Covenant Reformed News – February 2022 • Volume XVIII, Issue 22
This article provides an exegetical commentary on Revelation 6:5-8, specifically examining the symbolism of the black and pale horses in John's apocalyptic vision. The author connects the biblical imagery of famine, economic scarcity, and wealth disparity to historical and contemporary examples of material poverty and inequality across the world. Through careful attention to historical context and economic detail, the piece illustrates how Scripture addresses the ongoing realities of human suffering and social injustice in light of God's sovereign plan.
The Black and Pale Horses After treating the white and red horses in the last issue, we now turn to the black and pale horses (Rev. 6:5-8). The black horse speaks of food and drink in terms of subsistence, famine and luxury. The “pair of balances” or scales is used to weigh food carefully (5). A “measure” (Greek: choinix) was a dry measure of about 2 pints, an adult male’s requirement of food for a day (6). A “penny” was a working man’s daily pay (6). In other words, this speaks of the...