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Zechariah 1:8
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Zechariah 1:8
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The Content of the First Vision
8 I was attentive that night and saw a man seated[a] on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees[b] in the ravine. Behind him were red, sorrel,[c] and white horses.
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- Zechariah 1:8 tn Heb “riding,” but since this verb in English is usually associated with horses in motion rather than standing still, the translation uses “seated.” Cf. NAB “the driver of a red horse.”
- Zechariah 1:8 tc The LXX presupposes הֶהָרִים (heharim, “mountains”) rather than the MT הַהֲדַסִּים (hahadassim, “myrtles”), probably because of reference to the ravine. The MT reading is preferred and is followed by most English versions.
- Zechariah 1:8 sn The Hebrew שְׂרֻקִּים (seruqqim) means “red” (cf. NIV, NCV, NLT “brown”). English translations such as “speckled” (KJV) or “dappled” (TEV) are based on the reading of the LXX ψαροί (psaroi) that attempts to bring the color of this horse into conformity with those described in Zech 6:2-3. However, since these are two different and unrelated visions, this is a methodological fallacy.
Zechariah 6:1
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Zechariah 6:1
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Vision Eight: The Chariots
6 Once more I looked, and this time I saw four chariots emerging from between two mountains of bronze.[a]
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- Zechariah 6:1 tn Heb “two mountains, and the mountains [were] mountains of bronze.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.sn Bronze, a hard, almost impenetrable metal, is an apt figure to speak of the obstacles standing in the way of the accomplishment of God’s purposes for the postexilic Jewish community (cf. 4:7). The cleft between the two from which the chariots emerge might be related to the eschatological triumph of the Lord who will return to the Mount of Olives and divide it into two mountains, one on the north and the other on the south (cf. Zech 14:1-8; Ezek 47:1-12).
Revelation 6:2
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Revelation 6:2
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2 So[a] I looked,[b] and here came[c] a white horse! The[d] one who rode it[e] had a bow, and he was given a crown,[f] and as a conqueror[g] he rode out to conquer.
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- Revelation 6:2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of hearing the voice summon the first rider.
- Revelation 6:2 tc The reading “and I looked” (καὶ εἶδον, kai eidon) or some slight variation (e.g., ἶδον, idon) has excellent ms support (א A C P 1611) and its omission seems to come through the mss that have already placed “and look” (καὶ ἴδε or καὶ βλέπε [kai ide or kai blepe]) after the verb “come” (ἔρχου, erchou) as mentioned in the text-critical note on 6:1. Thus, for these copyists it was redundant to add “and I looked” again.
- Revelation 6:2 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
- Revelation 6:2 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 6:2 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”sn The one who rode it. The identity of the first rider on the white horse has been discussed at great length by interpreters. Several answers are given: (1) A number understand the rider on the white horse to be Christ himself, identifying this horse and rider with the one mentioned in 19:11, where the identification is clear (cf. 19:13, 16). It must be noted, though, that there is little in common between the two riders beyond the white horse. The word for “crown” is different, the armament is different, and the context here is different (conquest vs. retribution), with three other horsemen bringing catastrophe following. (2) Others see the rider on the white horse representing a spirit of military conquest that dominates human history and leads to the catastrophes that follow. (3) Another possibility is that the white horse rider represents the Antichrist, who appears later in Rev 11:7; 13:17, and is similar to Christ in 19:11 in that they both ride a white horse. This interpretation has been discussed at length by M. Rissi, “The Rider on the White Horse: A Study of Revelation 6:1-8, ” Int 18 (1964): 407-18. This interpretation is the most probable one.
- Revelation 6:2 sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.
- Revelation 6:2 tn The participle νικῶν (nikōn) has been translated as substantival, the subject of the verb ἐξῆλθεν (exēlthen). Otherwise, as an adverbial participle of manner, it is somewhat redundant: “he rode out conquering and to conquer.”
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