Revelation 10:10
New International Version
I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.

New Living Translation
So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach.

English Standard Version
And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made 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.

Berean Literal Bible
And I took the little scroll out of the hand of the angel, and I ate it; and it was sweet as honey in my mouth; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Then I took the little book out of 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 became bitter.

New American Standard Bible
I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

NASB 1995
I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

NASB 1977
And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

Legacy Standard Bible
And I took the little scroll out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

Amplified Bible
So I took the little book from the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey; but once I had swallowed it, my stomach was bitter.

Christian Standard Bible
Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became 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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And I took the little scroll from the hand of the Angel and I ate it and it was like sweet honey in my mouth and when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

Contemporary English Version
I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. The taste was sweet as honey, but my stomach turned sour.

Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

English Revised 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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I took the small scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it was bitter in my stomach.

Good News Translation
I took the little scroll from his hand and ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey in my mouth. But after I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach.

International Standard Version
So I took the small scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it turned bitter in my stomach.

Literal Standard Version
And I took the little scroll out of the hand of the messenger, and ate it up, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey, and when I ate it my belly was made bitter;

Majority Standard Bible
So I took the 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.

New American Bible
I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and swallowed it. In my mouth it was like sweet honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.

NET Bible
So I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it, and it did taste as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

New Revised Standard Version
So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

New Heart English Bible
I took the little scroll 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.

Webster's Bible Translation
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it my belly was bitter.

Weymouth New Testament
So I took the roll out of the angel's hand and ate the whole of it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey, but when I had eaten it I found it very bitter.

World English Bible
I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. When I had eaten it, my stomach was made 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;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Angel and the Small Scroll
9And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the small scroll.” “Take it and eat it,” he said. “It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10So 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. 11And they told me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”…

Cross References
Ezekiel 3:3
"Son of man," He said to me, "eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you." So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Revelation 10:9
And I went to the angel and said, "Give me the small scroll." "Take it and eat it," he said. "It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey."

Revelation 10:11
And they told me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."


Treasury of Scripture

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.

sweet.

Psalm 19:10
More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Psalm 104:34
My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

Psalm 119:103
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

my belly.

Ezekiel 2:10
And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Ezekiel 3:14
So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.

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Angel Angel's Ate Belly Bitter Book Eat Eaten Found Hand Honey Little Messenger Mouth Roll Scroll Soon Stomach Sweet Tasted Turned Whole
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Angel Angel's Ate Belly Bitter Book Eat Eaten Found Hand Honey Little Messenger Mouth Roll Scroll Soon Stomach Sweet Tasted Turned Whole
Revelation 10
1. A mighty strong angel appears with a book open in his hand.
6. He swears by him who lives forever, that there shall be no more time.
9. John is commanded to take and eat the book.














(10) And I took . . .--The Evangelist takes the roll, as he was bidden, out of the angel's hand, eats it up, and finds it, as he was told, "in his mouth as honey, sweet." In this his experience resembles that of Ezekiel, who found the roll in his mouth as honey for sweetness (Ezekiel 3:3). So the Psalmist could rejoice in God's words and God's law as sweet, sweeter than honey and the honeycomb (Psalm 119:103; Psalm 19:10). He who is ready to endure bitterness in his fidelity to God must not only be interpenetrated by divine teaching; he must have also realised its sweetness, or else, however pleasant his words may sound, they will lack the sweetness which is as needful to the words of the teacher as to the songs of the poet. But the after effect of the sweet-tasting roll is bitterness. Ezekiel makes no mention of this bitterness; yet we know how much his fidelity to the words he loved so well must have cost him when he was bidden to arm himself with a flinty determination (Ezekiel 3:9-14; Ezekiel 2:6-7), and the patient courage of one whose lot was among thorns and briars and scorpions. It must always be so. The love of Christ may constrain men, but the very ardour of their affections must bring them through tribulation, and may make them as outcasts, defamed, persecuted, slain. The flaming zeal to emancipate mankind from thraldoms, follies, and ruinous sins may stir the soul with a holy joy; but there come moments when men are almost tempted to turn back, and to think that they have undertaken a hopeless task, when they find how slow is their progress, and what new and unexpected difficulties arise. Such was the bitterness which Moses felt: "Why is it that Thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast Thou delivered thy people at all." The most enthusiastic souls who love their fellow-men, and who feel how sweet and high is their calling, perhaps feel most of this bitterness. Their very love makes all failure very bitter to bear; yet is it through this martyrdom of failure that the noblest victories are won.

Verse 10. - 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 (see above). The angel, foreseeing the nature of the contents, alludes to the bitterness first; the writer narrates his experiences in the historical order.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
[So]
Καὶ (Kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

I took
ἔλαβον (elabon)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2983: (a) I receive, get, (b) I take, lay hold of.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

small scroll
βιβλαρίδιον (biblaridion)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 974: A little papyrus roll. A diminutive of biblion; a booklet.

from
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

angel’s
ἀγγέλου (angelou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 32: From aggello; a messenger; especially an 'angel'; by implication, a pastor.

hand
χειρὸς (cheiros)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 5495: A hand.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

ate
κατέφαγον (katephagon)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2719: To eat up, eat till it is finished, devour, squander, annoy, injure. From kata and esthio; to eat down, i.e. Devour.

it;
αὐτό (auto)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Neuter 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

it was
ἦν (ēn)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

sweet
γλυκύ (glyky)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1099: Sweet. Of uncertain affinity; sweet.

as
ὡς (hōs)
Adverb
Strong's 5613: Probably adverb of comparative from hos; which how, i.e. In that manner.

honey
μέλι (meli)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3192: Honey. Apparently a primary word; honey.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

my
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

mouth,
στόματί (stomati)
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4750: The mouth, speech, eloquence in speech, the point of a sword.

[but]
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

when
ὅτε (hote)
Adverb
Strong's 3753: When, at which time. From hos and te; at which too, i.e. When.

I had eaten
ἔφαγον (ephagon)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 5315: A primary verb; to eat.

it,
αὐτό (auto)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Neuter 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

my
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

stomach
κοιλία (koilia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2836: From koilos; a cavity, i.e. the abdomen; by implication, the matrix; figuratively, the heart.

turned bitter.
ἐπικράνθη (epikranthē)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4087: To make bitter, embitter; pass: I grow angry or harsh. From pikros; to embitter.


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NT Prophecy: Revelation 10:10 I took the little book out (Rev. Re Apocalypse)
Revelation 10:9
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