Bible Verses About Bees

Justin Taylor

Bees, often seen buzzing about flowers and trees, are more than just industrious insects in the Bible. They are used metaphorically and symbolically to convey deeper spiritual truths and lessons. 

From representing diligence and industriousness to illustrating the consequences of disobedience, bees provide rich imagery in Scripture. 

Here are some Bible verses about bees, along with explanations and interpretations to shed light on their significance.

Symbolism of Diligence and Hard Work

Proverbs 6:6

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!”

Description: Though this verse mentions ants, bees are often compared to ants in their industriousness and work ethic.

Interpretation: Like bees, who work diligently to gather nectar and build their hives, this verse encourages believers to emulate their industriousness and diligence in their own lives.

Proverbs 30:25

“Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer.”

Description: Again, while focusing on ants, the verse highlights the importance of hard work and preparation.

Interpretation: Bees, like ants, work hard and prepare diligently. This serves as a metaphor for the importance of planning and industriousness.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Description: The verse reflects the natural cycles and processes in life.

Interpretation: Bees follow natural cycles of work and rest. This reflects the biblical principle that there is an appropriate time for all activities and diligence in our tasks.

Proverbs 12:24

“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.”

Description: Highlights the reward for diligence and the consequences of laziness.

Interpretation: Just as bees diligently work to build their hive and gather food, so too are believers encouraged to work hard and avoid laziness.

Proverbs 14:23

“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

Description: Emphasizes the value of hard work over empty words.

Interpretation: Bees exemplify hard work by their constant activity and productivity. This verse encourages a similar work ethic in our lives.

Symbolism of Sweetness and Prosperity

Psalm 19:10

“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.”

Description: Compares the value of God’s commands to honey.

Interpretation: Just as honey is sweet and desirable, so are the words and commandments of God, which bring spiritual nourishment and prosperity.

Deuteronomy 8:8

“A land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey.”

Description: Describes the richness of the Promised Land, including honey.

Interpretation: Honey symbolizes the richness and abundance of the land God provided, reflecting His provision and blessings.

Proverbs 16:24

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Description: Compares kind and wise words to honey.

Interpretation: Just as honey is sweet and soothing, so are gracious and encouraging words beneficial to others, promoting emotional and spiritual well-being.

Judges 14:8

“Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey.”

Description: Describes Samson finding honey in the carcass of a lion.

Interpretation: The honey found in the lion’s carcass represents the sweetness that can emerge from difficult or challenging situations.

Matthew 3:4

“John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.”

Description: Describes John the Baptist’s diet of wild honey.

Interpretation: Honey was a valuable and nourishing food, highlighting its importance and desirability as a source of sustenance in biblical times.

Symbolism of Judgment and Consequences

Exodus 23:28

“I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites out of your way.”

Description: God promises to use hornets as a tool of judgment.

Interpretation: While not directly about bees, hornets (a type of wasp) symbolize the use of natural elements in executing divine judgment.

Deuteronomy 1:44

“The Amorites who lived in the hill country came out against you. They chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.”

Description: Describes the Amorites attacking like a swarm of bees.

Interpretation: The swarm of bees metaphorically represents a fierce and overwhelming force, illustrating the severity of the Amorite attack.

Psalm 118:12

“They swarmed around me like bees; they were extinguished as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down.”

Description: The psalmist describes enemies as swarming bees.

Interpretation: This metaphor conveys the idea of being overwhelmed by enemies but overcoming them with divine help, much like dealing with a swarm of bees.

Isaiah 7:18

“In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the distant streams of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.”

Description: God will summon flies and bees as part of His judgment.

Interpretation: The use of bees here symbolizes the incoming trouble and judgment from foreign nations.

Hosea 13:3

“Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke from a window.”

Description: The context of the verse is about the fleeting nature of Israel’s prosperity due to their disobedience, including a reference to bees.

Interpretation: The use of bee-like imagery here emphasizes the swift and overwhelming nature of judgment that results from disobedience.

The Nature of Bees and Their Behavior

Proverbs 24:13

“Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.”

Description: Encourages the enjoyment of honey.

Interpretation: This verse appreciates the natural sweetness and goodness of honey, which can symbolize the pleasure and rewards of diligent work.

Song of Solomon 4:11

“Your lips, my spouse, drip as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon.”

Description: Uses honey to describe the sweetness of the beloved’s words and character.

Interpretation: Honey symbolizes sweetness and pleasantness, enhancing the imagery of love and affection in this poetic context.

Job 20:16

“He will suck the poison of serpents; the fangs of an adder will kill him.”

Description: Although primarily about serpents, it indirectly relates to the context of nature’s dangers.

Interpretation: The reference to nature’s dangers, like poisonous creatures, contrasts with the benign nature of bees, highlighting their positive symbolic use in other contexts.

Revelation 10:9

“So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, ‘Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.'”

Description: The scroll is sweet in the mouth but sour in the stomach.

Interpretation: The sweetness of honey in this context reflects the initial appeal of the message, which may become challenging or difficult in its full impact.

Ezekiel 3:3

“Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’ So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”

Description: Similar to Revelation 10:9, Ezekiel’s experience with the scroll is described as sweet.

Interpretation: The sweetness of honey represents the initial pleasure and acceptance of God’s message, despite its eventual difficulty.

Bees in Everyday Life and Symbolism

Leviticus 11:21

“However, you may eat cicadas of any kind that have wings. But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean.”

Description: Provides dietary laws about clean and unclean insects.

Interpretation: Although bees are not mentioned directly, this verse reflects on the general attitudes toward insects, including the symbolic use of bees in other contexts.

Numbers 13:27

“They gave Moses this account: ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.'”

Description: The report on the Promised Land’s abundance, including honey.

Interpretation: Honey symbolizes the land’s prosperity and fertility, reflecting God’s promise of abundance.

1 Samuel 14:27

“But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with an oath; so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.”

Description: Jonathan eats honey, which refreshes him.

Interpretation: Honey represents refreshment and renewal, providing strength and clarity in challenging situations.

Exodus 3:8

“So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Description: Describes the Promised Land as flowing with milk and honey.

Interpretation: Honey symbolizes the richness and abundance of the Promised Land, highlighting God’s provision.

Job 33:24

“Then he is gracious to him and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him.'”

Description: Though not directly about bees, the context involves God’s deliverance.

Interpretation: The concept of deliverance can be seen as metaphorically sweet, similar to honey, representing God’s grace and provision.

In conclusion, bees in the Bible offer a variety of symbolic meanings, from representing industriousness and hard work to illustrating divine provision and judgment. Their presence in Scripture highlights both practical lessons and deeper spiritual truths, encouraging believers to embrace diligence, appreciate God’s blessings, and understand the broader implications of their behaviors and choices.

About the author

Pretium lorem primis senectus habitasse lectus donec ultricies tortor adipiscing fusce morbi volutpat pellentesque consectetur risus molestie curae malesuada. Dignissim lacus convallis massa mauris enim mattis magnis senectus montes mollis phasellus.

Leave a Comment