing to be derived from Christ, and exercise at first in a gentle manner, but soon spake like the dragon. Its speec betrayed it; for it gives forth those false doctrines and crue decrees, which show it to belong to the dragon, and not to the Lamb. I exercised all the power of the former beast. It pursues the sam design, to draw men from worshipping the true God, and to subject the souls of men to the will and control of men. The second beast ha carried on its designs, by methods whereby men should be deceived to worship the former beast, in the new shape, or likeness made for it. By lying wonders, pretended miracles. And by severe censures. Also by allowing none to enjoy natural or civil rights, who will not worshi that beast which is the image of the pagan beast. It is made qualification for buying and selling, as well as for places of profi and trust, that they oblige themselves to use all their interest power, and endeavour, to forward the dominion of the beast, which i meant by receiving his mark. To make an image to the beast, whose deadly wound was healed, would be to give form and power to his worship, or to require obedience to his commands. To worship the imag of the beast, implies being subject to those things which stamp the character of the picture, and render it the image of the beast. The number of the beast is given, so as to show the infinite wisdom of God and to exercise the wisdom of men. The number is the number of a man computed after the usual manner among men, and it is 666. What or wh is intended by this, remains a mystery. To almost every religiou dispute this number has yet been applied, and it may reasonably be doubted whether the meaning has yet been discovered. But he who ha wisdom and understanding, will see that all the enemies of God ar numbered and marked out for destruction; that the term of their powe will soon expire, and that all nations shall submit to our King of righteousness and peace __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 πλανα 4105 5719 τους 3588 κατοικουντας 2730 5723 επι 1909 της 3588 γης 1093 δια 1223 τα 3588 σημεια 4592 α 3739 εδοθη 1325 5681 αυτω 846 ποιησαι 4160 5658 ενωπιον 1799 του 3588 θηριου 2342 λεγων 3004 5723 τοις 3588 κατοικουσιν 2730 5723 επι 1909 της 3588 γης 1093 ποιησαι 4160 5658 εικονα 1504 τω 3588 θηριω 2342 ο 3739 εχει 2192 5719 την 3588 πληγην 4127 της 3588 μαχαιρας 3162 και 2532 εζησεν 2198 5656
Vincent's NT Word Studies
14. An image to the beast (eikona tw qhriw). Eijkwn is a figure or likeness. thus Matt. xxii. 20, of the likeness of Caesar on the coin. Rom. i. 24, an image of men, birds, beasts, etc. Col. iii. 10, "the image of Him that created him;" i.e., the moral likeness of renewed men to God. Christ is called the image of God (Corinthians i. 15; 2 Corinthians iv. 4). Besides the idea of likeness, the word involves the idea of representation, though not of perfect representation. Thus, man is said to be the image of God (1 Cor. xi. 7). In this it resembles carakthr image in Heb. i. 3. Caesar's image on the coin, the reflection of the sun in the water (Plato, "Phaedo," 99); and the statue or image of the beast in this passage, are eijkwn.
The word also involves the idea of manifestation. Thus, Col. i. 15, where, in the image there is an implied contrast with the invisible God. Hence Philo applied the term to the Logos. See on John i. 1.
The word played an important part in the Arian controversy, in which the distinction was sharply emphasized between eijkwn image as assuming a prototype, and therefore as properly representing the relation of the Son to the Father, and oJmoiwma likeness, as implying mere similitude, and not embodying the essential verity of the prototype. The image involves the likeness, but the likeness does not involve the image. The latter may imply only an accidental resemblance, while the former is a veritable representation. Christ is therefore the eijkwn of God.
The image of the beast occurs ten times in Revelation; four times in this chapter, and in xiv. 9, 11; xv. 2; xvi. 2; xix. 20; xx. 4.
