WAR

REVELATIONS  6: 3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come!" 4 Another came forth, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword 3 kai ote hnoixen thn sfragida thn deuteran hkousa tou deuterou zwou legontoV ercou A 4 kai exhlqen alloV ippoV purroV kai tw kaqhmenw ep auton edoqh [autw] labein thn eirhnhn [ek] thV ghV kai ina allhlouV sfaxousin kai edoqh autw macaira megalh Another came forth, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword kai exhlqen alloV ippoV purroV kai tw kaqhmenw ep auton edoqh [autw] labein thn eirhnhn [ek] thV ghV kai ina allhlouV sfaxousin kai edoqh autw macaira megalh "to the one riding the red horse... to him was given to take peace from the earth" "killing one another" "to him was given a great sword" (thn spragida thn deuteran). "The seal the second." The white horse with his rider vanished from the scene bent on his conquering career.

Verse 4 A red horse (ippoß purroß). Old adjective from pur (fire), flame-coloured, blood-red (2 Kings 3:22), in N.T. only here and Revelation 12:3, like Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2 (roan horse). To take peace from the earth (labein thn eirhnhn ek thß ghß). Second aorist active infinitive of lambanw, and here the nominative case, the subject of edoqh (see verse Zechariah 2), "to take peace out of the earth." Alas, how many red horses have been ridden through the ages. And that they should slay one another (kai ina allhlouß spaxousin). Epexegetical explanatory purpose clause with ina and the future active of spazw (Zechariah 5:6) instead of the more usual subjunctive (verse Zechariah 6:2). Cf. Robertson, Grammar, p. 998f. This is what war does to perfection, makes cannon fodder (cf. John 14:27) of men.  A great sword (macaira megalh). Macaira may be a knife carried in a sheath at the girdle (John 18:10) or a long sword in battle as here. Rompaia, also a large sword, is the only other word for sword in the N.T. (Revelation 1:16; Revelation 2:12,16; Revelation 6:8; Revelation 19:15,21).