Section 6:1–17
The Lamb opened the first six seals
In this section, Jesus, the Lamb, opened six of the seven seals on the scroll. The opening of each of the first four seals revealed a rider and a horse who would cause a different kind of trouble for people on the earth. The opening of the fifth seal revealed all the people who had been killed because of their faith. The opening of the sixth seal caused the whole universe to be shaken and moved.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
The Lamb opened six of the seven seals
-or-
The Seals (New International Version)
-or-
The first six seals are opened
Paragraph 6:1–2
6:1a
the Lamb: This phrase refers to Jesus, just as it did in 5:13. See how you translated it there.
opened: Here the word opened refers to breaking the wax of the seal. Other ways to translate this word are:
break open (Good News Translation)
-or-
removed
See how you translated this word in 5:5 (“open”).
one of the seven seals: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as one of refers to whichever of the seven seals that the Lamb chose to open first.
seals: The seals were made of wax that had become hard. The seals were put on the scroll so that only someone with the proper authority could open it. See how you translated this word in 5:1.
6:1b
and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces the result of opening the seal. Introduce this resulting event in a way that is natural in your language.
the four living creatures: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as living creatures is literally “living (ones).” The word refers to beings that are like angels yet symbolically look like animals (4:7). See how you translated this phrase in 4:6 or 5:14.
6:1c
say in a thunderous voice: In Greek the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a thunderous voice is literally “a voice like thunder.” It is a simile. The word “thunder” refers to the loud noise that accompanies lightning. This phrase indicates that the voice was powerful and loud like thunder. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
say in a voice that sounded like thunder (Good News Translation)
-or-
say with a thunderous voice (NET Bible)
-or-
speaking with a noise like that of thunder
In some languages it is more natural to compare the action of speaking (rather than the voice) to thunder. For example:
say/speak as loudly as thunder roars
-or-
thunder/roar
say: The living creature spoke to the rider on the white horse (6:2). He did not speak to John. But you should not add “to the rider on the white horse” here, because John did not see the rider and horse until after the living creature spoke.
In some languages it is more natural to translate the word say with a word that indicates loudness or intensity. For example:
shout (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
call out (New Revised Standard Version)
Come!:
This command was given to the rider in 6:2, whom John has not yet seen or who has not yet appeared. Use the appropriate word or phrase in your language.
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