“And 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.”
Out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slay one another; and he was given a great sword — the red horse (pyrros) symbolizes war and bloodshed; the rider's power to remove peace (eirēnē) and permit fratricide emphasizes warfare's destructive force. The great sword (machaira) enables mass slaughter. This represents escalation beyond the first horseman's conquest into active conflict.
Church Fathers on Revelation 6:4
“And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red, and to him that sat upon him was given a great sword.” The red horse, and he that sat upon him, having a sword, signify the coming wars, as we read in the Gospel: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be great earthquakes in various places.” This is the ruddy horse.
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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