And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
To receive a mark - `that they should give them a mark:' such as masters stamp on their slaves. Soldiers punctured their arms with marks of the general under whom they served. Votaries of idols branded themselves with the idol's symbol. Antiochus Epiphanes branded the Jews with the ivy leaf, the symbol of Bacchus (2Ma 6:7 ; 3Ma 2:29). Contrast God's seal and name in the foreheads of His servants (Galatians 6:17; Revelation 7:3; Revelation 14:1; Revelation 22:4). The mark in the right hand and forehead implies prostration of body and intellect to the beast. 'In the forehead for profession; in the hand for work and service' (Augustine).