Revelation 10:9 Meaning and Explanation
“And 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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →John asks for the scroll, and the angel tells him to eat it: sweet as honey in the mouth, but bitter in the stomach.
What Does Revelation 10:9 Mean?
John approaches and asks for the little scroll, and the messenger tells him to eat it, warning that it will taste sweet as honey yet turn bitter within. The image of eating recalls the prophets who were told to consume God's words and make them part of themselves.
To eat the scroll is to take God's word deep inside, not merely to hear it but to be nourished and changed by it. It is sweet because God's word is good and gracious; it is bitter because that word includes hard truths and the weight of judgment to be proclaimed. Receiving God's message fully means tasting both its sweetness and its cost. The reader learns that loving the truth is not always comfortable, yet it is always good.
Revelation 10:9 in the Original Language
meli (μέλι), 'honey' -- a symbol throughout Scripture of the goodness and delight of God's word.
Frequently Asked Questions About Revelation 10:9
What does Revelation 10:9 mean?
John asks for the scroll, and the angel tells him to eat it: sweet as honey in the mouth, but bitter in the stomach.