Bees and Honey are a theme for salvation which run throughout the Bible. There are over 60 references to them. At times they symbolise the bounty and blessing of God, at other times they are a warning of God’s judgement. Ultimately, they are a reminder of the sweetness of God’s kingdom.

Judgemental Wasps

The first category is not a reference to honey bees or honey at all but to hornets or wasps. The Biblical verses about pests, hoards of irritating insects, and horrible hornets, show God’s judgment. This judgment is expressed through the forces of nature. It is a way of understanding or symbolising God’s protection, promise and power. Here’s some references to check out:

Exodus 23:28: And I will send the pestilence [hornets] in front of you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.

Deuteronomy 1:44: The Amorites who lived in that hill country then came out against you and chased you as bees do. They beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah.

Deuteronomy 7:20: Moreover, the Lord your God will send the pestilence [hornets] against them, until even the survivors and the fugitives are destroyed.

Joshua 24:12:  I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove out before you the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow.

Psalms 118:12: They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

Isaiah 7:18: On that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the sources of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

I do not think God punishes people through natural disasters. I also don’t believe He sends swarms of angry bees after them. It is interesting to see how the authors of the Old Testament texts used those images. They depicted irresistible, painful, and destructive forces as a metaphor for God’s judgement. It’s also quite telling where they interpret those natural events through the lens of God being behind them.

The Hivedom of Heaven

The humble honey bee colony demonstrates the type of community that can grow through the Holy Spirit. Honey bee colonies demonstrate a community where individual roles and purposes work towards the greater good of the whole society. The worth of the individual is measured by their relationship with the rest of the community. 

All the different bees have a role to play. When more difficult tasks need to be achieved, they are taken on through shared effort and team work over time. The hive is a beautiful illustration of the Body of Christ. It is the result of sanctification. This means putting the needs of the neighbour above my own.

Bees and the honey of Salvation in the Bible

Bees and the honey they produce are a good image for salvation in the Bible. Here are a few verse references:

1 Corinthians 12:25-27: …that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Matthew 18:20: For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’

In Matthew 20:26-28: It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸ just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

Matthew 22:39-40: And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Through the Holy Spirit, we can build a community. It is a hive where we prioritize the needs of each other above our own interests.

You Beelong to the Land

The ancient Israelites had a very strong sense of connection to the Land. The Judeans of Late Antiquity shared this strong connection. The patriarchs like Abraham and Jacob would often plant a stone at a place where God had done a wonder. This was, in a sense, mapping out the territory of God’s activity. The more obvious example is the idea of a promised Holy Land. The place where God’s people were to dwell in safety and in plenty. The land of milk and honey is a place where the image of the bee speaks to us about salvation.

Honey and honey bees are a key metaphor for demonstrating the relationship to the land and God’s provision. Honey was a sign of prosperity and abundance. It was highly favoured as a food, not only for it’s sweetness but for it’s role in preserving other food.

Bees and the land in the Bible

Exodus 3:8: …and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Deuteronomy 8:8: a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,

Deuteronomy 26:15: Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

Ezekiel 20:6: On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.

We are reminded to pay attention to our own land. It is our own place. In this place, the blessings of God can be found.

Sweet as Honey

Other references use the sweetness and goodness of honey. In one degree, this is simply a reminder to the readers that eating honey is a good thing. It is sweet and it brings good health. However, there is also a link to ‘honeyed words’. It refers to the sweetness and goodness of pleasant words. It may even reference scripture itself.

The sweetness and goodness of honey is a metaphor for our words of kindness toward each other. It also represents the sweetness of God’s word. We might now consider the idea of honeyed words as a bit sleazy. Some see it as manipulative. However, in the Bible, it is a marker of goodness.

Some examples include:

Proverbs 16:24: Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 24:13: My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

So remember to speak nicely to other people. It’s like they’re tasting honey when they listen to you speak.

Liquid Gold

Honey was very valuable during the time of the Bible. That is why bees and honey are an image of salvation in the Bible. It provided a longed-for sweetness which was difficult to get hold of. Collecting honey was dangerous due to the constant threat of being stung. In a time before antibiotics, an infection could set in and become very dangerous. Honey could be used to preserve other food. It could also be used for medical purposes as a kind of disinfectant.

Honey is not only a metaphor for wealth and abundance, it was very literally a a product of great value. Some examples of this include:

2 Chronicles 31:5: As soon as the word spread, the people of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.

Genesis 43:11: Then their father Israel said to them, ‘If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry them down as a present to the man—a little balm and a little honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.

Next time you need to give someone a present, give them a bag with some lip balm and a pot of honey. Add some chewing gum and a pine-scented candle. Include some pistachios and almonds. Then when they look at you, you can say it’s Biblical.

Bee Bold, Bee Strong!

Honey and honey bees are used as a metaphor for God’s blessings. They also symbolize God’s love, strength, and wisdom. We can see how bees and honey were used an image of salvation throughout the Bible. A key example of this includes Biblical names, particularly Deborah, the name of the famous and only female leader of Israel. The name Deborah means bee in Hebrew. Specially, it means a wild bee.

In the Bible, a person’s name can provide insight into their personality. It can also reveal deeper elements of the story being told. Deborah is named ‘Bee’ partly because as a judge she is a person who is steeped in God’s wisdom and a person who brings God’s blessings to the people of Israel. Her name also emphasises the danger that she poses to her enemies. She led God’s people including into battle where she stung like a bee, and may indeed have floated like a butterfly.

Eating honey brings strength in battle

Another example of honey as something which brings strength and life is in 1 Samuel. King Saul has told his army not to eat in order to bring God’s blessing, but this leaves the army weakened (as well as God’s curse because Saul isn’t a good king). Jonathan, Saul’s son, licks some honey and recovers his strength because of how awesome honey is.

1 Samuel 14:27-29: But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the troops with the oath; so he extended the staff that was in his hand, and dipped the tip of it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened. ²⁸ Then one of the soldiers said, ‘Your father strictly charged the troops with an oath, saying, “Cursed be anyone who eats food this day.” And so the troops are faint.’ ²⁹ Then Jonathan said, ‘My father has troubled the land; see how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

Next time you’re feeling a bit dodgy, have a spoonful of honey and I’m sure you’ll feel better soon.

Life From Death – Bees, honey, and salvation in the Bible

Honey is also used to reference new life out of death. One of these stories and probably the most famous bee story in the Bible is found in Judges 14, the story of Samson and the bee “swarm” in the lion carcass.

The bees in the lion are referred to as a “swarm,” however, the text goes on to explain that the bees had built comb within the carcass. Naturally, I knew absolutely nothing about what the importance of a swarm was. So I looked it up. Apprently, beekeepers would know this was not just a swarm. If the swarm of bees had built a comb and Samson could eat honey, this meant that this was an established colony that may have come from somewhere else but found a more permanent refuge in the body of a dead lion.

Apart from the problems with Samson breaking Jewish Law (as he did an awful lot) by touching a dead body, let alone eating something out of a dead body with the blood still in it, there is a good metaphor to be had here.

Reading the Old Testament through Christ

If we are reading the Old Testament in a Christological manner, we can say that new life is brought out of death, the lion of violence is destroyed and the sweetness of life is found in the death. Or, in a more contextually appropriate interpretation, we can say that at a time when the Philistines were occupying Israel, the corpse can represent that Israel was being destroyed by the Philistines but that new lif was going to be found.

The sweetness of honey is also used to represent the redemption and salvation of God. Here are some examples:

Psalm 19:9-10: the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.

Psalm 119:102-104: I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me. 103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

Next time you come across a dead lion, have a little look and see if there is a bee hive inside it. If there is, then you may need to go and tie some foxes together by the tail.

I don’t Beelieve it! Bees and honey as images of salvation in the Bible.

Sometimes there are metaphors and symbols that pervade scripture. When they do, it’s important to pay attention to them. If the same symbol is used again and again, it means that if we understand it we will be able to more easily understand the whole narrative of scripture.

In this case, bees and honey are a recurring metaphor and symbol that are used in all kinds of different ways. Bees, and honey are used as images of salvation throughout the Bible. Hopefully this has been interesting and, the next time you come across a bee or some honey in the Bible, you’ll remember this article and think a bit more deeply about why that symbol is being used.

If you want to read more about this, a good article is Bees in Christendom: The spiritual health of honey bees – Grove City College

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