Bible Discussion Thread

The black horse in chapters 5 and 6 are evocative of mourning, dark times following the conquest and warfare of the first two horses, and increasing scarcity especially among the poor, who are hit hardest by the increasing costs of food. A denarius (translated as penny in the King James) was a silver coin, and a day's wage for a soldier in the Roman Empire, thus these grain prices paint a picture of toiling all day to barely be able to feed yourself. The rich are rather unaffected by this calamity, as indicated in "see thou harm not the oil nor the wine".