SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:5
Y cuando l hubo abierto el tercer sello, oí al tercer animal, que decía: Ven y ve. Y mir, y he aquí un caballo negro; y el que estaba sentado encima de l, tenía un yugo en su mano.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 6:5
Verse 5. 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 Matt. xxiv. 7; the same which was predicted by Agabus, Acts xi. 28.
A pair of balances] To show that the scarcity would be such, that every person must be put under an allowance.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. And when he had opened the third seal , etc.] 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 Lamentations 4:7,8 5:10); not what was at the siege of Jerusalem, or in the times of Claudius Caesar, ( Acts 11:28); but in the times of the Emperor Severus, and others, as the historians of those times f169 , and the writings of Tertullian show; when the Heathens ascribed the scarcity that was among them to the wickedness of the Christians f170 , 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, etc. 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 f171 : 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 Leviticus 26:26).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-8 - Christ, the Lamb, opens the first seal: observe what appeared. A ride on a white horse. By the going forth of this white horse, a time of peace, or the early progress of the Christian religion, seems to be intended; its going forth in purity, at the time when its heavenl Founder sent his apostles to teach all nations, adding, Lo! I am with you alway, even to the end of the world. The Divine religion goes ou crowned, having the Divine favour resting upon it, armed spirituall against its foes, and destined to be victorious in the end. On openin the second seal, a red horse appeared; this signifies desolatin judgments. The sword of war and persecution is a dreadful judgment; i takes away peace from the earth, one of the greatest blessings; and me who should love one another, and help one another, are set upon killin one another. Such scenes also followed the pure age of earl Christianity, when, neglectful of charity and the bond of peace, the Christian leaders, divided among themselves, appealed to the sword, an entangled themselves in guilt. On opening the third seal, a black hors appeared; a colour denoting mourning and woe, darkness and ignorance He that sat on it had a yoke in his hand. Attempts were made to put yoke of superstitious observances on the disciples. As the stream of Christianity flowed further from its pure fountain, it became more an more corrupt. During the progress of this black horse, the necessarie of life should be at excessive prices, and the more costly thing should not be hurt. According to prophetic language, these article signified that food of religious knowledge, by which the souls of me are sustained unto everlasting life; such we are invited to buy, Is 55:1. But when the dark clouds of ignorance and superstition, denote by the black horse, spread over the Christian world, the knowledge an practice of true religion became scarce. When a people loathe their spiritual food, God may justly deprive them of their daily bread. The famine of bread is a terrible judgment; but the famine of the word i more so. Upon opening the fourth seal, another horse appeared, of pale colour. The rider was Death, the king of terrors. The attendants or followers of this king of terrors, hell, a state of eternal miser to all who die in their sins; and in times of general destruction multitudes go down unprepared into the pit. The period of the fourt seal is one of great slaughter and devastation, destroying whatever ma tend to make life happy, making ravages on the spiritual lives of men Thus the mystery of iniquity was completed, and its power extended bot over the lives and consciences of men. The exact times of these fou seals cannot be ascertained, for the changes were gradual. God gav them power, that is, those instruments of his anger, or thos judgments: all public calamities are at his command; they only go fort when God sends them, and no further than he permits.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 οτε 3753 ηνοιξεν 455 5656 την 3588 τριτην 5154 σφραγιδα 4973 ηκουσα 191 5656 του 3588 τριτου 5154 ζωου 2226 λεγοντος 3004 5723 ερχου 2064 5736 και 2532 βλεπε 991 5720 και 2532 ειδον 1492 5627 και 2532 ιδου 2400 5628 ιππος 2462 μελας 3189 και 2532 ο 3588 καθημενος 2521 5740 επ 1909 αυτω 846 εχων 2192 5723 ζυγον 2218 εν 1722 τη 3588 χειρι 5495 αυτου 846
Vincent's NT Word Studies
5. Come and see. Omit and see.Black. The color of mourning and famine. See Jer. iv. 28; viii. 21; Mal. iii. 14, where mournfully is, literally, in black.
Pair of balances (zugon). Rev., a balance. Properly, anything which joins two bodies; hence a yoke (Matt. xi. 29; Acts xv. 10). The cross-beam of the loom, to which the warp was fixed; the thwarts joining the opposite sides of a ship; the beam of the balance, and hence the balance itself. The judgment of this seal is scarcity, of which the balance is a symbol, representing the time when food is doled out by weight. See Leviticus xxvi. 26; Ezek. iv. 16.
