Revelation 6

1 I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a voice of thunder, “Come and see!”

2 Then a white horse appeared, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!”

4 Another came out, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword.

5 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.

6 I heard a voice in the middle of the four living creatures saying, “A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenix of barley for a denarius! Don’t damage the oil and the wine!”

7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see!”

8 And behold, a pale horse, and the name of he who sat on it was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him.

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the Word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which they had.

10 They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

11 A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course.

12 I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood.

13 The stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when it is shaken by a great wind.

14 The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

15 The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains.

16 They told the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,

17 for the great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Around Revelation 6

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Revelation 6 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

The Lamb opens the first seal, and a voice like thunder says, “Come and see!” Out comes a white horse, its rider holding a bow and wearing a crown. With the second seal a red horse rides out, and its rider is given a great sword and the power to take peace from the earth. The third is a black horse with a balance, and a voice calls out the price of wheat and barley. The fourth is pale, the rider is named Death, and Hades follows him.

Then the scene turns. Under the altar are the souls of those killed for the Word of God, and they cry out, “How long, Master,” until justice comes. Each is given a white robe and told to rest a little longer. The sixth seal shakes the earth and the sky, and everyone from kings to slaves hides in the rocks, asking, “who is able to stand?”

Background

This is John’s vision, written for the Christian assemblies of his day. The seals are the first of three series of sevens in the book, followed by trumpets and bowls. Christians read the four horsemen in different ways: as events in the first-century world, as pressures that return in every age, or as events still to come. The cry of the martyrs is a prayer made in the middle of suffering. Nothing is opened until the Lamb opens it (see Revelation 5).

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 20 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes