Revelation 6:1-17
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measurea of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto themb over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs,c when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and 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 his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Revelation 6. The Opening of the Seals. When the seals of the book are opened by the Lamb, a number of woes are let loose upon the world. The first four are described under the figure of horses of different colour, the first white, the second blood-red, the third black, the fourth pale or livid. The best interpretation regards these woes as (1) triumphant militarism, (2) slaughter, (3) famine, (4) death. The other two woes are described without this metaphor martyrdom and earthquake. The seventh seal is not opened till ch. 8.
Revelation 6:1. one of the seven seals: belonging to the book of destiny (cf. Revelation 5:1). living creatures: Revelation 4:6 *. come: to whom was the order addressed? Three answers are possible: (a) to the seer, (b) to Christ, (c) to the rider who appears in answer to the summons. The repetition of the command before the breaking of each of the four seals favours the last explanation.
Revelation 6:2. a white horse: the metaphor of the differently-coloured horses is suggested by Zechariah 6:1. There has been much debate as to the interpretation of the white horse. Some scholars, on the strength of the reference to the crown, and the phrase conquering and to conquer. think that it can only refer to Christ. This interpretation is supported by Revelation 19:11, where one whose name is called the Word of God is represented as riding on a white horse. Others think that it refers not to Christ Himself but to His victorious Kingdom or Church. But these views separate the white horse from the other three, and there is no indication that the writer intended to draw such a contrast. The white horse is one of four. The other three clearly indicate woes that scourge humanity, and we are bound, therefore, to find a parallel meaning for the remaining one. A vision of the victorious Christ would be inappropriate at the opening of a series which symbolizes bloodshed, famine, and pestilence. We must, therefore, regard the white horse as portraying conquest (Scott) or triumphant militarism (Swete).
Revelation 6:4. a red horse: this symbolizes bloodshed or slaughter. The red horse naturally follows the white. Conquest wears another aspect when viewed in the light of the battle-field (Swete).
Revelation 6:5. a black horse: i.e. famine, the natural result of war and bloodshed. a balance: i.e. scales. It is a sign of scarcity when food is sold by weight (cf. Leviticus 26:26; Ezekiel 4:16).
Revelation 6:6. a measure of wheat for a penny: a penny, i.e. a denarius (see p. 117), was the sum generally earned by a labourer for a day's work; a measure of wheat was the amount required by a man for his daily need. The phrase (a) may be used to indicate the approach of a time of famine when a man's utmost earnings would only suffice to purchase the bare necessities of life; or (b) it may be a proclamation of the cherubim forbidding famine prices. The previous context supports the first interpretation: the following phrase the oil and the wine hurt thou not, [110] the second.
Revelation 6:8. a pale horse: in natural sequence of the other three, stands for pestilence or death. fourth part: an indication of the wide extent of the devastation.
Revelation 6:9. Here the metaphor of the horses stops, and the next two scenes are described without the pictorial element. underneath the altar: according to Jewish tradition the souls of the righteous were regarded as buried under the altar. word of God and for the testimony: if these two phrases are to be distinguished, the former would indicate their devotion to the true God in the face of polytheism, the second their witness to Jesus Christ.
Revelation 6:10. The martyrs-' cry to God for vengeance has led some commentators to regard them as Jews and not Christians. Contrast the prayer of Stephen (Acts 7:60). We must not, however, assume that all martyrs were able to face death in the spirit of Jesus and Stephen, and this verse is quite in keeping with the general tone of the book. white robe: cf. Revelation 3:4 f.
Revelation 6:12. the sixth seal: i.e. earthquake and other cosmical disturbances. These celestial phenomena which precede the day of the Lord are found in all apocalyptic literature (cf. Joel 2:31; Isaiah 34:4).
Revelation 6:15. Every condition of life is summarized under these phrases. All ranks and classes of society are to be affected by the great disaster.
[110] 1 This expression may have reference to the edict issued by Domitian in A.D. 92, restricting the cultivation of the vine in the provinces of the empire. It led to an agitation in Asia, and was revoked in 93. The prophet is describing a situation in which necessities were at famine prices, while luxuries were abundant. A. J. G.]