Revelation 6:8 BSB — MannaFest

Revelation 6:8

Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

KJV

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 them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

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Commentary

5 voices

Victorinus of Pettau

Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John (304)

"And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. And, lo, a pale horse; and he who sate upon him was named Death." For the pale horse and he who sate upon him bore the name of Death. These same things also the Lord had promised among the rest of the coming destructions-great pestilences and deaths; since, moreover, he says:- "And hell followed him." That is, it was waiting for the devouring of many unrighteous souls. This is the pale horse.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

So the fourth seal reaches to the borders of things invisible, which are comprised in the three last seals. And power was given to him over the fourth part of the earth - What came single and in a lower degree before, comes now together, and much more severely. The first seal brought victory with it: in the second was "a great sword;" but here a scimitar.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

He gave them power, that is, those instruments of his anger, or those judgments themselves; he who holds the winds in his hand has all public calamities at his command, and they can only go when he sends them and no further than he permits. To the three great judgments of war, famine, and pestilence, is here added the beasts of the earth, another of God's sore judgments, mentioned Ezek. xiv.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

A pale horse - The symbol of death. Pallida mors, pale death, was a very usual poetic epithet; of this symbol there can be no doubt, because it is immediately said, His name that sat on him was Death. And hell followed with him - The grave, or state of the dead, received the slain. This is a very elegant prosopopaeia, or personification. Over the fourth part of the earth - One fourth of mankind was to feel the desolating effects of this seal.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

The first seal is the summary, Christ going forth conquering till all enemies are subdued under Him, with a view to which the judgments subsequently specified accompany the preaching of the Gospel for a witness to all nations.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

45 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
καὶ	kai	And	G2532 →
εἶδον	eidon	I looked	G1492 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἰδοὺ	idou	behold	G2400 →
ἵππος	ippos	a horse	G2462 →
χλωρὸς	chlōros	pale	G5515 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ὁ	ho	the [one]	G3588 →
καθήμενος	kathēmenos	sitting	G2521 →
ἐπάνω	epanō	on	G1883 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	it	G846 →
ὄνομα	onoma	[the] name	G3686 →
αὐτῷ	autō	of him [was]	G846 →
ὁ	ho	<the>	G3588 →
θάνατος.	thanatos	Death.	G2288 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ὁ	ho	<the>	G3588 →
ᾅδης	hadēs	Hades	G86 →
ἠκολούθει	ēkolouthei	was following	G190 →
μετ᾽	met᾽	with	G3326 →
αὐτοῦ.	autou	him.	G846 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἐδόθη	edothē	was given	G1325 →
αὐτοῖς	autois	to them	G846 →
ἐξουσία	exousia	authority	G1849 →
ἐπὶ	epi	over	G1909 →
τὸ	to	the	G3588 →
τέταρτον	tetarton	fourth	G5067 →
τῆς	tēs	of the	G3588 →
γῆς	gēs	earth	G1093 →
ἀποκτεῖναι	apokteinai	to kill	G615 →
ἐν	en	with	G1722 →
ῥομφαίᾳ	rhomphaia	sword	G4501 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἐν	en	with	G1722 →
λιμῷ	limō	famine	G3042 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἐν	en	with	G1722 →
θανάτῳ	thanatō	plague	G2288 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ὑπὸ	hupo	by	G5259 →
τῶν	tōn	the	G3588 →
θηρίων	thēriōn	beasts	G2342 →
τῆς	tēs	of the	G3588 →
γῆς.¶	gēs	earth.	G1093 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Revelation 1:18
the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.
leads to
- Romans 6:9
  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.
- Hebrews 7:25
  Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
- Romans 14:8–9
  If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
- Psalms 68:20
  Our God is a God of deliverance; the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.
- Isaiah 22:22
  I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
Through
Hosea 13:14
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.
leads to
- Isaiah 25:8
  He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52–57
  in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
- Revelation 21:4
  ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”

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About Revelation

The Transfiguration — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Revelation: the study guide →Read chapter 6 →The featured study →

Continue: Revelation 6 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Revelation

Where the connections lead

The record, by era

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Revelation