Bible Gem 2252 – The Black Horse and Rider (Revelation 6:5-6)

⁵When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”

Revelation 6:5-6

This Gem is for Hans who asked this question two weeks ago on April 4th and has had to wait patiently for the answer.

Pak Ian, I want to ask about the oil and wine mentioned within the instruction to the Black horse: “Don’t waste the olive oil and wine”; I wonder what could have these two represented and why a specific instruction was made for these two things?”

Hans

You can see why this third horse aligns with the two other horses we have covered already. The patterning and structure of the statement places this third horse among The Four Horses and Riders of the Apocalypse. It is not the horse that does anything. The horses don’t actually do anything and in another sense each rider does nothing either. It is the chosen living being speaking on behalf of God and the Lamb announcing the connection as well as the colour of each horse. As I said in the previous Gem, it was not the rider of the red horse who was doing the slaughtering, it was the people themselves slaughtering their fellows. The horses and their colour are only presented as symbols. Remember this Book of Revelation is highly symbolic.

So what does this black horse and rider symbolise? It is clear to me and I assume it is clear to you as well. This rider according to the text has a set of scales in his hand. The scales talked about here are the two trays which fit on the end of the balance beam of the scales. The weights are placed on one side and the measure of produce on the other to determine the weight or quantity. All translations I have loaded translate this word [ζυγός] as balance. The balance beam of the scales has been taken as symbolic of the purpose of the scales in general. However Mounce lists a secondary meaning for [ζυγός] as being symbolic of the bar of servitude for the slave or for the oxen, i.e. the part of the bar which goes over the oxen or the slave in order to house or bind the yoke to the neck of the slave or ox. Thus becoming directly a symbol of servitude. Yet all translations, including Mounce’s commentary have opted for ‘the pair of scales’.

This then leaves us with the scenario of the market place and the selling of commodities. That of course is where the setting is most likely to be found. Especially when the sale of wheat, barley, oil and wine is listed. This is a result of greatly inflated prices due to the scarcity of produce as a result of invasion and rampant slaughter. It is interesting that Ezekiel records the following in his acted sermon.

Then he told me, “Son of man, I will make food very scarce in Jerusalem. It will be weighed out with great care and eaten fearfully. The water will be rationed out drop by drop, and the people will drink it with dismay. Lacking food and water, people will look at one another in terror, and they will waste away under their punishment.

Ezekiel 4:16-17

There is war outside the city and disease and famine within. Those outside the city walls will be killed by enemy swords. Those inside the city will die of famine and disease.

Ezekiel 7:15

What is interesting is the cost of the commodities in question. A denarius was the equivalent of a day’s wages. One measure of wheat was only enough for one man’s daily need. So what about his family or his poor horse? He could buy three daily portions of barley for a denarius, but barley was the food of the poor because it was less nutritious, resulting in a horseman being only able to feed himself leaving nothing for the horse. Cicero commented that this price appeared to be 10 to 12 times what it should have been. (Cicero Verr. iii.8 1). Times were indeed hard.

Now we come to the crux of Hans’ question. So what is the significance of the oil and wine? Surely that relates to the food of the rich, not the poorer, ordinary people. So is the conclusion of mentioning oil and wine that the poor would suffer and the rich would not? That hardly seems fair. Besides the voice which expresses these thoughts comes from among the four living beings, so likely to be the voice of the Lamb Himself. He is hardly likely to make such a comment of inequality. There has to be another interpretation.

The roots of the olive and grapes grow deeper and more extensive than other plants. It could be referring to the increasing intensity of these judgements. But in reality, the fruit of the olive and the vines were important to all. Even the poor needed the oil and the wine to add to their diet. Especially in time of war and siege and mayhem among their fellow inhabitants when even water supply might diminish to a drop.

In AD 92 Domitian had issued a decree that half of the vineyards across the Roman Province of Asia be destroyed so that wheat could planted and he could feed the Empire. However, his decree met such opposition from the populace that it was rescinded soon after. Everyone needed olive oil and wine. Wine was a substitute for water for the whole population, not just the rich. The wine of the poor people was not necessarily the same as the wine of the rich, but wine was needed for everyone.

There is one other interpretation that has been added to the pool, and that comes from Hanns Lilje’s commentary, The Last Book of the Bible (1957). Lilje felt the reference in James to oil should be understood to mean that believers would not suffer from the famine to the same extent (p. 126).

Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:14

I don’t agree. I believe the overall message of Revelation is that all need to be prepared for suffering, persecution and death. We will encounter death at the opening of the next seal along with the fourth horse. Do you see the escalation involved in these judgements? Have you seen the logical link between them?

I hope that answers your question satisfactorily Hans. I even managed to slip in another Hanns for you.

Adversity introduces a man to himself. You know more about yourself when you go through pain & suffering.

Kong Hee

The goals of most Christians are often a nice marriage, children who don’t swear and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ seriously is rarely considered. Most want a balanced life we can control, that is safe and that doesn’t  involve suffering!

Rick Godwin with Ian’s modifications

The highest purpose of our suffering as believers in Jesus is to share in His suffering and thus to know Him more intimately. 

Lynda Wake

Now there is an attitude toward suffering you should embrace (Lynda Wake’s). Everyone needs a biblical theology of suffering.

Ian