Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Revelation 6:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse shows a red-horse rider removing peace so people slaughter one another.
The Lamb opens four seals, and four riders are allowed a bounded ruin
This verse is one part of that explanation in Revelation 6:1-8. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Revelation 6:1-8
Read Revelation 6:4 with 6:1-8. This verse shows a red-horse rider removing peace so people slaughter one another. The complete unit's controlling movement is: The Lamb opens four seals and four riders emerge: conquest, reciprocal slaughter, unequal scarcity, and Death with Hades under bounded authority.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The preceding movement establishes: Revelation 5:8-14 established this prior movement: The Lamb's action releases worship: prayers rise as incense, a new song celebrates ransom and priestly kingdom, innumerable angels join, and every creature blesses God and the Lamb. This unit then contributes: The Lamb opens four seals and four riders emerge: conquest, reciprocal slaughter, unequal scarcity, and Death with Hades under bounded authority. The following movement develops: Revelation 6:9-11 continues the book through this next movement: Beneath the altar, people slain for God's word ask the holy and true ruler how long until judgment; they receive white robes and rest while the witness company remains incomplete. At Revelation 6:4, this verse shows a red-horse rider removing peace so people slaughter one another.
What Remains True
Revelation 6:4 shows that shows a red-horse rider removing peace so people slaughter one another; its faithful force remains governed by creator worship, the slain Lamb, truthful witness, patient endurance, justice, and new creation.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Revelation 6:1-8 — Four Riders Expose Conquest, War, Scarcity, and DeathSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete coverage.
Exact location: Revelation 6:1-8, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations checked independently of the KJV.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Revelation.txt, 6:1-8
Open the Revelation Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Revelation with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual variants, imagery, cross-references, and stated alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible Revelation PDF, printed pp. 2408–2447, 6:1-8 and attached translator/textual notes
Open the official NET Revelation PDF ↗