It causes all: conceivably the subject could be the living statue; but it is certain that the subject is, as Good News Translation specifically states, the second beast (also Bible en français courant, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). So some translators will wish to say “The second beast causes….”

Both small and great: see 11.18. Here two further classifications are added in order to include all the people of the world: rich and poor, both free and slave. For rich and poor see 3.17. For free and slave see 6.15.

It causes all … to be marked: this causative expression may be translated “it required everyone … to be marked” or “it gave an order for everyone … to be marked.” Conceivably this could mean “to mark themselves.” In Greek the impersonal third person plural of the active voice is used as an impersonal passive (see similar comments in 12.6). As explained in the next verse, this mark is the beast’s name, or a numerical equivalent of its name. It would be something like a seal, or a brand, that could be stamped on a person’s hand or forehead. It is more likely, though, that the beast’s agents did the marking.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• The second beast gave an order for everyone, whether they were of high or low status, had many or few possessions, were the property of another person or were free, to receive a mark on their hands or their foreheads.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .