Revelation 10:9

ἀπῆλθον. Lach[364] Tisch[365] W. H[366] read ἀπῆλθα with A.

[364] Lachmann’s larger edition.
[365] Tischendorf: eighth edition; where the text aud notes differ the latter are cited.
[366] H. Westcott aud Hort.

9. ἀπῆλθον. Apparently from his place in heaven to the earth; if the Vision which begins at Revelation 4:1 is continued throughout the book, there are difficulties in tracing coherently the changes in the point of view.

κατάφαγε αὐτό. Ezekiel 2:8; Ezekiel 3:3.

πικρανεῖ σου τὴν κοιλίαν. This Ezekiel’s roll did not do. We may presume that this little book, like the O.T. one, contained “lamentations, and mourning, and woe.” To both prophets, the first result of absorbing the words of God and making them their own (Jeremiah 15:16) is delight at communion with Him and enlightenment by Him: but the Priest of the Lord did not feel, as the Disciple of Jesus did, the afterthought of bitterness—the Christ-like sorrow for those against whom God’s wrath is revealed, who “knew not the time of their visitation.”

“Else had it bruised too sore his tender heart

To see God’s ransom’d world in wrath and flame depart.” (Keble.) It is generally held, in one form or another, that this “little book” symbolises or contains “the mystery of God,” the approaching completion of which has just been announced. Some needlessly combine with this the theory (see note on Revelation 5:1) that it contains the whole or part of this Book of the Revelation. But really the surest clue to its meaning is the parallel passage in Ezekiel: if we say that the book contains “the Revelation of God’s Judgement” (remembering how that Revelation is described in Romans 1:18), we shall speak as definitely as is safe.