Revelation 6:4

Revelation 6:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
• New International Version (NIV)Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

Context of Revelation 6:4

2I looked, and behold, a white horse [of victory] whose rider carried a bow; and a crown [of victory] was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer. 3When He (the Lamb) broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, “Come.” And another, a fiery red horse [of bloodshed], came out; and its rider was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that men would slaughter one another; and a great sword [of war and violent death] was given to him. 5When He (the Lamb) broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse [of famine]; and the rider had in his hand a pair of scales (a balance). 6And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius (a day’s wages), and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

Revelation 6:4 word by word

καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄλλος ἵππος πυρρός. καὶ τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐδόθη αὐτῷ λαβεῖν τὴν εἰρήνην ἐκ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἵνα ἀλλήλους σφάξουσιν. καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ μάχαιρα μεγάλη.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• there went outἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
• anotherἄλλοςallos · anotherG243
• horseἵπποςhippos · horseG2462
• redπυρρόςpurrhos · fiery redG4450
• was givenδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
• to himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• that satκάθημαιkathēmai · to sitG2521
• ·ἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• to takeλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
• peaceὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• peaceεἰρήνηeirēnē · peaceG1515
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• they should killσφάζωsphazō · to slaughterG4969
• one anotherἀλλήλωνallēlōn · one anotherG240
• a greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• swordμάχαιραmachaira · swordG3162

Cross-references for Revelation 6:4

• Revelation 12:3Then another sign [of warning] was seen in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon (Satan) with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal crowns (diadems).
• Revelation 17:3And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was entirely covered with blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
• Zechariah 1:8In the night I saw [a vision] and behold, a Man was riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees that were in the ravine; and behind Him were horses: red, sorrel (reddish-brown), and white.
• Zechariah 6:2The first chariot had red horses (war, bloodshed), the second chariot had black horses (famine, death),
• Revelation 13:10If anyone is destined for captivity, he will go into captivity; if anyone kills with a sword, he must be killed with a sword. Here is [the call for] the patient endurance and the faithfulness of the saints [which is seen in the response of God’s people to difficult times].
• Exodus 9:16But indeed for this very reason I have allowed you to live, in order to show you My power and in order that My name may be proclaimed throughout all the earth.
• Isaiah 37:26Have you not heard [says the God of Israel] That I did it long ago, That I planned it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, That you [king of Assyria] would [be My instrument to] turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.
• Ezekiel 29:18“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army work hard [at My command] against Tyre; every [soldier’s] head became bald and every shoulder was worn and peeled [from carrying loads of dirt and stones for siege works]. Yet he had no wages from Tyre [in proportion to the time and labor expended during the siege], either for himself or his army, for the work that he had done against it [for Me].”
• Daniel 2:37You, O king, are the king of [earthly] kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;
• Daniel 5:19and because of the greatness that He gave him, all the peoples, nations, and speakers of every language trembled and feared him. Whomever he wished he killed, and whomever he wished he kept alive; whomever he wished he promoted and whomever he wished he humbled.
• John 19:11Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me at all if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who handed Me over to you is greater [than your own].”
• Psalms 17:13Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down; Save my soul from the wicked with Your sword,
• Isaiah 10:5Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger [against Israel], The staff in whose hand is My indignation and fury [against Israel’s disobedience]!
• Ezekiel 30:24I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; but I will break Pharaoh’s arms and he will groan before him (Nebuchadnezzar) with the groanings of a [mortally] wounded man.

Commentaries on Revelation 6:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Another horse - red - The emblem of war; perhaps also of severe persecution, and the martyrdom of the saints. Him that sat thereon - Same say, Christ; others, Vespasian; others, the Roman armies; others, Artabanus, king of the Parthians, etc., etc. Take peace from the earth - To deprive Judea of all tranquillity. They should kill one another - This was literally the case with the Jews, while besieged by the Romans. A great sword - Great influence and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4And there went out another horse - In this symbol there were, as in the others, several particulars which it is proper to explain in order that we may be able to understand its application. The particular things in the symbol are the following: (a) The horse. See this explained in the notes on Revelation 6:2. (b) The color of the horse: another horse that was red. This symbol cannot be mistaken. As the white horse denoted prosperity, triumph, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4The red horse symbolizes bloody violence on earth. The Roman Empire promised peace (the pax Romana), but widespread violence was the grim reality. This rider represents slaughter, including civil unrest and ethnic cleansing.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. red--the color of blood. The color of the horse in each case answers to the mission of the rider. Compare Mt 10:24-36, "Think not I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword." The white horse of Christ's bloodless victories is soon followed, through man's perversion of the Gospel, by the red horse of bloodshed; but this is overruled to the clearing away of the obstacles to Christ's coming kingdom. The patient ox is the…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 6:4

• Animals
• Horse
• Vision
• War

In the dictionaries

• Colour
• Conquer
• Hurt
• Mighty
• Shake
• Color; Colors
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Ethics
• Horse, Red
• Jael

Commentaries on Revelation 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings