Lexical Summary meli: Honey Original Word: μέλι Strong's Exhaustive Concordance honey. Apparently a primary word; honey -- honey. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. word Definition honey NASB Translation honey (4). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3192: μέλιμέλι, μέλιτος, τό, the Sept. for דְּבַשׁ (from Homer down). honey: Revelation 10:9f; ἄγριον (which see), Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6. Topical Lexicon OverviewHoney represents both a literal food and a spiritual metaphor throughout Scripture. Long prized for its sweetness, nourishing power, and preservative qualities, it became a fitting emblem of God’s gracious provision and the delight found in His Word. While the Greek New Testament employs the term only four times, these references echo a much larger biblical theology that stretches from Genesis to Revelation. Occurrences in the New Testament Each setting uses “honey” to highlight distinct aspects of divine revelation—ascetic preparation, prophetic sustenance, and the mixed experience of receiving God’s message. John the Baptist’s Wilderness Diet (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6) “John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.” (Matthew 3:4) 1. Simplicity and Dependence – Wild honey signals a life stripped of luxury, relying directly on God’s creation rather than cultivated abundance. – The pairing with locusts underscores total dependence on what the wilderness itself supplies. 2. Prophetic Continuity – Elijah, prototype of the coming forerunner, is described in comparable terms (2 Kings 1:8). – Honey connects John to earlier prophetic imagery: sweetness in the scroll of Ezekiel 3:3 and the promised “milk and honey” awaiting Israel. 3. Preparatory Symbolism – John’s message of repentance is spoken by one whose sustenance illustrates internal purity. Honey, naturally unfermented, becomes a quiet witness to the call for unadulterated devotion. Prophetic Symbolism in Revelation (Revelation 10:9–10) “So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, ‘Take it and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’ I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter.” (Revelation 10:9–10) 1. Dual Effect of Divine Revelation – The scroll tastes sweet, reflecting the immediate joy of receiving God’s Word. – It turns bitter, revealing the sobering weight of judgment contained in the prophecy. 2. Echoes of Ezekiel – Ezekiel 3:1–3 portrays a similar act where the prophet consumes a scroll that is “sweet as honey.” Revelation reaffirms that the prophetic task blends delight in divine truth with anguish over coming wrath. 3. Encouragement for End-Time Witness – As the church proclaims the gospel, believers share both the sweetness of salvation and the bitterness of rejection and tribulation. Old Testament Background 1. Covenant Blessing – Honey marks the abundance of the promised land (Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 8:7–10). – “They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.” (Psalm 19:10) – “Eat honey, my son, for it is good… so also wisdom is sweet to your soul.” (Proverbs 24:13–14) These themes illuminate the New Testament uses: honey connotes both God’s lavish goodness and the sweetness of His revealed truth. Theological Themes and Ministry Applications 1. God’s Provision – Whether in a barren desert or in eschatological visions, honey signifies God’s unfailing care for His servants. 2. The Word of God: Sweet yet Demanding – Receiving Scripture brings joy, but its demands and the reality of divine judgment can turn that sweetness into heaviness of spirit. 3. Prophetic Calling – Both John the Baptist and John the Revelator demonstrate that faithful ministry may require austere lifestyles and a willingness to bear messages that mix comfort and conviction. 4. Spiritual Discernment – Like honey, teaching can be pleasant on the palate; believers must test doctrine so that sweetness does not disguise error (compare Proverbs 5:3–4). Practical Lessons for Believers • Embrace the full counsel of God’s Word—delight in its promises and soberly accept its warnings. Honey, then, serves as a small but potent testimony: God’s revelation is inherently sweet, yet its reception carries responsibility. Those who taste must also digest, allowing the Word to work deeply within and faithfully declaring it to others. Forms and Transliterations εμέλισα εμέλισε εμέλισεν μελι μέλι μελιούσιν μελισάτωσαν μέλισσαι μελίσση μέλιτι μελίτος μέλιτος μέλιτός meli méliLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 3:4 N-NNSGRK: ἀκρίδες καὶ μέλι ἄγριον NAS: was locusts and wild honey. KJV: and wild honey. INT: locusts and honey wild Mark 1:6 N-ANS Revelation 10:9 N-NNS Revelation 10:10 N-NNS |
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