Revelation 6:5-6; Famine

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Revelation 6:5-6 And 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. And 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. 

The black horseman carries a pair of measuring scales in his hand signifying a scarcity of food, as each morsel of food has to be weighed. It is a picture of famine. Famines often follow war. Economic disruptions often grips after the world war.[1]

The book of Leviticus 26:26 describes the distribution of bread during a  famine by weighing“…they shall deliver  you your bread again  by weight: and ye  shall eat and not be  satisfied.” Another reference in Ezekiel 4:16  “Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem:  and they shall  eat bread by weight, and with care; and they  shall drink water  by measure, and with astonishment.”

In Bible times, observes Paul Lee Tan, “a penny” the Roman denarius was a day’s wage (Matthew 20:2, 9).

Matthew 20:2And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.Matthew 20:9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

“Three measures” are about a pin, a minimum daily sustenance diet.  Thus, it would be everyone for himself. “Barley” represents a coarser kind of food, such as animal feed.[2]

Psalm 37:18-19 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 

Amen.


[1]Paul Lee Tan, A Pictorial Guide to Bible Prophecy, Bible Communications Inc, 1992, 288.

[2]Ibid., 288.