Bible Strands
Zechariah 6:2
The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Zechariah narrates a vision of four chariots emerging from between two mountains of bronze, addressing the post-exilic community during a moment of temple restoration.
The words — The text specifies הָ/רִֽאשֹׁנָ֖ה (ha./ri.sho.Nah, "the first") and אֲדֻמִּ֑ים ('a.du.Mim, "red") to identify the initial unit, paired with בַּ/מֶּרְכָּבָ֥ה (ba./mer.ka.Vah, "with the chariot") to establish the military imagery.
The thread — This opening unit connects to Zechariah 1:8, which earlier introduces a red horse, and continues in Zechariah 6:3, which lists the third and fourth chariots with white and dappled horses.
Why it lands — The verse demands attention to the precise sequence and color coding of divine forces, framing God’s sovereign movement through ordered, visible signs rather than abstract promises.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
Cross-references
- Zechariah 1:8 I looked out into the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the hollow, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.
- Revelation 6:2 So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.
- Zechariah 6:6 The one with the black horses is going toward the land of the north, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”
- Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.
- Revelation 17:3 And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.