Job 23:12

23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion. ¹ 

Psalms 19:10

19:10 They are of greater value ²  than gold,

than even a great amount of pure gold;

they bring greater delight ³  than honey,

than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.

Psalms 119:97

מ (Mem)

119:97 O how I love your law!

All day long I meditate on it.

Psalms 119:103

119:103 Your words are sweeter

in my mouth than honey! ⁴ 

Proverbs 2:10-11

2:10 For wisdom will enter your heart, ⁵ 

and moral knowledge ⁶  will be attractive ⁷  to you. ⁸ 

2:11 Discretion ⁹  will protect you, ¹⁰ 

understanding will guard you,

Revelation 10:9-10

10:9 So ¹¹  I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He ¹²  said to me, “Take the scroll ¹³  and eat it. It ¹⁴  will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10:10 So ¹⁵  I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did taste ¹⁶  as sweet as honey in my mouth, but ¹⁷  when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

¹ tc The form in the MT (מֵחֻקִּי, mekhuqqi) means “more than my portion” or “more than my law.” An expanded meaning results in “more than my necessary food” (see Ps 119:11; cf. KJV, NASB, ESV). HALOT 346 s.v. חֹק 1 indicates that חֹק (khoq) has the meaning of “portion” and is here a reference to “what is appointed for me.” The LXX and the Latin versions, along with many commentators, have בְּחֵקִי (bÿkheqi, “in my bosom”).

² tn Heb “more desirable.”

³ tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).

⁴ tn Heb “How smooth they are to my palate, your word, more than honey to my mouth.” A few medieval Hebrew mss, as well as several other ancient witnesses, read the plural “your words,” which can then be understood as the subject of the plural verb “they are smooth.”

⁵ tn The noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) functions as a metonymy of association for “mind” and “thoughts” (BDB 524 s.v. 3). It represents the center of the inner life where the volition and emotions join to bring about actions. It is used here in parallelism with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”), for which see note.

⁶ tn Heb “knowledge.” For the noun דַּעַת (da’at), see the note on 1:7.

⁷ tn Heb “pleasant.” The verb יִנְעָם (yin’am, “to be pleasant”) describes what is attractive. It is used of being physically attracted to one’s lover (Song 7:7) or to a close friendship (2 Sam 1:26). Here wisdom becomes attractive to the righteous, that is, the righteous desires to acquire it.

⁸ tn Heb “your soul.” The term נַפְשְׁךָ (nafshÿkha, “your soul”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= soul) for the whole person (= you); see BDB 660 s.v. 4.a.2. It also might function as a metonymy of association for emotions and passions (BDB 660 s.v. 6) or mental cognition (BDB 660 s.v. 7).

⁹ tn The word מְזִמָּה (mÿzimmah, “discretion”) is the ability to know the best course of action for achieving one’s goal. It is knowledge and understanding with a purpose. This kind of knowledge enables one to make the right choices that will protect him from blunders and their consequences (cf. NLT “wise planning”; CEV “sound judgment”).

¹⁰ tn Heb “will watch over you.”

¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the voice.

¹² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹³ tn The words “the scroll” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the angel.

¹⁶ tn Grk “it was.” The idea of taste is implied.

¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.