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Revelation 6:5

in Revelation 6

And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

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.

KJV

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.

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This verse in Revelation 6

Commentary

12 notes on this verse
"And when He had opened the third seal. I heard the third living creature saying, Come and see. And, lo, a black horse; and he who sate upon it had a balance in his hand." The black horse signifies famine, for the Lord says, "There shall be famines in divers places; "but the word is specially extended to the times of Antichrist, when there shall be a great famine, and when all shall be injured. Moreover, the balance in the hand is the examining scales, wherein He might show forth the merits of every individual.

This site's exposition

saw a black horse

on Revelation 6:5-6

The black horse's rider holds scales, and the voice prices A quart of wheat for a denarius, a day's wage for a day's bread. The command do not harm the oil and wine spares the deep-rooted crops a drought leaves standing.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Caesarius of Arles

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:5, HOMILY 5 · Written before 542.

proposed

In the black horse we recognize an evil people which works in concert with the devil. "He had a balance in his hand," which indicates that while evil persons feign to have the scales of justice, they deceive many.

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 550.

proposed

Thirdly, the mercy of Christ has opened the third seal for us, and has brought us, from having been condemned to rejection, to God and the Father. And this is his saving teaching, and the benefits through the divine signs; for these brought about the …

The Medieval Church3 voices

A commentator

Andreas of Caesarea

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:5-6 · Written before 614.

proposed

I believe that the third living creature here is the man and that [this passage] shows the fall of men and for this reason his punishment because of his inclination toward sin by the power of free will.… We think that the "black horse" depicts …

A commentator

Alcuin of York

COMMENTARY ON REVELATION · Written before 804.

proposed

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying: Come, and see. And behold a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of scales in his hand. By the blackness of this horse is represented …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

And behold, a black horse, etc. The black horse represents a crowd of false brothers, who have the balance of right profession, but harm their companions through works of darkness. For when it is said, in the midst of the creatures, Do not harm, it …
5 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

proposed

They serve also for a token, that all the fruits of the earth, and consequently the whole heavens, with their courses and influences; that all the seasons of the year, with whatsoever they produce, in nature or states, are subject to Christ. Accordingly his hand is wonderful, not only in wars and victories, but likewise in the whole course of nature.
And when he had opened the third seal,....

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Come and see--The two oldest manuscripts, A, C, and Vulgate omit "and see." B retains the words. black--implying sadness and want. had--Greek, "having." a pair of balances--the symbol of scarcity of provisions, the bread being doled out by weight.

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

The third beast - That which had the face of a man. A black horse - The emblem of famine. Some think that which took place under Claudius. See Mat 24:7; the same which was predicted by Agabus, Act 11:28. A pair of balances - To show that the scarcity would be such, that every person must be put under an allowance.
And when he had opened the third seal - Unfolding another portion of the volume. See the notes on Rev 5:1. I heard the third beast say, Come and see - See the notes on Rev 4:7. It is not apparent why the third beast is represented as taking a particular interest in the opening of this seal (compare the notes on Rev 6:3), nor is it necessary to show why it was so.

The words behind it

30 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

12 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Zechariah 6:2The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,7 worksRevelation 6:1Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!”7 worksEzekiel 4:16Then He told me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, and in despair they will drink water by measure.6 worksZechariah 6:6The one with the black horses is going toward the land of the north, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”6 worksRevelation 5:5Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”4 worksLeviticus 26:26When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.4 works
The other 6 cross-references, with their words ▾
Revelation 5:9And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.4 worksRevelation 4:6–7And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back.4 worksRevelation 8:1When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.3 worksLamentations 5:10Our skin is as hot as an oven with fever from our hunger.2 worksEzekiel 4:10You are to weigh out twenty shekels of food to eat each day, and you are to eat it at set times.2 worksRevelation 6:7And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”1 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Revelation 5:5

    Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 11:1

      Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

    • Jeremiah 23:5–6

      Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.

    • Revelation 22:16

      “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”

    • Romans 15:12

      And once more, Isaiah says: “The Root of Jesse will appear, One who will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope.”

    • Hebrews 7:14

      For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, a tribe as to which Moses said nothing about priests.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 4:16

    Then He told me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, and in despair they will drink water…

    it leads to

    • Ezekiel 5:16

      When I shower you with the deadly arrows of famine and destruction that I will send to destroy you, I will intensify the famine against you and cut off your supply of food.

    • Isaiah 3:1

      For behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: the whole supply of food and water,

  • Through

    Revelation 6:1

    Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!”

    it leads to

    • Revelation 5:1

      Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.

Where this verse is studied

About Revelation

The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
Revelation: the study guide →Read Revelation 6 →
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alcuin of York, COMMENTARY ON REVELATION; Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:5-6; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Caesarius of Arles, EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:5, HOMILY 5; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.

Read on in Revelation 6 →