According to the biblical story (Genesis 8:11), a dove was released by Noah after the Flood in order to find land; it came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf (Hebrew: עלה זית alay zayit), a sign of life after the Flood and of God's bringing Noah, his family and the animals to land.
The symbol of a dove with an olive branch has been accepted in many religions and places as a one of love and peace. The symbol is rich in meaning and is the pre-eminent symbol of peace.
Doves are mentioned many times in the ancient book, from the baptism of Jesus to after the flood, when Noah sent out a dove and it returned with an olive branch (a sign of dry land nearby). As such, a dove came to represent peace with God, innocence, and purity.
The rich imagery of birds is prevalent throughout the Bible: though birds are often deemed small and insignificant, Scripture tells us that they are still cared for by God as part of His creation. We also see powerful birds like eagles as pictures of strength, and owls representing desolation (Isaiah 34:11).
The Dove is a symbol for the Holy Spirit inspired by Jesus's baptism. The dove has been used among many Christian denominations as a symbol for the Holy Spirit as well as a general symbol for peace, purity, and new beginnings. Prior to Jesus's baptism, the dove was seen sporadically throughout the Old Testament.
Spiritual Meaning
In the Old Testament of the Bible, a dove is a symbol of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace. In the book of Genesis, after the flood, a dove returned to Noah holding an olive leaf. To hear the cooing of a mourning dove can be understood as a call to seek and find inner peace.
The Dove, the Olive Branch, and the Spirit of Peace - Peace Signs in the Bible. The dove is often seen as a symbol of peace in both Christian and secular imagery. The most memorable uses of doves in Scripture are probably those in Genesis 8:11 and Matthew 3:16 when the Holy Spirit appears in avian form.
Leviticus 11 features the most comprehensive list of birds in the Bible, differentiated as clean or unclean foods. Verse 13 mentions vultures, kites, ravens, six kinds of owl, gulls, hawks, cormorants, storks, herons and even bats!
The dove is mentioned in the Bible more often than any other bird (over 50 times); this comes both from the great number of doves flocking in Israel, and of the favour they enjoy among the people.
Among the best known of these miracles is the transformation of sparrows the young Jesus had made from clay into real birds (recounted in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas).
The Holy Spirit is presented with some symbols in the Bible, which depict a reality of truth about the Holy Spirit and throw light on both his nature and mission. The symbols of the Holy Spirit are: Dove, Fire, Oil, Wind and Water. The Dove: This can be seen in the description of the baptism of Christ (Matt.
Doves are common birds with a very symbolic history. Many religions and cultures celebrate doves as a symbol of peace. The Christian religion uses the dove as a symbol of God, while other cultures release doves into the sky at ceremonies, weddings, and other important events.
White doves are symbolic of new beginnings, peace, fidelity, love, luck and prosperity. Their release is a tradition that has been making ceremonies, rituals and celebrations more powerful and meaningful for thousands of years. Releasing doves uplifts the eyes, signifies new beginnings and true celebrations in flight.
Doves are a universal symbol of Peace.
Doves symbolize love and peace. To dream of doves means happiness is at hand.
For the first time, doves were released during an Olympic Games opening ceremony at Antwerp 1920. The image of one soldier for each country's delegation releasing doves – a symbol of peace – was a striking visual representation of the role the Games hoped to play.
There are a number of specific birds mentioned in the New Testament. Doves, pigeons, and sparrows are mentioned several times in various ways.
Jesus creates twelve sparrows from clay on the sabbath.
[10] And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; [11] And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
In this verse Jesus tells his followers not to be anxious about food, but to rely on God as the birds, who are worth far less than people, are fully provided for. Illustration of Matthew 6:26: the believer looks at the birds in the sky, that do not reap nor gather into the barns, and trust that the Father will provide.
Pigeons and doves often appear in the Bible as animals fit to be offered to God. For example, as described in Leviticus, they were one of the options for an atoning sacrifice for those who committed several types of sin or who had become impure.
You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
The dove. The dove has been a symbol of peace and innocence for thousands of years in many different cultures.
The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by a Dove lithograph by Pablo Picasso after World War II.