Attributed commentary excerpt
Barnes' Notes on Revelation 6:5
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Notes on the Whole Bible
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · 19th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And when he had opened the third seal - Unfolding another portion of the volume. See the notes on Revelation 5:1. I heard the third beast say, Come and see - See the notes on Revelation 4:7. It is not apparent why the third beast is represented as taking a particular interest in the opening of this seal (compare the notes on Revelation 6:3), nor is it necessary to show why it was so. The general design seems to have been, to represent each one of the four living creatures as interested in the opening of the seals, but the order in which they did this does not seem to be a matter of importance. And I beheld, and lo, a black horse - The specifications of the symbol here are the following: (a) As before, the horse. See the notes on Revelation 6:2. (b) The color of the horse: “lo, a black horse.” This would properly denote distress and calamity - for black has been regarded always as such a symbol. So Virgil speaks of fear as black: “atrumque timorem” (Aen. ix. 619). So again, Georg. iv. 468: “Caligantem nigra formidine lucum.” So, as applied to the dying Acca, Aeneas xi. 825: “Tenebris nigrescunt omnia circum.” Black, in the Scriptures, is the image of fear, of famine, of death. Lamentations 5:10; “our skin was black like an oven, because of the terrible famine.” Jeremiah 14:2; “because of the drought Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are in deep mourning (literally, black) for the land.” Joel 2:6; “all faces shall gather blackness.” Nahum 2:10; “the knees smite together, and there is great pain in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.” Compare Revelation 6:12; Ezekiel 32:7. See also Bochart, Hieroz. P. i. lib. ii. c. vii. pp. 106, 107. From the color of the horse here introduced we should naturally look for some dire calamity, though the nature of the calamity would not be designated by the mere use of the word “black.” What the calamity was to be must be determined by what follows in the symbol. Famine, pestiilence, oppression, heavy taxation, tyranny, invasion - any of these might be denoted by the color of the horse. (c) The balances: “and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.” The original word rendered here as “a pair of balances,” is ζυγὸν zugon. This word properly means a yoke, serving to couple anything together, as a yoke for cattle. Hence it is used to denote the beam of a balance, or of a pair of scales - and is evidently so used here. The idea is, that something was to be weighed, in order to ascertain either its quantity or its value. Scales or balances are the emblems of justice or equity (compare Job 31:6; Psalms 62:9; Proverbs 11:1; Proverbs 16:11); and when joined with symbols that denote the sale of grain and fruit by weight, become the symbol of scarcity. Thus, “bread by weight” Leviticus 26:26 denotes scarcity. So in Ezekiel 4:16, “And they shall eat bread by weight.” The use of balances here as a symbol would signify that something was to be accurately and carefully weighed out. The connection leads us to suppose that this would pertain to the necessaries of life, and that it would occur either in consequence of scarcity, or because there would be an accurate or severe exaction, as in collecting a revenue on these articles. The balance was commonly the symbol of equity and justice; but it was also, sometimes, the symbol of exaction and oppression, as in Hosea 12:7; “The balance of deceit is in his hands; he loveth to oppress.” If the balances stood alone, and th…
This public page shows a contextual excerpt from the locally available source text.
How to use this source
This excerpt is attributed to its named commentary. It is included as a historical study resource and should be evaluated in light of Scripture and other relevant evidence.
