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.
6. I heard a voice ] One of the many voices heard throughout this book without anyone being defined as the speaker.
A measure of wheat ] The object of the voice is rather to define the extent of the scarcity than, as some say, to mitigate it. A quart (or somewhat less) of corn is to be bought for a silver penny (about 8 d.); the former was the estimated ration for an able-bodied man’s daily fare, the latter the daily pay of a soldier, apparently a liberal daily pay (see Mat 20:2) for a labourer. So there is not such a famine that the poor must starve, and the rich “give their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul:” the working man can, if he pleases, earn the ordinary necessaries of life for himself: he may even procure a bare comfortless subsistence (for barley, an ordinary article of human food down to the time of the kings of Israel, was now considered as fodder for cattle) for a family, if not too numerous. Meanwhile, nothing is said about the fish and vegetables, which the plain-living man of the Mediterranean ate with his bread, as the plain-living Englishman eats bacon or cheese: but the comparatively superfluous luxuries of wine and oil are carefully protected. In short, we have a picture of “bad times,” when no one need be absolutely without bare necessaries, and those who can afford it need not go without luxuries. All that we know of the age of the decline of the Roman Empire points to this prophecy having been eminently fulfilled then; but we need not go so far for fulfilments of it any more than of the two former: indeed this is much nearer to us than the grand army and the barricades, or Waterloo and Peterloo.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 6. A measure of wheat for a penny] The chaenix here mentioned was a measure of dry things; and although the capacity is not exactly known, yet it is generally agreed that it contained as much as one man could consume in a day; and a penny, the Roman denarius, was the ordinary pay of a labourer. So it appears that in this scarcity each might be able to obtain a bare subsistence by his daily labour; but a man could not, in such cases, provide for a family.
Three measures of barley] This seems to have been the proportion of value between the wheat and the barley. Barley was allowed to afford a poor aliment, and was given to the Roman soldiers instead of wheat, by way of punishment.
Hurt not the oil and the wine.] Be sparing of these: use them not as delicacies, but for necessity; because neither the vines nor the olives will be productive.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny: interpreters are at so great a loss here to fix the sense, that some think this phrase signifies famine and scarcity; others think it signifies great plenty. The Greek word here used, signifieth, say some, half a bushel; others say it signifieth so much bread corn as is sufficient for four loaves; others say, something more than a quart; others, so much as was allowed servants for maintenance for a day: let it be which it will, it signifies no great scarcity; for the word signifying
a penny, signified but as much in our money as came to seven pence halfpenny. I think therefore Mr. Mede judgeth well, that by the black horse was signified not a time of famine and scarcity, but of plenty; and the rather, because it is added, hurt not the oil and the wine: and that the balances in the riders hands signified not scales to give men their bread by weight, (as in a time of scarcity), but the balance of justice; nor will the colour of the horse conclude the contrary. The whole therefore of this prophecy seemeth to foretell that this period, from the time of Commodus the Roman emperor, who ruled the empire from the year 180 to 197, and was followed by Severus, Macrinus, Caracalla, Hellogabalus, and Alexander Severus, the son of Mammeas, who came to the empire Anno 222, and reigned to 237, should be a time of great plenty and civil justice. Histories tell us of no famine in that time, but large stories of the great care of two of those emperors especially, for supplying their countries with corn, and for the administering of civil justice. The things foretold by the opening of this seal, our famous Mede makes to have had their accomplishment with the determination of the reign of Alexander Severus.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. a voiceTwo oldestmanuscripts, A, C, read, “as it were a voice.” Breads as English Version. The voice is heard “in themidst of the four living creatures” (as Jehovah in theShekinah-cloud manifested His presence between the cherubim); becauseit is only for the sake of, and in connection with, His redeemed,that God mitigates His judgments on the earth.
A measure“Achoelignix.” While making food scarce, do not make it so much sothat a choelignix (about a day’s provision of wheat, variouslyestimated at two or three pints) shall not be obtainable “for apenny” (denarius, eight and a half pence of our money,probably the day’s wages of a laborer). Famine generallyfollows the sword. Ordinarily, from sixteen to twenty measureswere given for a denarius. The sword, famine, noisome beasts,and the pestilence, are God’s four judgments on the earth. Aspiritual famine, too, may be included in the judgment. The “Come,”in the case of this third seal, is said by the third of the fourliving creatures, whose likeness is a man indicative ofsympathy and human compassion for the sufferers. God in it tempersjudgment with mercy. Compare Mt24:7, which indicates the very calamities foretold in theseseals, nation rising against nation (the sword), famines,pestilences (Re 6:8), andearthquakes (Re 6:12).
three measures of barley fora pennythe cheaper and less nutritious grain, bought by thelaborer who could not buy enough wheat for his family with his day’swages, a denarius, and, therefore, buys barley.
see thou hurt not the oil,and the winethe luxuries of life, rather than necessaries; theoil and wine were to be spared for the refreshment of the sufferers.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say,…. Not the voice of Agabus to the Apostle Paul, Ac 11:28; but rather of Christ, who was in the midst of them, Re 5:6; the Ethiopic version adds, “as the voice of an eagle”:
a measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; “Choenix”, the measure here used, signifies as much as was sufficient for a man for one day, as a penny was the usual hire of a labourer for a day, Mt 20:2; so a choenix of corn was allowed to each man in Xerxes’s army for a day, according to Herodotus d; the same quantity for a day was given by the Romans to their shepherds and servants, and is generally said to be about two pounds; according to Agricola it was two pounds and a quarter e. This measure was very different; the Attic choenix was a measure that held three pounds, the Italic choenix four pounds, and the military choenix five pounds, and answers to the Hebrew Kab f; and in the Septuagint version of Eze 45:10; it answers to the Bath; and some make it to be the fourth part of a bushel, and others half a bushel g; the first account of its being about two pounds, and the allowance of a man for a day, seems best to agree with this place: so that this phrase expresses such a scarcity, as that a man’s daily wages would be but just enough to buy himself bread, without any thing to eat with it; and when he would have nothing left for clothes, and other things, nor anything for his wife and children:
and [see] that thou hurt not the oil and wine; signifying that this scarcity should fall not upon the superfluities, such as oil and wine, which may be spared, and men can live without; but upon the necessities of life, particularly bread: some render the words, “and be not unjust in the oil and wine”; and so think they refer to the laws of the Roman emperors, in relation to wine and oil, and to the just execution of them, that there might be plenty of them; and others understand them in an allegorical sense, of the principal doctrines of the Gospel, comparable to oil and wine, and which Christ takes care of, that they shall not be hurt and destroyed by heretics and false teachers, even when they prevail the most, and bring on a famine of the word, and when the church is blackened and darkened with them; and indeed these may much better be applied to the Gospel, than, as they are by the Jews, to the law; who frequently say h that the law is called “oil”, and speak of , “the wine of the law” i:
d Polymnia, c. 187. e De Mensuris Graecis, p. 120. f Waserus de Mensuris, l. 2. c. 2. sect. 5, 6. & c. 3. sect. 6. & c. 7. sect. 6. g Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 2. c. 20. h Tzeror Hammor, fol. 85. 3. & 96. 1. & 97. 4. & 104. 1. & 105. 2. & 137. 2, 3. i Zohar in Exod. fol. 51. 3. & in Deut. fol. 115. 3. Raya Mehimna in Zohar in Numb. fol. 94. 3. Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 5. 3. Midrash Kohelet, fol. 64. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
As it were a voice ( ). “This use of , giving a certain vagueness or mysteriousness to a phrase, is one of the characteristics of the writer’s style, e.g., Rev 8:1; Rev 14:3; Rev 19:1; Rev 19:6” (Beckwith). This voice comes from the midst of the four living creatures, “the protest of nature against the horrors of famine” (Swete).
A measure (). Old word for less than a quart with us, here only in N.T.
Of wheat (). Old word for wheat, a number of times in N.T., in Rev. only here and 18:13. This was enough wheat to keep a man of moderate appetite alive for a day.
For a penny (). Genitive of price, the wages of a day laborer (Mt 20:2), about eighteen cents in our money today.
Of barley (). Old word , usually in plural as here. Barley was the food of the poor and it was cheaper even in the famine and it took more of it to support life. Here the proportion is three to one (cf. 2Ki 7:18). The proclamation forbids famine prices for food (solid and liquid).
Hurt thou not ( ). Prohibition with and the ingressive first aorist active subjunctive of . See Rev 7:3; Rev 9:4 for for injury to vegetable life. “The prohibition is addressed to the nameless rider who represents Dearth” (Swete). Wheat and barley, oil and the vine, were the staple foods in Palestine and Asia Minor.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Measure [] . Choenix. Only here in the New Testament. A dry measure, according to some, a quart; to others a pint and a half. Herodotus, speaking of the provisions for Xerxes’ army, assigns a choenix of corn for a man’s daily supply, evidently meaning a minimum allowance (vii., 187); and Thucydides, speaking of the terms of truce between the Lacedaemonians and the Athenians, mentions the following as one of the provisions : “The Athenians shall permit the Lacedaemonians on the mainland to send to those on the island a fixed quantity of kneaded flour, viz., two Attic quarts [] of barley – meal for each man” (iv., 16). Jowett (” Thucydides “) says that the choenix was about two pints dry measure. So Arnold (” Thucydides “), who adds that the allowance of two choenixes of barley – meal daily to a man was the ordinary allowance of a Spartan at the public table. See Herodotus, 6, 57.
For a penny [] . See on Mt 20:2.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And I heard a voice,” (kai ekousa hosphonen)”And I heard a voice (a sounding) as a voice; There was and is activity in heaven, around about the throne; The God upon the throne yet speaks to men thru his church, his spirit, and his children, Psa 107:2; 2Co 5:20; Act 1:8.
2) “In the midst of the four beasts say,” (en meso ton tessaron zoon legousan) “in the midst of the four living creatures,” from the central throne area, perhaps the voice of God himself who had warned “I will laugh when your calamity comes,” because of their rejection of his mercy, Pro 1:22-32.
3) “A measure of wheat for a penny,” (choiniks sitou denariou) “A measure (fixed weight) of wheat for a (denarius) a penny; a time of rationing, restriction in dispensing, under absolute control of the antichrist, as later described, Rev 13:14-17; Lev 26:26. – a measure is a quart – a penny (denarius) was one day of wages, paying enough for one man’s food need a day, not for any of his family.
4) “And three measures of barley for a penny,” (kai treis choinikes krithon denariou) “And three measures of barley for a (denarius) penny; three quarts of barley was for a penny (denarius) a day of wages – much as in the time of famine (starvation in Samaria) 2Ki 7:1; 2Ki 7:16; 2Ki 7:18.
5) “And see thou hurt not the oil and the wine,” (kai to elaion kai ton oinon me adikeses) “And do not hurt, harm, or disturb the oil and the wine,” harm not the fruit of the vine of the oil – the elements of joy and gladness and peace, which are normally exhausted even before the wheat and the barley – if this be true and the voice that speaks from the throne is that of God, then it is -an example of God’s mocking his deliberate rejectors, Pro 1:26-29; Pro 21:17; Pro 29:1.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
6. Voice in the midst beasts Stuart infers unwisely that this voice came from God, whose throne was in the midst of the four. It would be a strange communication for the divine voice. Rather we think it the common voice of the suffering world, represented by the four, addressed to the rider of the black horse, and cautioning him to exact no higher price, and not to hurt the oil and wine crops. A penny, according to Mat 20:2; Mat 20:9, was price of a day’s labour, and a penny would now buy one measure or choenix of wheat, nearly equal to one quart of our measure, or three choenixes of barley. This would probably be very tight living, but we know how prices advance in times of scarcity. The preservation of oil and wine indicates some mitigation of the scarcity, as these, though much used as aliment, were nevertheless rather luxuries.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
6 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.
Ver. 6. In the midst ] The voice of the Lamb, Rev 5:6 , who appoints and orders all; he cuts us out our several conditions, cautioning for the wine and oil, when other food faileth.
A measure of wheat ] , a quart, say some, a pottle others, an allowance for a day. Among the Greeks, saith Suidas, Choenix dietim dabatur. And that the Israelites in the wilderness (according to Rabanus) had each of them three choenices of manna by the day, that was to be ascribed to the divine bounty, as Junius noteth.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
heard. The texts add “as it were”.
voice. Same as noise, Rev 6:1.
measure. Greek. choenix; . App-51.
penny. App-51. Bread by weight means scarcity (compare Eze 4:10, Eze 4:16, Eze 4:17). A denarius was a day’s wage (Mat 20:2), and a choenix of corn was a slave’s daily ration, an amount usually purchasable for one-eighth of a denarius.
see. Omit, and read the clause “and hurt thou not” (App-105).
oil . . . wine. By Figure of speech Metalepsis this may point to special protection of the elect in famine times. See Rev 12:14. Zec 13:8. Rom 3:1, Rom 3:2; Rom 9:4, Rom 9:5.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
beasts
living creatures. (See Scofield “Eze 1:5”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
A measure: “The word choenix signifieth a measure containing one wine-quart and the twelfth part of a quart.”
and see: Rev 9:4, Psa 76:10
Reciprocal: 2Ki 7:1 – a measure of fine flour Eze 1:5 – the likeness Zec 6:2 – black Mat 20:2 – a penny Mat 22:19 – a penny Joh 6:9 – barley Rev 7:1 – the wind Rev 7:3 – Hurt not
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A {a} measure of wheat for a penny, {5} and three measures of barley for a penny; and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
(a) It is here signified how little grain there was, for the word used here is a unit of measure for dry things, about an eighth of a bushel, which was a typical daily ration given to servants.
(5) I would rather interpret and read the words this way, “And the wine and the oil you will not distribute unjustly.” In this sense likewise the wine and the oil will be sold a very little for a penny. You will not distribute unjustly, namely, when you measure out a very little for a great price: so are the times evident: otherwise it would be true, as the wise man says, that whoever withholds the grain will be cursed by the people; Pro 11:26 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The voice in the middle of the four living creatures must belong to God or the Lamb, probably God the Father since He is the ultimate source of all these judgments (cf. Rev 6:11). The price of wheat (good food) and barley (cheap cattle food) will be very high. A quart of wheat would provide one meal, but it would cost a whole day’s wages. In John’s day a denarius would purchase eight to 16 times as much food as what he said it will purchase in the future. [Note: Cicero, In Verrem 3.81.] The poor would have little money left over for oil, for fuel and health needs, and for wine to drink (cf. Eze 4:16-17). "Do not harm" means, "Do not tamper with," reflecting the strict control over prices that ungodly rulers under Antichrist’s leadership will have at this time.
The causes of the famine were not extremely severe since they killed the wheat and barley but not the vines and olive trees (Rev 6:6) whose roots go deeper. [Note: Beckwith, p. 521.] As the Tribulation grows worse, the rich as well as the poor will suffer, but at this early stage the poor will suffer more than the rich. Probably the wars that the ungodly rulers under Antichrist’s leadership begin will reduce the food supply greatly. These rulers will control it strictly with consequent suffering for many people (cf. Luk 21:11).