Revelation 6:3-13

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard 1the second living creature say, "Come!"
4 And out came another horse, 2bright red. Its rider was permitted 3to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the 4third living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, 5a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand.
6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, 6"A quart[a] of wheat for a denarius,[b] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and 7do not harm the oil and wine!"
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of 8the fourth living creature say, "Come!"
8 And I looked, and behold, 9a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill 10with sword and with famine and with pestilence and 11by wild beasts of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under 12the altar 13the souls of those who had been slain 14for the word of God and for 15the witness they had borne.
10 They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, 16holy and true, 17how long 18before you will judge and 19avenge our blood on 20those who dwell on the earth?"
11 Then they were each given 21a white robe and 22told to rest a little longer, 23until the number of their fellow servants[c] and their brothers[d]24should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, 25there was a great earthquake, and 26the sun became black as 27sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,
13 and 28the stars of the sky fell to the earth 29as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.

Revelation 6:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 6

This chapter contains the vision of the opening six of the seals of the sealed book, by the Lamb, and of the events following thereupon. The preparation to the vision of the first seal is in Re 6:1; the Lamb opens it, John hears a noise like thunder, and one of the living creatures bids him come and see; upon which he saw a horse, of a white colour, and a rider on it, who is described by a bow and crown given him, and by the victory he obtained, Re 6:2; at the opening of the second seal, the second living creature invites him as before; and he sees a horse, of a red colour, with a rider on it, described by his power, to take peace from the earth, and suffer men to kill one another, and by a great sword given him, Re 6:3,4; at the opening of the third seal, the third living creature addresses him in like manner as the other; and he sees a horse, of a black colour, and a rider on it, with a pair of balances in his hands; and hears a voice from among the four living creatures, expressing dearness of provisions, and a charge not to hurt the oil and wine, Re 6:5,6; at the opening of the fourth seal, the fourth living creature speaks to John, as the rest; and he sees a horse, of a pale colour, and a rider on it, described by his name, Death, by his follower, hell, or the grave, and by his power to destroy a fourth part of the earth with the sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts, Re 6:7,8; at the opening of the fifth seal, John saw the souls of the martyrs, under the altar; hears their cry for vengeance; observes that white robes were given them, and that they were bid to be quiet until the slaying and suffering time of their brethren was over, Re 6:9-11; at the opening of the sixth seal follow an earthquake, strange changes in the heavens, the sun becomes black as sackcloth, the moon becomes as blood, the stars fall, and the heaven itself departs, and every island and mountain are moved out of their places, Re 6:12-14, the kings and great men of the earth, and even all sorts, of men, upon this, fly to the rocks and mountains to hide them from the face of God the Father, that sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, the opener of the sealed book; giving this as a reason for it, that the time of his great wrath was come, and none could stand before him, Re 6:15-17.

Cross References 29

  • 1. Revelation 4:7
  • 2. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2
  • 3. [Matthew 10:34; Matthew 24:6, 7]
  • 4. [See ver. 3 above]
  • 5. Zechariah 6:2
  • 6. [Ezekiel 4:10, 11; Ezekiel 5:10, 16]
  • 7. Revelation 7:3; Revelation 9:4
  • 8. [See ver. 3 above]
  • 9. [Zechariah 6:3]
  • 10. Ezekiel 14:21
  • 11. Leviticus 26:22; Deuteronomy 32:24
  • 12. Revelation 14:18; Revelation 16:7
  • 13. Revelation 20:4
  • 14. Revelation 1:9
  • 15. See Revelation 1:2
  • 16. Revelation 3:7
  • 17. [Psalms 94:3; Zechariah 1:12]
  • 18. Revelation 11:18; Revelation 19:2
  • 19. Psalms 79:10; Psalms 119:84; Luke 18:7, 8
  • 20. See Revelation 3:10
  • 21. Revelation 3:4; Revelation 7:9
  • 22. Revelation 14:13
  • 23. [Hebrews 11:40]
  • 24. [Genesis 15:16]
  • 25. Revelation 11:13; Revelation 16:18; [Hebrews 12:26]
  • 26. See Matthew 24:29
  • 27. Isaiah 50:3
  • 28. [Revelation 8:10; Revelation 9:1]
  • 29. Isaiah 34:4

Footnotes 4

  • [a]. Greek choinix, a dry measure equal to about a quart
  • [b]. A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
  • [c]. Greek fellow bondservants
  • [d]. Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated "brothers") refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God's family, the church
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.