Revelation 6:8

6:8 So ¹  I looked ²  and here came ³  a pale green ⁴  horse! The ⁵  name of the one who rode it ⁶  was Death, and Hades followed right behind. ⁷  They ⁸  were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, ⁹  famine, and disease, ¹⁰  and by the wild animals of the earth.

Revelation 13:1-2

The Two Beasts

13:1 Then ¹¹  I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It ¹²  had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, ¹³  and on its heads a blasphemous name. ¹⁴  13:2 Now ¹⁵  the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The ¹⁶  dragon gave the beast ¹⁷  his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. ¹⁸ 

[6:8]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the summons by the fourth creature.

[6:8]  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 have 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, ercou) in 6:1. Thus, for these copyists it was redundant to add “and I looked” again.

[6:8]  ³ tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

[6:8]  ⁴ tn A sickly pallor, when referring to persons, or the green color of plants. BDAG 1085 s.v. χλωρός 2 states, “pale, greenish gray…as the color of a pers. in sickness contrasted with appearance in health…so the horse ridden by Death…ἵππος χλωρός Rv 6:8.” Because the color of the horse is symbolic, “pale green” is used in the translation. Cf. NIV, NCV “pale”; NASB “ashen.”

[6:8]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[6:8]  ⁶ tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”

[6:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “And Hades was following with him.” The Greek expression μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ (met’ autou, “with him”) is Semitic and indicates close proximity. The translation “followed right behind” reflects this.

[6:8]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[6:8]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[6:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “with death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).

[13:1]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[13:1]  ¹² tn Grk “having” (a continuation of the previous sentence). All of the pronouns referring to this beast (along with the second beast appearing in 13:11) could be translated as “it” because the word for beast (θηρίον, qhrion) is neuter gender in Greek and all the pronouns related to it are parsed as neuter in the Gramcord/Accordance database. Nevertheless, most interpreters would agree that the beast ultimately represents a human ruler, so beginning at the end of v. 4 the masculine pronouns (“he,” “him,” etc.) are used to refer to the first beast as well as the second beast appearing in 13:11.

[13:1]  ¹³ tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.

[13:1]  ¹⁴ tc ‡ Several mss (A 051 1611 1854 2053 2344 2351 Ï^K) read the plural ὀνόματα (onomata, “[blasphemous] names”), while the singular ὄνομα (onoma, “name”) has somewhat better support (Ì⁴⁷ א C 1006 1841 2329 Ï^A). The plural reading seems motivated by the fact that what is written is written “on its heads.” In the least, it is a clarifying reading. NA²⁷ puts the plural in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[13:2]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the following description of the beast.

[13:2]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:2]  ²³ tn Grk “gave it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:2]  ²⁴ tn For the translation “authority to rule” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.