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.

People's New Testament

10:8-11 Go and take the little book... eat it. I will give a synopsis of the events of the chapter. (1) The angel holds in his hand an open book. (2) He calls attention to it in a loud voice. (3) The seven thunders launch their thunderbolts against the reception of the open book by the world. (4) John is about to record their words, but is forbidden. (5) The angel affirms with an oath, that the duration of the power and terror of the seven thunders shall be short, and that soon the seventh angel shall sound universal redemption and triumph. (6) John is bidden to take the book. (7) He receives it and is told to eat it, or to receive and devour its contents. (8) Its words are sweet like honey. In Ps 19:10 the word of the Lord is compared to the sweetness of honey (9) There are bitter effects that follow. The great object of this angel seems to be to present the open book to the world. The book is mentioned four times in the chapter; twice it is stated that the book was open Re 10:2,8-10.

Wesley's Notes

10:9 Eat it up - The like was commanded to Ezekiel. This was an emblem of thoroughly considering and digesting it. And it will make thy belly bitter, but it will be sweet as honey in thy mouth - The sweetness betokens the many good things which follow, Rev 11:1,15, and c.; the bitterness, the evils which succeed under the third woe.

Scofield Reference Notes

Margin angel

See Scofield Note: "Heb 1:4"

Margin Take it

Cf. Ezek 2:8,9 3:1-3.

See Scofield Note: "Ezek 3:3"

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

9. I went-Greek, "I went away." John here leaves heaven, his standing-point of observation heretofore, to be near the angel standing on the earth and sea.

Give-A, B, C, and Vulgate read the infinitive, "Telling him to give."

eat it up-appropriate its contents so entirely as to be assimilated with (as food), and become part of thyself, so as to impart them the more vividly to others. His finding the roll sweet to the taste at first, is because it was the Lord's will he was doing, and because, divesting himself of carnal feeling, he regarded God's will as always agreeable, however bitter might be the message of judgment to be announced. Compare Ps 40:8, Margin, as to Christ's inner complete appropriation of God's word.

thy belly bitter-parallel to Eze 2:10, "There was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe."

as honey-(Ps 19:10; 119:103). Honey, sweet to the mouth, sometimes turns into bile in the stomach. The thought that God would be glorified (Re 11:3-6, 11-18) gave him the sweetest pleasure. Yet, afterwards the belly, or carnal natural feeling, was embittered with grief at the prophecy of the coming bitter persecutions of the Church (Re 11:7-10); compare Joh 16:1, 2. The revelation of the secrets of futurity is sweet to one at first, but bitter and distasteful to our natural man, when we learn the cross which is to be borne before the crown shall be won. John was grieved at the coming apostasy and the sufferings of the Church at the hands of Antichrist.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

10:8-11 Most men feel pleasure in looking into future events, and all good men like to receive a word from God. But when this book of prophecy was thoroughly digested by the apostle, the contents would be bitter; there were things so awful and terrible, such grievous persecutions of the people of God, such desolations in the earth, that the foresight and foreknowledge of them would be painful to his mind. Let us seek to be taught by Christ, and to obey his orders; daily meditating on his word, that it may nourish our souls; and then declaring it according to our several stations. The sweetness of such contemplations will often be mingled with bitterness, while we compare the Scriptures with the state of the world and the church, or even with that of our own hearts.