Revelation 6:5

Verse

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.

American Standard Version (1901)

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.

Bible in Basic English

And when the third stamp was undone, the voice of the third beast came to my ears, saying, Come and see. And I saw a black horse; and he who was seated on it had scales in his hand.

Douay-Rheims 1899

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.

Free Bible Version

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked and saw a black horse. Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.

Geneva Bible 1599

And when hee had opened the thirde seale, I heard the thirde beast say, Come and see: Then I behelde, and loe, a blacke horse, and he that sate on him, had balances in his hand.

King James (Authorized) Version

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.

Translation for Translators

When the one who is like a lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” This time, I saw a black horse come out. The one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.

Unlocked Literal Bible

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

Noah Webster Bible

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living being 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.

World English Bible

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come and see!” And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand.

Young's Literal Translation

And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, 'Come and behold!' and I saw, and lo, a black horse, and he who is sitting upon it is having a balance in his hand,

Context

The Third Seal: Famine

⁴Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword. 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 scales. ⁶And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”

Summary

In Revelation 6:5, the opening of the third seal reveals a black horse symbolizing scarcity and famine. The rider holding scales signifies economic hardship and injustice, where basic necessities become scarce and expensive. This verse portrays a time of great distress and suffering, highlighting the consequences of sin and the brokenness of the world. It serves as a reminder of the ultimate sovereignty of God over all aspects of human existence, even in the midst of turmoil and scarcity.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

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.

John Gill Bible Commentary

And when he had opened the third seal,.... Of the sealed book: I heard the third beast say, come and see; this living creature was that which was like a man, who was on the south side of the throne, as the standard of Reuben, which had the figure of a man, was on the south side of the camp of Israel; this was not the Apostle Paul, as Grotius thinks, to whom was made a prophecy of a famine in the days of Claudius Caesar; nor Tertullian, who made an apology for the Christians in the times of this seal, as Brightman conjectures; but the ministers of the Gospel, whose voice was neither the voice of the lion nor of the ox, but of a man, which was still lower, but yet they retained their humanity, reasoning prudence, and wisdom; and these are represented as calling upon John to come and see, and take notice of the following hieroglyphic: and I beheld, and lo a black horse; an emblem either of the afflicted state of the church, still answering to the Smyrnaean one, being black with persecutions, schisms, errors, and heresies, which were many; or particularly of the heresies and heretics of those times, who might be compared to a horse for their pride and ambition, speaking great swelling words of vanity, and to a black one, for their hidden things of dishonesty, and works of darkness, for the darkness in themselves, and which they spread over others; or rather of a famine, not in a spiritual sense, of hearing of the word, but in a literal sense; see Lam 4:7; not what was at the siege of Jerusalem, or in the times of Claudius Caesar, Act 11:28; but in the times of the Emperor Severus, and others, as the historians of those times (a), and the writings of Tertullian show; when the Heathens ascribed the scarcity that was among them to the wickedness of the Christians (b), whereas it was a judgment upon them for their persecution of them: and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand; by whom is meant not some noted heretic, or heretics, who had balances of deceit in their hands to prove their tenets by, such as spurious writings, &c. or who made pretensions to the Scriptures, the balance of the sanctuary, to weigh doctrines in; nor Christ, whose name heretics shrouded themselves under, and professed, and who overruled and made use of their heresies for the good of his people, that they might be made manifest. Mr. Mede thinks that Septimius Severus, the Roman emperor, who came from Africa, from the south, on which side was the living creature that spoke to John, is intended, and in which country black horses were in great esteem; and he was the only African that ever was emperor of Rome before (c): and the same author thinks, that his having a pair of balances in his hand expresses the strict justice that emperor was famous for; but rather it signifies famine, and such a scarcity as that bread is delivered out by weight to men; see Lev 26:26. (a) Spartianus in Vita Severi, & Lampridius in Vita Alexandri. (b) Apolog. c. 40. & ad Scapulam, c. 3. (c) Cassiodor. Chronicon. & Eutrop. Hist. Roman. l. 8.

Revelation 6:5

The Third Seal: Famine

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

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.

American Standard Version (1901)

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.

Bible in Basic English

And when the third stamp was undone, the voice of the third beast came to my ears, saying, Come and see. And I saw a black horse; and he who was seated on it had scales in his hand.

Douay-Rheims 1899

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.

Free Bible Version

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked and saw a black horse. Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.

Geneva Bible 1599

And when hee had opened the thirde seale, I heard the thirde beast say, Come and see: Then I behelde, and loe, a blacke horse, and he that sate on him, had balances in his hand.

King James (Authorized) Version

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.

Translation for Translators

Unlocked Literal Bible

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

Noah Webster Bible

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living being 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.

World English Bible

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come and see!” And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand.

Young's Literal Translation

And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, 'Come and behold!' and I saw, and lo, a black horse, and he who is sitting upon it is having a balance in his hand,

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Revelation 6:5

Verse

Context

The Third Seal: Famine

Summary

Commentary

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes

Revelation 6:5

The Third Seal: Famine

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes