1099. glukus

Lexical Summary

glukus: Sweet

Original Word: γλυκύς
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: glukus
Pronunciation: gloo-KOOS
Phonetic Spelling: (gloo-koos')
KJV: sweet, fresh
NASB: fresh, sweet
Word Origin: [of uncertain affinity]

1. sweet (i.e. not bitter nor salt)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

sweet, fresh.

Of uncertain affinity; sweet (i.e. Not bitter nor salt) -- sweet, fresh.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
sweet
NASB Translation
fresh (2), sweet (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1099: γλυκύς

γλυκύς, γλυκεῖα, γλυκύ, sweet: James 3:11 (opposed to πικρόν); 12 (opposed to ἁλυκόν); Revelation 10:9 (10). (From Homer down.)

Topical Lexicon

Semantic Nuances of γλυκύς

Though literally denoting sweetness to the taste, the word widens to describe what is pleasant, wholesome, and life-giving. It can signal refreshment for body, mind, or spirit, and therefore stands in sharp antithesis to what is bitter, poisonous, or destructive.

Occurrences in Scripture

James 3:11

James 3:12

Revelation 10:9

Revelation 10:10

These four references divide naturally between ethical exhortation (the Epistle of James) and prophetic experience (the Apocalypse of John).

James: Sweetness as the Measure of the Tongue

James 3:11 asks, “Does a spring pour out both sweet and bitter water from the same opening?”. The imagery appeals to common sense: people instinctively trust a consistent water source. James employs γλυκύς to expose duplicity in speech. A regenerated heart should produce words as reliably “sweet” as a fresh spring. In 3:12 he reinforces the point by pairing figs and olives with fresh and salt water, insisting that true nature determines true output. Behind the language lies the biblical conviction that speech flows from the heart (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 12:34). James therefore calls believers to a sanctified tongue that manifests grace rather than corrosive bitterness.

Revelation: The Bittersweet Scroll

In Revelation 10:9–10 John receives a little scroll and is told, “Take it and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey”. Here γλυκύς functions paradoxically. The prophetic message is delightful to receive—because divine revelation is inherently good—yet painful to internalize, for it announces judgment. The episode echoes Ezekiel 3:1–3, where the prophet likewise eats a sweet scroll before proclaiming severe words. Sweetness thus becomes a sign of intimate fellowship with God’s word, while the ensuing bitterness signals the cost of faithful witness in a hostile world.

Old Testament Background

Sweetness frequently characterizes God’s provision:

Exodus 15:25 – Moses casts wood into Marah’s bitter waters, making them sweet.

Psalms 19:10 – The ordinances of the LORD “are sweeter than honey.”

Proverbs 16:24 – “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

These passages supply conceptual roots for James and Revelation, linking sweetness with divine grace, life, and healing.

Theological Themes

1. Consistency of Nature: Both James and Revelation assume that inward reality governs outward expression. Sweet water and sweet prophecy arise from a source transformed by God.
2. Word of God as Delight: Whether ethical instruction or eschatological disclosure, God’s word brings initial sweetness to those who receive it.
3. Cost of Discipleship: Sweetness does not cancel suffering. The same message that thrills the mouth can churn the stomach when proclaimed among the unrepentant.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

• Guarded Speech: Church leaders should cultivate communication that refreshes hearers, mirroring the sweet spring James envisions.
• Prophetic Honesty: Preachers must swallow the whole scroll—delight in revelation yet acknowledge its hard edges. To offer sweetness without bitterness is to misrepresent God’s counsel.
• Counseling and Discipleship: Like honey, gracious words can soothe wounded souls (Proverbs 16:24). Encouragers should season their counsel with gospel sweetness, never with flattery but with truth spoken in love (Ephesians 4:15).

Christological Reflections

Jesus Christ embodies γλυκύς in both word and deed. His yoke is “easy,” literally “kind,” inviting the weary to rest (Matthew 11:30). Yet His sweet gospel includes the bitter call to take up the cross (Matthew 16:24). At the cross the sweetest expression of divine love meets the bitterness of sin’s judgment, uniting the two poles of γλυκύς and πικρός (bitter) in redemptive harmony.

Summation

Strong’s Greek 1099 captures a robust biblical motif: what is truly sweet issues from a transformed source, blesses others, delights in God’s word, and remains steadfast even when sweetness must share space with the bitterness of judgment or suffering. Such sweetness is the fragrance of a life rooted in Christ, the wellspring of wholesome speech, and the taste of heavenly truth breaking into a fallen world.

Forms and Transliterations

γεγλυμμένα γεγλυμμένη γεγλυμμένους γλυκέα γλυκείς γλυκυ γλυκύ γλυκὺ γλυκύς γλυκύτερα γλυκύτερον γλυκύτητά γλύμμα γλυπτά γλυπτοίς γλυπτόν γλυπτώ γλυπτών γλυφαί γλυφάς γλύφειν γλυφή γλυφήν γλύφοντες γλυφών γλύψεις έγλυψαν έγλυψε έγλυψεν gluku glyky glyký glykỳ

Englishman's Concordance

James 3:11 Adj-ANS
GRK: βρύει τὸ γλυκὺ καὶ τὸ
NAS: opening [both] fresh and bitter
KJV: place sweet [water] and
INT: pours forth fresh and

James 3:12 Adj-ANS
GRK: οὔτε ἁλυκὸν γλυκὺ ποιῆσαι ὕδωρ
NAS: water produce fresh.
KJV: water and fresh.
INT: nor salt fresh to produce water

Revelation 10:9 Adj-NNS
GRK: σου ἔσται γλυκὺ ὡς μέλι
NAS: but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.
KJV: thy mouth sweet as honey.
INT: of you it will be sweet as honey

Revelation 10:10 Adj-NNS
GRK: ὡς μέλι γλυκύ καὶ ὅτε
NAS: it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey;
KJV: my mouth sweet as honey:
INT: as honey sweet and when

Strong's Greek 1099
4 Occurrences

γλυκὺ — 4 Occ.