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King James Version
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
KJV (with Strong's)
And G2532 I took G2983 the little book G974 out of G1537 the angel's G32 hand G5495, and G2532 ate G2719 it G846 up G2719; and G2532 it was G2258 in G1722 my G3450 mouth G4750 sweet G1099 as G5613 honey G3192: and G2532 as soon as G3753 I had eaten G5315 it G846, my G3450 belly G2836 was bitter G4087.
Complete Jewish Bible
I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; but after I had swallowed it, my stomach turned bitter.
Berean Standard Bible
So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter.
American Standard Version
And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter.
World English Bible Messianic
I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. When I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then I tooke the litle booke out of ye Angels hand, and ate it vp, and it was in my mouth as sweete as hony: but whe I had eaten it my belly was bitter.
Young's Literal Translation
And I took the little scroll out of the hand of the messenger, and did eat it up, and it was in my mouth as honey--sweet, and when I did eat it--my belly was made bitter;
தமிழ் · TCV
நான் அந்தத் தூதனுடைய கையிலிருந்து அந்தச் சிறிய புத்தகச்சுருளை எடுத்து, அதைச் சாப்பிட்டேன். அது என் வாய்க்கு, தேனைப்போல் இனிமையான சுவையைக் கொடுத்தது. ஆனால் அதை நான் சாப்பிட்டு முடித்தபோதோ, அது என்னுடைய வயிற்றில் புளிப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியது.
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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Revelation 10:8–11. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Passage under commentRevelation 10:8–11
8¶ And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
9And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
10And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
11And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points
Here we have, I. A strict charge given to the apostle, which was, 1. That he should go and take the little book out of the hands of that mighty angel mentioned before. This charge was given, not by the angel himself who stood upon the earth, but by the same voice from heaven that in the fourth verse had lain an injunction upon him not to write what he had discerned by the seven thunders. 2. To eat the book; this part of the charge was given by the angel himself, hinting to the apostle that before he should publish what he had discovered he must more thoroughly digest the predictions, and be in himself suitably affected with them.
II.An account of the taste and relish which this little book would have, when the apostle had taken it in; at first, while in his mouth, sweet.
All persons feel a pleasure in looking into future events, and in having them foretold; and all good men love to receive a word from God, of what import soever it be. But, when this book of prophecy was more thoroughly digested by the apostle, the contents would be bitter; these were things so awful and terrible, such grievous persecutions of the people of God, and such desolation made in the earth, that the foresight and foreknowledge of them would not be pleasant, but painful to the mind of the apostle: thus was Ezekiel's prophecy to him, Eze 3:3.
III.The apostle's discharge of the duty he was called to (Rev 10:10):
He took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up, and he found the relish to be as was told him.
1.It becomes the servants of God to digest in their own souls the messages they bring to others in his name, and to be suitably affected therewith themselves.
2.It becomes them to deliver every message with which they are charged, whether pleasing or unpleasing to men. That which is least pleasing may be most profitable; however, God's messengers must not keep back any part of the counsel of God.
IV.The apostle is made to know that this book of prophecy, which he had now taken in, was not given him merely to gratify his own curiosity, or to affect him with pleasure or pain, but to be communicated by him to the world. Here his prophetical commission seems to be renewed, and he is ordered to prepare for another embassy, to convey those declarations of the mind and will of God which are of great importance to all the world, and to the highest and greatest men in the world, and such should be read and recorded in many languages. This indeed is the case; we have them in our language, and are all obliged to attend to them, humbly to enquire into the meaning of them, and firmly to believe that every thing shall have its accomplishment in the proper time; and, when the prophecies shall be fulfilled, the sense and truth of them will appear, and the omniscience, power, and faithfulness of the great God will be adored.
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Historical interpretation
Seven Centuries of Reception
8 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
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"I took the book from the hand of the angel, and ate it up." To take the book and eat it up, is, when exhibition of a thing is made to one, to commit it to memory.
"And it was in my mouth as sweet as honey." To be sweet in the mouth is the reward of the preaching of the speaker, and is most pleasant to the hearers; but it is most bitter both to those that announce it, and to those that persevere in its commandments through suffering.
“Our belly stuck to the ground.” They mean that “our belly” consented to the impious persuasion of that dust [i.e., godless persecutors]; for that is what the expression “stuck to” implies.… To cling to God is to do his will. It makes sense, then, to say of the belly that it clung to the earth, when we mean those people who could not hold out under persecution but yielded to the will of the wicked; for this is how they “stuck to the earth.” But why are they called “the belly”? Because they are carnal. It suggests that the church’s mouth is to be found in the saints, in spiritual people, and the church’s belly in the carnal. This is why the church’s mouth is plainly visible, but its belly is covered up, as befits something weaker and more vulnerable. Scripture supports this interpretation in the passage where someone says he was given a book to eat, “and the book was sweet in my mouth but bitter in my stomach.” What can that mean? Surely that the highest precepts, which spiritual persons accept, are unacceptable to the carnal, and that commands that delight the spiritual only give the carnal indigestion. What is in that book, brothers and sisters? “Go and sell all you possess, and give the money to the poor.” How sweet is that command in the church’s mouth! All the spiritual have obeyed it. But if you tell any sensual person to do that, he or she is more likely to walk sadly away, as the rich man in the Gospel walked away from the Lord, than to fulfill the injunction. Why does a carnal person walk away? Because that book, so sweet to the mouth, is bitter in the belly.
“It will be sweet in your mouth but bitter in your stomach.” By the mouth we are to understand the good and spiritual Christians, while by the stomach we understand the carnal and dissolute. And so it is that when the word of God is preached, it is sweet to the spiritual, but to the carnal, whose “god is the belly” as the apostle says, it seems bitter and harsh.
[I told the angel to give me the book.] The church is moved by divine inspiration to be thoroughly instructed about this mystery. “And he said, ‘Take and eat it.’ ” This means that he was to store [the book] in his secret inward parts. “And it will be bitter to your stomach but sweet as honey in your mouth.” This means that when you receive it, you will be delighted by the sweetness of the divine speech and by the hope of the promised salvation and by the sweetness of the divine justice; however, you will then sense bitterness when you begin to preach this to the pious and to the impious. For when the preaching of the divine judgment is heard, some are turned by the bitterness of penance and are changed for the better, while others are offended and become yet more hardened and bear a bitter hatred toward the preachers. “Reprove a wise man, and he will love you; refute a foolish man, and he will hate you.” But the preacher takes in bitterness from either of these two persons. For he either sheds tears with the penitents out of a feeling of compassion, or he is tormented by the bitterness that comes from their failure. For this reason the apostle said, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart; for I wished that I myself were accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers.” But I think it more apt that the bitterness mentioned here be attributed to the impious alone and the sweetness to the pious. For the spiritual person can say, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey and the honeycomb to my mouth!”
He says that although the knowledge of future things will be sweet to you, at the same time it will be bitter to your stomach, that is, to your heart, which is the dwelling place of spiritual foods. For you will have compassion on those who receive punishments given according to God’s judgment.
And it will make your belly bitter, etc. When you receive it, you will be delighted by the sweetness of the divine word, but you will feel bitterness when you begin to preach and act upon what you have understood. Or indeed, it should be understood according to Ezekiel, who, when he said he had devoured the book, added, And I went in bitterness in the indignation of my spirit.
And I took the book from the hand of the angel, and ate it up: and it was in my mouth, sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. It is right for the mouth, out of which preaching emanates, to represent those who meditate on God's law day and night and say with the Psalmist, How sweet are thy words to my palate! [Ps. 118:103] On the other hand, it is right for the belly, out of which excrements come, to represent fleshly people devoted to earthly pleasures, about whom the elect say, Our belly cleaveth to the earth. [Ps. 43:25] Therefore it is as if food came down through the mouth into the belly, when knowledge of the Scriptures comes through the Church's preachers even to those who live in a fleshly manner. This is why the book, which is sweet in the mouth, becomes bitter in the belly; for what can be more bitter to them than what the Lord commands, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor anything that is his? [Deut. 5:21] Alternatively, the book is sweet in the mouth when eternal joys are promised in it to readers, like The just shall shine as the sun; [Matt. 13:43] but in the belly, that is in the secret of the mind, it is bitter, since one is confronted in it with strict commandments, like Unless you become as this little child, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. [Variant of Matt. 18:3]
And having eaten, he found them sweet to the mouth, but bitter to the stomach after consumption; for such is every sin. It is sweet in its operation, but bitter in its outcome. For it becomes the cause of punishment, and also, through repentance, it embitters those who have committed it. Such was also the tree forbidden by God in Paradise, which all interpret as leading to sin, producing knowledge of both good and evil (Gen. 2-3); sweet indeed in taste, but evil after experience.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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Summary
Revelation 10:10 powerfully depicts the Apostle John's symbolic act of consuming a divine scroll, an experience that is initially delightful but quickly turns bitter. This profound vision encapsulates the dual nature of prophetic revelation: the inherent joy and sweetness of receiving God's word directly, contrasted with the often difficult, painful, or challenging implications of its message, particularly concerning divine judgment and the tribulations of the end times. It underscores the prophet's personal internalization and the weighty responsibility of proclaiming God's truth, regardless of its palatable or unpalatable aspects.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is situated within a dramatic interlude between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets in John's apocalyptic vision. Following the release of the four angels at the Euphrates and the immense destruction they unleash in Revelation 9, the narrative shifts to a mighty angel descending from heaven in Revelation 10:1-7. This angel, with a small, open scroll in his hand, declares that there will be no more delay before the mystery of God is fulfilled. John is then commanded by a voice from heaven to take the book and eat it, a direct precursor to the experience described in Revelation 10:10. This act parallels Old Testament prophetic calls, most notably Ezekiel 2:8-10 and Ezekiel 3:1-3 that was "sweet as honey" but contained "lamentations and mourning and woe," signifying the prophet's full assimilation of God's message, both its comforting and convicting aspects, before its proclamation.
Historical & Cultural Context
The act of eating a scroll or book was a powerful symbolic gesture in ancient Near Eastern cultures, signifying the complete internalization and assimilation of a message or covenant. In a world where scrolls were the primary means of written communication, consuming one literally meant making its contents a part of one's very being. For a prophet, this symbolized not merely intellectual understanding but a visceral, spiritual absorption of God's word, making them a living embodiment of the message they were to deliver. The imagery of honey as sweetness was also a common biblical metaphor for the pleasantness and spiritual nourishment derived from God's word, as seen in Psalm 119:103 and Proverbs 16:24. The contrast with bitterness would have been equally potent, evoking the unpleasantness of judgment or difficult truths.
Key Themes
Revelation 10:10 contributes significantly to several key themes within the book of Revelation and biblical prophecy. It underscores the theme of Divine Revelation and Internalization, emphasizing that God's word is not merely to be heard but profoundly absorbed into the prophet's very being, preparing them for its proclamation. This verse also highlights the Dual Nature of Prophecy, where the initial joy and delight of receiving God's truth (sweetness) are often followed by the difficult, painful, or challenging implications of its content, especially when it involves judgment, suffering, or the brokenness of the world (bitterness). Furthermore, it speaks to The Cost of Bearing God's Word, illustrating that for those called to deliver prophetic messages, internalizing God's truth means not only understanding its glory and comfort but also feeling the weighty burden of its solemn pronouncements, particularly those concerning divine judgment and the tribulations of the end times, which can be personally agonizing to bear and proclaim.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This verb, meaning "to eat down" or "devour," signifies a complete and thorough consumption. It implies not just tasting or sampling, but a full internalization of the scroll's contents, making it an inseparable part of John's being. This goes beyond mere intellectual assent to a profound, experiential assimilation.
Derived from a word of uncertain affinity, "sweet" describes the initial taste of the scroll. It conveys a sense of pleasantness, delight, and perhaps even spiritual nourishment. This sweetness aligns with the common biblical depiction of God's word as desirable and life-giving, bringing joy and comfort to the soul.
This verb means "to embitter" or "to make bitter," describing the subsequent experience in John's belly. It signifies a profound discomfort, pain, or distress. This bitterness contrasts sharply with the initial sweetness, indicating that while the reception of divine truth can be delightful, its full implications—especially those concerning judgment, suffering, or the harsh realities of sin—can be deeply unsettling and grievous to bear.
Verse Breakdown
"And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up;"
John's active participation in taking the scroll signifies his willingness and obedience to the divine command. The act of "eating it up" (katesthíō) emphasizes a complete and total internalization of the message, making it a part of his very being. This is not a casual glance but a profound absorption, essential for a prophet commissioned to declare God's word.
"and it was in my mouth sweet as honey:"
This clause describes the initial, immediate experience of receiving the divine message. The "sweetness as honey" symbolizes the inherent delight, pleasure, and spiritual nourishment found in God's revelation. It speaks to the joy of communion with God, the beauty of His truth, and the comfort His words can bring to the soul, particularly in the context of receiving a direct word from Him.
"and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter."
This dramatic shift highlights the paradoxical nature of the prophetic message. While the initial reception is sweet, the full digestion and internalization of the message lead to a "bitter" experience in the "belly" (koilía), which figuratively represents the innermost being, the seat of emotions and understanding. This bitterness arises from the difficult truths contained within the scroll—likely prophecies of judgment, suffering, or the harsh realities of human sin and divine wrath—which are painful to comprehend and even more painful to proclaim.
Literary Devices
Revelation 10:10 is rich with Symbolism. The "little book" itself is symbolic of a specific divine revelation or prophetic message, distinct from the larger, sealed scroll of judgment. John's act of "eating" the book is a powerful symbol of internalizing and fully assimilating God's word, making it a part of one's very being, much like food becomes part of the body. The contrasting sensations of "sweet as honey" and "bitter" employ vivid Metaphor and Juxtaposition. "Sweet as honey" is a common biblical metaphor for the pleasantness, delight, and spiritual nourishment derived from God's word, while "bitter" metaphorically represents the pain, sorrow, or difficulty associated with its full implications, particularly prophecies of judgment or suffering. The immediate shift from sweetness to bitterness creates a striking Paradox, underscoring the complex and often challenging reality of prophetic ministry, where the joy of revelation is inextricably linked with the burden of its difficult truths.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Revelation 10:10 offers profound theological insights into the nature of divine revelation and the prophetic calling. It teaches that God's word, though inherently glorious and life-giving, often carries a dual impact: an initial delight in its truth and beauty, followed by the weighty and sometimes painful realization of its implications, especially concerning sin, judgment, and suffering in a fallen world. This duality prepares the prophet, and by extension, all believers, to embrace the full spectrum of God's truth, not just the comforting aspects, but also the challenging and convicting ones. It underscores the personal cost of bearing God's message and the necessity of fully internalizing it, even when it leads to spiritual anguish, in order to faithfully proclaim it. This verse serves as a reminder that genuine engagement with God's word transforms us, often through a process that is both sweet and bitter, preparing us for the mission He has for us.
Reflection and Application
Revelation 10:10 provides a powerful metaphor for how believers today are to engage with God's Word. It calls us beyond mere intellectual understanding or superficial reading to a deep, transformative internalization of Scripture. Like John, we are invited to "eat" the Word, allowing its truths to permeate our minds, hearts, and spirits. This process often begins with delight—the sweetness of discovering God's love, grace, and promises, which bring comfort, joy, and hope. However, true internalization also leads to the "bitter" experience: the Word convicts us of sin, exposes our brokenness, challenges our comfortable assumptions, and calls us to costly obedience or to lament the world's suffering and injustice. This bitterness is not a sign that something is wrong, but rather that the Word is doing its purifying and refining work within us. It prepares us to face difficult truths, to endure hardship, and to faithfully bear witness to God's complete message, even when it is unpopular or painful. Embracing both the sweetness and the bitterness of God's Word enables us to grow in maturity, empathy, and courage, equipping us to live out and proclaim His truth in a complex world.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does the "little book" symbolize in Revelation 10:10?
The "little book" (Greek: bibliarídion) symbolizes a specific, perhaps more immediate or particular, divine revelation or prophetic message that John is commissioned to receive and then proclaim. Unlike the larger, sealed scroll in Revelation 5:1 which represents God's sovereign plan of judgment and redemption for all of history, this smaller scroll likely contains specific prophecies related to the unfolding of end-time events and the subsequent mission given to John in Revelation 10:11. Its open state suggests its contents are now accessible and ready to be revealed.
Why was the book "sweet as honey" in John's mouth but "bitter" in his belly?
This contrasting experience highlights the paradoxical nature of God's prophetic word. The "sweetness as honey" in the mouth symbolizes the initial delight, joy, and spiritual nourishment that comes from receiving divine revelation directly from God. It's the inherent beauty and comfort of His truth. However, the subsequent "bitterness" in the belly signifies the painful, difficult, or grievous implications of the message once fully internalized. This bitterness often stems from the content of the prophecy itself, which likely includes pronouncements of judgment, suffering, or the harsh realities of human sin and divine wrath that are agonizing for the prophet to bear and proclaim. It represents the personal cost and burden of God's truth.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Revelation 10:10, though set in an apocalyptic vision, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate embodiment of God's revelation. Just as John was commanded to internalize a scroll that was both sweet and bitter, so too did Christ fully embody the sweet and bitter aspects of God's redemptive plan. The "sweetness" of God's word is perfectly manifested in the good news of the gospel—the message of salvation, grace, and eternal life offered through Christ's atoning sacrifice. This message is "sweeter than honey" to those who believe, bringing joy and spiritual nourishment, as Psalm 119:103 declares. Yet, the "bitterness" in the belly foreshadows the immense suffering and judgment that Christ Himself had to bear. He fully internalized the "cup" of God's wrath against sin, a cup so bitter that He prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me" (Matthew 26:39). Christ's mission involved not only proclaiming the sweet promises of the Kingdom but also enduring the bitter reality of the cross, where He became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus, John's experience mirrors the very essence of Christ's prophetic and redemptive work: the glorious, life-giving truth of God's plan, inextricably linked with the painful, self-sacrificial endurance required for its fulfillment. As believers, we are called to ingest the full gospel, embracing both the joy of salvation and the call to take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23).