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.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 5. The third seal … a black horse. This is also commonly expounded of wars and persecutions, and particularly of famine, by the scales in the rider’s hand, and by two pounds of wheat being sold for a penny: a great price, considering the value of money at that time. Witham.—The black horse represents the public miseries, famines, and so forth which, particularly the latter, the Roman empire frequently experienced during the reign of the persecuting emperors. The balance, which the rider is said to hold in his hand, represents the strict manner in which people would measure out whatever they sold during the time of famine. Andræas. Hamm. Bossuet.