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Revelation 6

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The Four Horsemen Begin 1–8

1
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come. ​
2
And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer. ​
3
And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come.
4
And anotherhorsecame forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. ​
5
And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand.
6
And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A measure of wheat for a shilling, and three measures of barley for a shilling; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not. ​
7
And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come.
8
And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth. ​

The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs' Cry 9–11

9
And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: ​
10
and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? ​
11
And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled their course. ​

The Sixth Seal: Cosmic Judgment 12–17

12
And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; ​
13
and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind.
14
And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15
And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains;
16
and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: ​
17
for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand? ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Revelation 6

Verse 1

one of the seals — Sphragis, a seal. The book in the right hand of the One on the throne was 'sealed with seven seals' (5:1), and only the Lamb 'hath prevailed to open the book' (5:5). Arnion, 'little lamb', is John's name for Christ in Revelation (5:6; 7:17; 22:3). One of the four beasts of 4:6 calls out 'Come and see'.

Verse 2

a white horse — The four horses recall the chariots of Zech 6:1–3 with red, black, white and grisled horses. The rider has a bow (toxon) and a crown (stephanos, a victor's wreath) that 'was given', and he goes out 'conquering, and to conquer' (nikao). In 19:11 a rider on a white horse is 'Faithful and True'; readers take the rider here as Christ or his gospel, or as conquest.

Verse 4

another horse that was red — Pyrrhos, fiery red, occurs only here and of the 'great red dragon' in 12:3. The power 'to take peace from the earth' is 'given', as in vv.2, 8, and 'kill' is sphazo, to slay, the verb used of the Lamb 'slain' (5:6). The sequence echoes Christ's words in Matt 24:6–7: wars, then famines and pestilences.

Verse 6

A measure of wheat for a penny — The denarion, 'penny', is a labourer's pay for a day (Matt 20:2), and choinix is a measure of grain, so a day's wage buys one measure of wheat. The oil and wine, produce listed with 'corn' in Deut 11:14, are spared: 'hurt not' is adikeo, the verb of the restraint in 7:3 and 9:4.

Verse 8

a pale horse — Chloros is the green of living plants, as in 'green grass' (Mark 6:39; Rev 8:7), and here is a pale green. The rider is named 'Death' (thanatos), and 'Hell' (hades) follows, the two whose keys Christ holds (1:18). The four means, sword, hunger, death and beasts, correspond to the 'four sore judgments' of Ezek 14:21.

Verse 9

under the altar — Thysiasterion, the altar of sacrifice, at whose foot the blood of the offerings was poured out (Lev 4:7). The 'souls' (psyche) are of those 'slain' (sphazo, as in v.4) 'for the word of God, and for the testimony' — the cause for which John himself was on Patmos (1:9) and for which others are beheaded (20:4).

Verse 10

How long, O Lord — The cry of the psalmists, 'How long, LORD?' (Ps 79:5; 13:1). 'Lord' is despotes, master, the sovereign of Acts 4:24. 'Holy and true' (alethinos) is Christ's own description in 3:7. 'Avenge our blood' (ekdikeo) draws on Deut 32:43, 'he will avenge the blood of his servants', answered in 19:2. 'Them that dwell on the earth' is a recurring phrase (3:10).

Verse 11

white robes — Stole, a long robe, the clothing of the multitude who 'have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb' (7:9, 14). 'Rest' (anapauo) is the 'rest from their labours' of 14:13. 'Fellowservants' (syndoulos) recurs in 19:10 and 22:9, where the angel is one. They wait until the number of those 'killed as they were' is 'fulfilled'.

Verse 12

black as sackcloth of hair — Sakkos trichinos is sackcloth woven of hair, mourning cloth, as in Isa 50:3, 'I make sackcloth their covering'. The sun darkened and the moon 'as blood' are the signs of Joel 2:31, which Peter quotes at Pentecost (Acts 2:20), and Christ places them in Matt 24:29 after the tribulation. 'Great earthquake' is seismos megas.

Verse 16

Fall on us, and hide us — The words of Hosea 10:8, 'they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us', which Christ applied on the road to the cross (Luke 23:30). They hide from 'the face of him that sitteth on the throne' (4:2; 20:11) and from the wrath (orge) of the Lamb who stood 'as it had been slain' (5:6).

Verse 17

who shall be able to stand? — The question of Mal 3:2, 'who shall stand when he appeareth?' and Ps 76:7, 'who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?' 'The great day' is the 'great and the terrible day of the LORD' (Joel 2:31). The next chapter answers it: a multitude 'stood before the throne, and before the Lamb' (7:9).