Revelation 6:3-5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
3 When he broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature cry out, “Come forward.” 4 [a](A)Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And he was given a huge sword.
5 When he broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature cry out, “Come forward.” I looked, and there was a black horse,[b] and its rider held a scale in his hand.
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- 6:4 Huge sword: this is a symbol of war and violence; cf. Ez 21:14–17.
- 6:5 Black horse: this is a symbol of famine, the usual accompaniment of war in antiquity; cf. Lv 26:26; Ez 4:12–13. The scale is a symbol of shortage of food with a corresponding rise in price.
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