Revelation 6:5-6·~1 min

The Third Seal: Famine

When the third seal is opened, John sees a black horse whose rider carries scales, indicating measured distribution and scarcity. A voice announces exorbitant prices for wheat and barley while forbidding harm to the oil and wine. The imagery communicates famine conditions in which basic necessities become crushingly expensive, exposing how judgment reaches daily sustenance and social stability.

A⁵nd when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” ⁶Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”

Section summaryThe third seal brings a black horse whose rider holds scales, symbolizing measured scarcity and economic distress. A voice announces inflated prices for staple grains while preserving the oil and wine, presenting a picture of famine, rationing, and unequal strain. The vision suggests not total annihilation but severe disruption that makes ordinary provision painfully costly. The Lamb's opening of the third seal therefore reveals the social and economic weight of judgment.

Role in the chapterThis section portrays scarcity and economic suffering as part of the judgments released under the Lamb's sovereign hand.