Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
That no man should be able to buy or to sell (ina mh tiv dunhtai agorasai h pwlhsai). Final clause with ina and present middle subjunctive of dunamai with aorist active infinitives. This is a regular boycott (Ramsay, Seven Letters, p. 106f.) against all not worshippers of the emperor.
Save (ei mh). "If not," "except."
Even the name (to onoma). No "even," just apposition with xaragma (the mark).
Or the number (h ton ariqmon). The stamp (the mark) may bear either the name or the number of the beast. The name and the number are one and the same. They could write the name in numerals, for numbers were given by letters. Swete suggests that it was "according to a sort of gematria known to the Apocalyptist and his Asian readers, but not generally intelligible."
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Revelation 13:17:
Revelation 3:12
Revelation 12:6
Revelation 13:16
Revelation 14:9
Revelation 15:2
Revelation 16:2
Revelation 19:20
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