SHORT BIBLE STUDY: Honey in the Bible
This question about the meaning of honey in the Bible comes from the following:
“I was reading the book of Proverbs and noticed how many times honey was mentioned. What is the meaning of honey in the Bible?”
In the Bible, honey is mentioned 61 times and its meaning is often associated with prosperity and abundance. In the third chapter of Exodus, when God called Moses to lead the slaves out of Egypt, he called him to lead them to a land that will flow with milk and honey. In the book of Numbers, when the spies bring back their report on the promised land to Moses, they report that the land flowed with milk and honey.
There are three types of honey in the Bible. There is a grapey substance of honey, there is wild honey which we might associate with John the Baptist eating Locust and wild honey, and then there is domesticated honey that is cultivated through the use of bees.
What is the meaning of honey in the Bible? In the Psalms, honey is used as a sign that God’s word is sweeter to us even than honey. Psalm 119:103 reads this way:
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.
Perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned from this Psalm is that God’s word is sweeter than life itself. As you think about God’s word for your life, how is God’s word sweeter than honey for you? May God bless you.
Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet, a short Bible study from Fort Hill United Methodist Church, led by Pastor Marc Brown. The goal of this short Bible study is to respond to questions you may have about the Bible. You may send your questions to marcbrown@forthillumc.com.
