The big picture
Revelation 6 opens in verse 1 with “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 9 with “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were…”, and closes in verse 17 with “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Repeated or prominent terms include earth, opened, seal, horse, beast. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Revelation · King James Version · 17Revelation 6:1-6
1–6: I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the…
Revelation 6:1–6 opens with “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder…” and reaches “And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The first six seals: riders, martyrs beneath the altar, and cosmic disturbance, with particular weight carried by horse, opened, beast.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts…” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went…” The line’s distinctive content terms include conquer, conquering, crown. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.
Revelation 6:1-6
King James Version1And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
3And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
4And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Revelation 6:7-12
7–12: When he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth…
Revelation 6:7–12 opens with “And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.” and reaches “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The first six seals: riders, martyrs beneath the altar, and cosmic disturbance, with particular weight carried by earth, fourth, opened.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.” Naming Come keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power…” Naming Death and Hell keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Revelation 6:7-12
King James Version7And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
9And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
12And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Revelation 6:13-17
13–17: The stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her…
Revelation 6:13–17 opens with “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when…” and reaches “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The first six seals: riders, martyrs beneath the altar, and cosmic disturbance, with particular weight carried by earth, heaven, mighty.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a…” The line’s distinctive content terms include casteth, earth, fell. Its relationship to verses 14 shows what work it does in this passage.
Revelation 6:13-17
King James Version13And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Revelation 6:1 begins with “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.”
Where the chapter turns
Revelation 6:10 forms a natural hinge: “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”
The final note
Revelation 6:17 leaves the reader with “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
A word trail through the chapter
The words earth, opened, seal, horse, beast, beasts help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What repeated description explains the judgment?
The earth is corrupt and filled with violence, especially in verses 11-13.
What does obedience look like here?
Detailed preparation, gathering provisions and constructing what God commands.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thou
- you
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.
