Green Horse

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. (Rev. 6:7-8)

The Greek translated as “pale” is chloros, which is literally “green.”

Verse 8 actually says,
“I looked, and there before me was a green horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

Chloros is used four times in the Greek New Testament. The following are the other three:

Revelation 8:7 says,
“The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.”

Revelation 9:4 says,
“They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

Mark 6:39 says,
“Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.”

The other three times besides Revelation 6:8 where chloros is used, it means green. Although chloros is often not translated as green in various Bible versions of Revelation 6:8, perhaps it should be.

Isn’t it possible, even probable, that John meant green when he wrote green? It’s possible he never expected it would be translated “pale” or “ashen.”

We are not told in Scripture what green means, but keeping in mind that the word is green in Revelation 6:8 might help us identify some of the fourth seal signs.

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