The Bible's sweetest verse may be "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103). God's judgments are "sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb" (Psalm 19:10), "the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning" (Proverbs 16:21), and at Marah "the waters were made sweet" (Exodus 15:25).
Some people search for sweet Bible verses to write in a note, a lunchbox, a Valentine or a baby shower card; others want to know what the Bible says about sweetness. Both make sense, because the KJV uses the word sweet for honey, music, friendship, sleep and love, and above all for God's Word. These twelve King James verses show God's Word as sweeter than honey, the sweetness of kind words and love, and how God can turn bitter things sweet. For kind words, see tongue; for friendship, see friendship.
Sweeter than honey: God's Word
1. Psalms 119:103
"How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
The Bible's longest psalm is a love song about God's Word, and here the writer says it tastes better than honey, the sweetest food in the ancient world. Reading Scripture slowly, like savoring something sweet, is a good way to enjoy it. See studying.
2. Psalms 19:10
"More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
God's judgments are more to be desired than gold and sweeter than honey from the comb. Psalm 19 moves from the heavens declaring God's glory (Psalm 19:1) to the Word that converts the soul (Psalm 19:7).
3. Ezekiel 3:3
"And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness."
Ezekiel was told to eat a scroll of God's words, and it tasted as honey for sweetness, even though its message was lamentation and woe (Ezekiel 2:10). Taking in all of God's Word, even the hard parts, is still sweet. John had a similar experience (Revelation 10:10).
4. Psalms 104:34
"My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD."
After a whole psalm admiring creation, the writer says that simply thinking about God is sweet: My meditation of him shall be sweet. Try ending each day by thinking over one thing God did. See creation.
Sweet words and sweet love
5. Proverbs 16:21
"The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning."
The sweetness of the lips, meaning gracious and pleasant speech, increaseth learning. People learn more from a kind teacher than from a harsh one. A few verses later, pleasant words are called sweet to the soul (Proverbs 16:24). See teachers.
6. Proverbs 13:19
"The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil."
The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: finishing a goal, seeing a prayer answered or reaching a long-awaited day. The second half warns that fools refuse to turn from evil, so the desires worth pursuing are good ones.
7. Song of Solomon 2:3
"As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste."
The bride says that sitting in her beloved's shade was a great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste. The Song of Solomon celebrates love in marriage as one of God's good and sweet gifts. See love and marriage.
8. Song of Solomon 2:14
"O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely."
The groom calls his bride my dove and says, sweet is thy voice. It is a lovely line for an anniversary or Valentine's card. Many readers also hear in it God's longing to hear His people pray.
When God makes the bitter sweet
9. Exodus 15:25
"And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,"
Three days into the desert, Israel found only bitter water at Marah (Exodus 15:23). Moses cried to the LORD, and a tree cast into the water made it sweet. Many Christians see a picture of the cross, which turns bitterness into blessing.
10. Judges 14:14
"And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle."
Samson's riddle, out of the strong came forth sweetness, was about bees making honey inside a lion's carcass (Judges 14:8). God can bring sweetness out of the most unlikely places, even out of something that once threatened us.
11. Ecclesiastes 5:12
"The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep."
The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, while the rich man's abundance keeps him awake. Honest work and a simple life carry a sweetness that money cannot buy. See working hard.
12. 2 Corinthians 2:15
"For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:"
We are unto God a sweet savour (fragrance) of Christ. Like a sweet smell that fills a room, a Christian's life should carry the fragrance of Jesus wherever it goes.
A short prayer
Lord, Your words are sweeter than honey. Give me a hunger for Your Word, and help me taste and see that You are good. Make my words sweet and kind, my love faithful and my life a sweet fragrance of Christ. Where life feels bitter, show me the tree that makes bitter water sweet. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Print our free Bible verse bookmarks for a sweet note or lunchbox · Learn a sweet verse each week with the Scripture Memory Cards · Savor God's Word slowly with the SOAP Bible Study Journal
Frequently asked questions
What is a sweet Bible verse to write in a card or note?
Short options include "How sweet are thy words unto my taste!" (Psalm 119:103), "O taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8) and "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul" (Proverbs 16:24). For a spouse, try "sweet is thy voice" (Song of Solomon 2:14). For a friend, Proverbs 27:9 speaks of "the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel" (Proverbs 27:9).
What does sweeter than honey mean in the Bible?
Psalm 19:10 and Psalm 119:103 compare God's Word to honey, the sweetest food Israel knew. The point is delight: Scripture is not only true and useful but satisfying and good. Proverbs 24:13-14 makes the same comparison with wisdom: as honey is sweet to the taste, so is wisdom to the soul.
Does the Bible warn about things that seem sweet?
Yes. "Stolen waters are sweet" (Proverbs 9:17) is the voice of folly, and "Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel" (Proverbs 20:17). Isaiah warns against those who "put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20). Sin can taste sweet at first, but God's ways stay sweet.
Is there a sweet Bible verse for kids?
Kids love Samson's riddle, "out of the strong came forth sweetness" (Judges 14:14), and Psalm 119:103 makes an easy memory verse to learn over a honey snack. Proverbs 16:24 teaches that kind words are sweet. See Bible verses for kids.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Bible verses about the tongue · Bible verses about friendship · Bible verses about love and marriage · Bible verses for Valentine's Day · Bible verses about studying · Bible verses about joy · Bible verses about summer · Bible verses about creation
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