6:1 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, 1 “Come!” 2
6:3 Then 3 when the Lamb 4 opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 6:4 And another horse, fiery red, 5 came out, and the one who rode it 6 was granted permission 7 to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher 8 one another, and he was given a huge sword.
6:5 Then 9 when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So 10 I looked, 11 and here came 12 a black horse! The 13 one who rode it 14 had a balance scale 15 in his hand.
6:7 Then 16 when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!”
1 tn Grk “saying like a voice [or sound] of thunder.”
2 tc The addition of “and see” (καὶ ἴδε or καὶ βλέπε [kai ide or kai blepe]) to “come” (ἔρχου, ercou) in 6:1, 3-5, 7 is a gloss directed to John, i.e., “come and look at the seals and the horsemen!” But the command ἔρχου is better interpreted as directed to each of the horsemen. The shorter reading also has the support of the better witnesses.
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
4 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the Lamb) has been specified in the translation for clarity here and throughout the rest of the chapter.
5 tn L&N 79.31 states, “‘fiery red’ (probably with a tinge of yellow or orange).”
6 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”
7 tn The word “permission” is implied; Grk “it was given to him to take peace from the earth.”
8 tn BDAG 979 s.v. σφάζω states, “Of the killing of a person by violence…σφάζειν τινά butcher or murder someone (4 Km 10:7; Jer 52:10; Manetho: 609 fgm. 8, 76 Jac. [in Jos., C. Ap. 1, 76]; Demetr.[?]: 722 fgm. 7; Ar. 10, 9) 1J 3:12; Rv 6:4. Pass. (Hdt. 5, 5) 5:9; 6:9; 18:24.”
9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the summons by the third creature.
11 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 have come through the
12 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
13 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
14 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”
15 sn A balance scale would have been a rod held by a rope in the middle with pans attached to both ends for measuring.
16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.