Zechariah 6:2

Amplified Bible

The first chariot had red horses (war, bloodshed), the second chariot had black horses (famine, death),

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The first chariot had chestnut horses, the second chariot black horses,

Hebrew Names Version
In the first chariot were red horses; in the second chariot black horses;

King James Version (1611)
In the first charet were red horses, and in the second charet, blacke horses.

King James Version
In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

English Standard Version
The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,

New American Standard Bible
With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,

New Century Version
Red horses pulled the first chariot. Black horses pulled the second chariot.

Geneva Bible (1587)
In the first charet were red horses, and in the second charet blacke horses,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,

Legacy Standard Bible
With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,

Berean Standard Bible
The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,

Contemporary English Version
The first chariot was pulled by red horses, and the second by black horses;

Complete Jewish Bible
The first chariot had red horses; the second chariot, black horses;

Darby Translation
In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

Easy-to-Read Version
Red horses were pulling the first chariot. Black horses were pulling the second chariot.

George Lamsa Translation
In the first chariot were red horses; in the second chariot black horses;

Good News Translation
The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses,

Lexham English Bible
With the first chariot there were red horses, and with the second chariot there were black horses.

Literal Translation
With the first chariot were red horses, and with the second chariot black horses,

American Standard Version
In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

Bible in Basic English
In the first war-carriage were red horses; and in the second, black horses;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
In the first charret were red horses, in ye seconde charret were blacke horses,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

English Revised Version
In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

World English Bible
In the first chariot were red horses; in the second chariot black horses;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In the firste foure horsid carte weren reed horsis, and in the secounde foure horsid carte weren blac horsis;

Update Bible Version
In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

Webster's Bible Translation
In the first chariot [were] red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

New English Translation
Harnessed to the first chariot were red horses, to the second black horses,

New King James Version
With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,

New Living Translation
The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses,

New Life Bible
The first war-wagon had red horses. The second war-wagon had black horses.

New Revised Standard
The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot black horses,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In the first chariot, were red horses, - and, in the second chariot, black horses;

Douay-Rheims Bible
In the first chariot were red horses, and in the second chariot black horses.

Revised Standard Version
The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,

Young's Literal Translation
In the first chariot [are] red horses, and in the second chariot brown horses,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
In the first charet were reade horse, In the secode charet were blacke horse,

THE MESSAGE
The first chariot was drawn by red horses, the second chariot by black horses, the third chariot by white horses, and the fourth chariot by dappled horses. All the horses were powerful.

Contextual Overview

¹Now again I looked up, and four chariots were coming out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of [firm, immovable] bronze (divine judgment). ²The first chariot had red horses (war, bloodshed), the second chariot had black horses (famine, death), ³the third chariot had white horses (victory), and the fourth chariot had strong dappled horses (death through judgment). ⁴Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these, my lord?" ⁵The angel answered me, "These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth, ⁶with the chariot with the black horses going toward the north country; then the one with the white horses follows after them [because there are two northern powers to overcome], and the chariot with the dappled horses goes toward the south country." ⁷When the strong horses went out, they were eager to patrol the earth. And the LORD said, "Go, patrol the earth." So they patrolled the earth [watching and protecting it]. ⁸Then He called out to me and said to me, "See, those who are going to the north country have quieted My Spirit [of wrath] in the north country."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

red: Zechariah 1:8, Revelation 6:2-5, Revelation 12:3, Revelation 17:3

black: Zechariah 6:6, Revelation 6:5, Revelation 6:6

Reciprocal: Nahum 2:3 - made Revelation 6:4 - horse

Cross-References

Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 4:26
To Seth, also, a son was born, whom he named Enosh (mortal man, mankind). At that [same] time men began to call on the name of the LORD [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving].

Genesis 6:1
Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

Genesis 6:2
that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and desirable; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose and desired.

Genesis 6:3
Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive and remain with man forever, because he is indeed flesh [sinful, corrupt—given over to sensual appetites]; nevertheless his days shall yet be a hundred and twenty years."

Genesis 6:4
There were Nephilim (men of stature, notorious men) on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they gave birth to their children. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown (great reputation, fame).

Genesis 6:6
The LORD regretted that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was [deeply] grieved in His heart.

Genesis 6:7
So the LORD said, "I will destroy (annihilate) mankind whom I have created from the surface of the earth—not only man, but the animals and the crawling things and the birds of the air—because it [deeply] grieves Me [to see mankind's sin] and I regret that I have made them."

Genesis 6:8
But Noah found favor and grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Genesis 6:12
God looked on the earth and saw how debased and degenerate it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way on the earth and lost their true direction.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In the first chariot [were] red horses,.... If these are to be understood of the apostles of Christ, and ministers of the Gospel, they may be compared to "horses", for bearing the name of Christ, and drawing the chariot of the Gospel; for their strength to labour in the word and doctrine; for their courage in the cause of Christ; and for their swiftness in doing his work; and to "red" ones, for their flaming zeal for the honour of the Redeemer, and their bloody sufferings for his sake: and if of angels, they may be compared to "horses", because strong and swift to do the will of God; and to "red" ones, because they are the executioners of his wrath and vengeance on wicked men: but if by "the chariots" are meant the monarchies, then by these "red horses" must be designed the Babylonians and Chaldeans, so called because their soldiers were clothed in red, and their chariots were like flaming torches; and they were sanguinary, cruel, and bloody in their tempers, and in their actions to the Jews; and were signified by Nebuchadnezzar's head of gold in his image; see Nahum 2:3:

and in the second chariot black horses; which, applied to the apostles and ministers of the Gospel, may denote their mean and abject appearance outwardly, and their knowledge in the mysteries of grace, which are dark and obscure to others; and, if understood of angels, is applicable to them, when messengers of ill tidings, or executioners of judgment: but if the monarchies are meant, which seems best, the Medes and Persians are intended; and their "black" colour is expressive of the sorrowful estate of the Jews under them, especially in the time of Haman, as Jarchi and Kimchi observe: black horses were reckoned strong, well made, and fit for labour; and the Ethiopians and Moors chose to have their horses they used in war all of this colour, to strike the greater horror and terror into their enemies; and to see black horses in a dream was accounted a bad omen s. The Medes and Persians were a strong and warlike people, and were very terrible to their enemies, under Cyrus; and very troublesome and distressing to the Jews, under Cambyses and Ahasuerus.

s Vid. Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 7. col. 106, 107.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The symbol is different from that in the first vision. There Zechariah 1:8, they were horses only, with their riders, to go to and fro to enquire; here they are war-chariots with their horses, to execute God’s judgments, each in their turn. In the first vision also, there is not the characteristic fourfold division, which reminds of the four world-empires of Daniel Daniel 2:0; after which, in both prophets, is the mention of the kingdom of Christ. Even if the grisled horses be the same as the speckled of the first vision, the black horses are wanting there, as well as the succession, in which they go forth. The only resemblance is, that there are horses of divers colors, two of which, red and white, are the same. The symbol of the fourth empire, grizzled, strong, remarkably corresponds with the strength and mingled character of the fourth empire in Daniel.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 6:2. In the first chariot were red horses] The empire of the Chaldeans, which overthrew the empire of the Assyrians.

The second chariot black horses — The empire of the Persians founded by Cyrus, which destroyed the empire of the Chaldeans.