{A pale horse} (hippos chl(9372)os). Old adjective. Contracted
from chloeros (from chlo(885c), tender green grass) used of green
grass ( Mr 6:39  Re 8:7  9:4 ), here for yellowish, common in
both senses in old Greek, though here only in N.T. in this sense,
greenish yellow. We speak of a sorrel horse, never of a green
horse. Zechariah ( Zec 6:3 ) uses poikilos (grizzled or
variegated). Homer used chl(9372)os of the ashen colour of a face
blanched by fear (pallid) and so the pale horse is a symbol of
death and of terror. {His name was Death} (onoma aut(9369) ho
thanatos). Anacoluthon in grammatical structure like that in
 Joh 3:1  (cf.  Re 2:26 ) and common enough. Death is the name of
this fourth rider (so personified) and there is with Death "his
inseparable comrade, Hades ( 1:16  20:13f. )" (Swete). Hades
(h(8369)d(8873), alpha privative, and idein, to see, the unseen) is
the abode of the dead, the keys of which Christ holds ( Re
1:18 ). {Followed} ((886b)olouthei). Imperfect active of
akolouthe(935c), kept step with death, whether on the same horse or
on another horse by his side or on foot John does not say. {Over
the fourth part of the earth} (epi to tetarton t(8873) g(8873)).
Partitive genitive g(8873) after 	etarton. Wider authority
(exousia) was given to this rider than to the others, though
what part of the earth is included in the fourth part is not
indicated. {To kill} (apokteinai). First aorist active
infinitive of apoktein(935c), explanation of the exousia
(authority). The four scourges of  Eze 14:21  are here reproduced
with instrumental en with the inanimate things (
omphai(8369),
lim(9369) thanat(9369)) and hupo for the beasts (	h(8872)i(936e)). Death
here (	hanat(9369)) seems to mean pestilence as the Hebrew does
(loimos -- cf. limos famine). Cf. the "black death" for a
plague.