Revelation 6:1
in Revelation 6Then 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!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
KJV
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.
⋯
This verse in Revelation 6
Commentary
14 notes on this verseA commentator
Victorinus of PettauCommentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John · Written before 304.
"And when the Lamb had opened one of the seven seals, I saw, and heard one of the four living creatures saying, Come and see. And, lo, a white horse, and He who sate upon him had a bow." The first seal being opened, he says that he saw a white horse, and a crowned horseman having a bow. For this was at first done by Himself.
This site's exposition
in a thunderous voice
on Revelation 6:1-2
When the Lamb opens the first seal, a living creature summons the rider in a thunderous voice. The rider of the white horse was given a crown, and is read as the false Christ of 2 Thessalonians 2 or as conquest itself.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
He said, "I heard one of the four animals say, 'Come and see.' " This one animal is the whole church preaching with a great voice and inviting the church to greater faith, "Come and see!" "If anyone thirsts, let him come and drink." "Approach …
The closing and sealing of the little scroll, which contains the names of the people written in it, signifies that it is unalterable, and that their mouths are shut from any justification before God, according to what has been previously stated (Rev. 5:1). Therefore, the …
The Medieval Church3 voices
QUESTION: And I saw that the Lamb had opened one of the seals. ANSWER: Since you first loose the seals before opening a book, he has reversed the normal order for a certain reason. When the Lord suffered and was resurrected, he informed us that …
And I saw when the Lamb had opened one of the seals. Since the signs are first loosened and then the book is opened, He wisely reversed the usual order. For the Lord, by suffering and rising again, taught that He is the end of …
And I heard one of the four living creatures saying: Come and see. We too are admonished with great voices of the Gospel to behold the glory of the Church.
7 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
Indeed, here is indicated the good order of those in heaven, which descends from the first ranks to the second. And therefore from one figure of the four-formed living creatures, namely, from the lion, he heard the first voice that gave the command, "Come!" to …
And when the Lamb had opened one of the seven seals, I heard one of the four living creatures, as it were the voice of a great thunder, saying: Come, and see. The opening of a seal is the revelation of a mystery. Now since …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And I saw, when the Lamb opened one of the seals,.... Of the sealed book; one of the seven seals of it, as read the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, and the Oriental versions, and the Complutensian edition; that is, the first; so "one" is used for first in Gen 1:5; and as appears from the following seals being called second, third, fourth, &c.
No man should constrain either himself or another to explain everything in this book. It is sufficient for every one to speak just so far as he understands.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And I saw - Or, I looked. He fixed his eye attentively on what was passing, as promising important disclosures. No one had been found in the universe who could open the seals but the Lamb of God Rev 5:2-4; and it was natural for John, therefore, to look upon the transaction with profound interest. When the Lamb opened one of the seals - See the notes on Rev 5:1, Rev 5:5. This was the first or outermost of the seals, and its being broken would permit a certain portion of the volume to be unrolled and read.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Judgments are foretold as accompanying the preaching of the Gospel as a witness to all nations (Re 14:6-11; Thus the invitation, "Come," here, is aptly parallel to Mt 24:14. The opening of the first four seals is followed by judgments preparatory for His coming.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
When the Lamb opened one of the seals - It is worthy of remark that the opening of the seals is not merely a declaration of what God will do, but is the exhibition of a purpose then accomplished; for whenever the seal is opened, the sentence appears to be executed. It is supposed that, from Revelation 6:1-11:19, the calamities which should fall on the enemies of Christianity, and particularly the Jews, are pointed out under various images, as well as the preservation of the Christians under those calamities. One of the four beasts - Probably that with the face of a lion. See Rev 4:7. Come and see - Attend to what is about to be exhibited. It is very likely that all was exhibited before his eyes as in a scene, and he saw every act represented which was to take place, and all the persons and things which were to be the chief actors.
The words behind it
23 Greek wordsEvery 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.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| εἶδον | eidon | I watched | G1492 → | 374 times |
| ὅτε | hote | when | G3753 → | 103 times |
| ἤνοιξεν | enoixen | opened | G455 → | 77 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀρνίον | arnion | Lamb | G721 → | 30 times |
| μίαν | mian | one | G1520 → | 343 times |
| ἐκ | ek | of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἑπτὰ | hepta | seven | G2033 → | 86 times |
| σφραγίδων | sphragidon | seals | G4973 → | 16 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἤκουσα | ekousa | I heard | G191 → | 425 times |
| ἑνὸς | henos | one | G1520 → | 343 times |
| ἐκ | ek | of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| τεσσάρων | tessaron | four | G5064 → | 41 times |
| ζῴων | zoon | living creatures | G2226 → | 23 times |
| λέγοντος | legontos | saying | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| ὡς | hos | like | G5613 → | 500 times |
| φωνὴ | phone | a voice | G5456 → | 139 times |
| βροντῆς· | brontes | of thunder; | G1027 → | 12 times |
| ἔρχου | erchou | Come | G2064 → | 628 times |
ΚαὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
εἶδονI watched
eidonG1492 →374 times
ὅτεwhen
hoteG3753 →103 times
ἤνοιξενopened
enoixenG455 →77 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
ἀρνίονLamb
arnionG721 →30 times
μίανone
mianG1520 →343 times
ἐκof
ekG1537 →911 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
ἑπτὰseven
heptaG2033 →86 times
σφραγίδωνseals
sphragidonG4973 →16 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἤκουσαI heard
ekousaG191 →425 times
ἑνὸςone
henosG1520 →343 times
ἐκof
ekG1537 →911 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
τεσσάρωνfour
tessaronG5064 →41 times
ζῴωνliving creatures
zoonG2226 →23 times
λέγοντοςsaying
legontosG3004 →1325 times
ὡςlike
hosG5613 →500 times
φωνὴa voice
phoneG5456 →139 times
βροντῆς·of thunder;
brontesG1027 →12 times
ἔρχουCome
erchouG2064 →628 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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 5:1Then 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.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 2:9–10
Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll,
- Isaiah 29:11
And the entire vision will be to you like the words sealed in a scroll. If it is handed to someone to read, he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.”
- Revelation 5:7
And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One seated on the throne.
- Daniel 12:4–9
But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”
- Revelation 10:2
He held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.
- Ezekiel 2:9–10
Through
Revelation 6:5And 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…
it leads to
- Zechariah 6:2
The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,
- 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…
- Zechariah 6:6
The 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.”
- Zechariah 6:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
About Revelation
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alcuin of York, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MANUAL ON REVELATION; Alcuin of York, COMMENTARY ON REVELATION; Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:1; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation; Primasius of Hadrumetum, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:1 and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.