Revelation 6:2-8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
2 I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow.[a] He was given a crown, and he rode forth victorious to further his victories.(A)
3 When he broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature cry out, “Come forward.” 4 [b](B)Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And he was given a huge sword.
5 When he broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature cry out, “Come forward.” I looked, and there was a black horse,[c] and its rider held a scale in his hand. 6 I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures. It said, “A ration of wheat costs a day’s pay,[d] and three rations of barley cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil or the wine.”(C)
7 When he broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature cry out, “Come forward.” 8 I looked, and there was a pale green[e] horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades accompanied him. They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth.(D)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 6:2 White horse…bow: this may perhaps allude specifically to the Parthians on the eastern border of the Roman empire. Expert in the use of the bow, they constantly harassed the Romans and won a major victory in A.D. 62; see note on Rev 9:13–21. But the Old Testament imagery typifies the history of oppression of God’s people at all times.
- 6:4 Huge sword: this is a symbol of war and violence; cf. Ez 21:14–17.
- 6:5 Black horse: this is a symbol of famine, the usual accompaniment of war in antiquity; cf. Lv 26:26; Ez 4:12–13. The scale is a symbol of shortage of food with a corresponding rise in price.
- 6:6 A day’s pay: literally, “a denarius,” a Roman silver coin that constitutes a day’s wage in Mt 20:2. Because of the famine, food was rationed and sold at an exorbitant price. A liter of flour was considered a day’s ration in the Greek historians Herodotus and Diogenes Laertius. Barley: food of the poor (Jn 6:9, 13; cf. 2 Kgs 7:1, 16, 18); it was also used to feed animals; cf. 1 Kgs 5:8. Do not damage: the olive and the vine are to be used more sparingly in time of famine.
- 6:8 Pale green: symbol of death and decay; cf. Ez 14:21.
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