BIBLE SYMBOLS LIST

Obviously we cannot explain every symbol used in scripture. We can give enough examples to set you in the right direction of learning to discern them for yourself. If you would like a more thorough list you can download the entire BIBLE SYMBOLS LIST PDF. We recommend you begin to make your own list, as the Lord leads.

ABYSS: The mind of man, because it is infinite. We will never receive so many thoughts that we can't receive one more.  The mind of man is infinite - not eternal.  The Greek equivalent is "bottomless." (Rv. 20:1) –– traced to Strong's Hebrew [8415] - Gn 1:2-(person [face] of the deep [abyss]). The inward depths of a person.

ALTAR: The heart (mind) - Jer 17:1; Hos 10:8; Ps 43:4 [4196]; (cp Deu 27:4-8 & Heb 8:10)

ANGEL: This word if translated is simply messenger. A messenger of God can be a man or a ministering spirit. Mal 2:7 equates priests as messengers (same word as angel [4397]) Many times in the book of Revelation the angels referred to are movements of people - [32] Rev 21:17; 22:8-9; 19:10; Gal 4:14; Ps 104:4; Heb 1:7, 14 [32]

ANIMALS: Spiritual thoughts (clean & unclean): This is why the Holy Spirit was symbolized as a white dove at Christ's baptism.

ARROW: sharp words or message - Ps 64:3-7; Jer 9:8 [2671]

BABYLON: Literally Babel in Hebrew means "gate of God," but God defined it as "confusion." (Gen 11:9) It is a symbol of every false religion in the world today.  They say, "This is the way to God", but their way only leads to more darkness.  Babylon is divided into three parts in Revelation 16:19, Paganism, Catholicism, and apostate Protestantism.  Every person who comes out of the world to serve God begins in a wilderness (dry places) of confusion about God. Babylon must fall in order to see God face to face.

BAPTISM: A symbol of spiritual immersion. One would never literally be baptized in water if he was not first taught (baptized into) the things of God. 1 Cor 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel...

BELLY: The belly is a symbol of the mind.  When we eat litera bread it goes into the belly.  When we eat the bread of life it goes into the mind.   John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit...

BLOOD: A symbol of the soul-a record of who we are - Lev 17:11, 14 - [1818]. We are physical and mental beings. Heart, soul, spirit describe various functions of the mind, or inward man. If your own thoughts continue to mold who you are, you will be lost. We need the mind (Phil 2:5) of Christ (his faith) to mold us into His image. Anything eaten is carried by blood to all parts of the body. Thoughts retained and assimilated are the soul. Blood=life=soul. Blood as a picture of self, is what Christ poured out at Calvary (Isa 53:12). Without the pouring out of blood, deliverance absolutely will not come to pass (Heb 9:22).

CITY: A mind set - a spirit (a mind), Jer 1:18; Pr 25:28;  It is a way of thinking. When we have God's way of thinking, we are like a city sitting on a hill, which cannot be hid - Matt 5:14; Ps 127:1 [5892]; Pr 10:15 + 14:24, 18. At the end of the book there are only two cities (mind sets) to dwell in - Babylon (world's) or New Jerusalem (Christ's)

CUP: Life experience - Mt 22:22; Jn 18:11

DARKNESS: Spiritual blindness. The way of the wicked, absence (or lack) of the true knowledge of God - Pr 4:19; Eph 5:8; 2 Cor 4:6; Rm 1:21

DAY: Period of spiritual understanding; - From the Son - Mal 4:2; Man's understanding to be shown as darkness - Joel 2:31; Act 2:20; Lk 23:45; wicked will not know - Mic 3:5-7; Creation days figure of levels of understanding & growth

DEAF: Being dull of hearing God speak to the conscience - Mt 13:9-15

EARTH: Self (Dust), natural (carnal) man; our own understanding/ thoughts; not God’s. Translated as ground, land, earth. Has same root as "Adam" and "red." Isa 55:8-11; Job 12:7-9; Gn 2:6-7; Mk 4:5, 17. The mind, good and bad - Mt 13:3, 18-23.

EARTHQUAKE: Conviction (brought by thunder of God’s voice) - Heb 12:21, When light (truth) comes, voices thunder (in explanation), & the earth quakes (conviction) - Ps 77:18; Mt 27:50-51, 54; Acts 16:23-30

EAST: Self - Job 15:2-5; 27:19-21; 38:24; Eze 8:16. A priest always ministered in the tabernacle with his back to the east. An east wind causes green things to wither - Eze 17:10

EDEN: God’s mind (see GARDEN) - Isa 51:3; Eze 28:13; 36:35; Joel 2:3

EGYPT: A type of the world from which we are delivered by conversion, when one accepts the blood of the Lamb as our deliverance (cf Ex 12). It is an iron furnace - Jer 11:4; and their horses (messengers) flesh - Isa 31:1-3; a place of bondage, man’s spirit - Jer 34:13; Deut 8:14. The Nile and its tributaries are figures of worldly thought.

EUPHRATES River: A stream of thought that goes through the mind set (city) of Babylon.  Rv 17:5  Confused thinking about God.

EYE: The eyes of our understanding - Eph 1:17, 18; Jer 5:21; Mt 13:15;

FEET: Point in direction of the thoughts of the heart, or mind - Ps 119:59, 101, 105; Pr 6:12-13; Walking is the application of the thoughts - Mic 2:11; Ps 78:10; 82:5

FIRE: Sanctified: God’s spoken word, the Spirit of God which consumes sin (the enemy quickly) - Jer 23:29; Dt 9.3; Ps 18:8, 13; Dan 7:9-10; Nah 1:5-6; Rv 11:5; Isa 30:27-31; Eph 5:26; Jer 5:14; 23:29 [0784]. Unsanctified: A consuming spirit in man; Wicked words, thoughts that consume - Jm 3:6; Isa 50:11; 1 Pt 1:6-7; Ps 66:10-12; Ps 18:6-8; 52:1-5; 57:4; Ex 35:3; Pr 16:27. Flames of fire = rebuke - Isa 66:15

FLOOD: Concepts, teaching - Sanctified - Eze 47:1-5; Unsanctified - Ps 144:7-8; Jer 46:7, 8; 47:2; Rev 12:15 (See Water)

GARDEN: The mind - [1588] Isa 58:11; Jer 31:12

GARDEN Of Eden: God's mind - Isa 51:3; Eze 31:9 [1588]

GARMENT: Character from habitual thoughts - Zech 3:3-5 [899]; Ps 104:2 [8008]; Rv 12:1; 19:8. Two directions of the thread that weaves the cloth = faith and works.

GATES: Avenues into the mind; understanding - Ps 24:7; 118:19-20; Rev 3:20; opening of the gates=the conscience.

HAIL: Straight truth from heaven - A cold hard fact. [1259] Isa 28:17; Ps 18:13; 148:8. Example of hail falling from heaven: Acts 7:51-53 HEAVENS: God’s understanding - Isa 55:8-9; or unsanctified = man’s understanding of God, a red dragon - Rev 12:3. By understanding, God establishes the heavens & by knowledge He breaks up the sea (world) - Pr 3:19. Jn 3:12-13; The heavens affect the earth - Mt 6:10; Isa 13:13; 51:6, 16

HONEY: Sweet words, righteous thoughts, knowledge of Wisdom (Christ) - Pr 24:13-14; 16:24; Num 33:51; Ps 119:103

INCENSE: Aroma or motive for the action. Prayers of the saints; righteousness - Rv 5:8; 8:4; Ps 141:2

KINGDOM: A mind-set, way of thinking: Lk 17:20-21; cp Mk 4:26 to Mt 13:20; cp Lk 13:20 to Mt 16:12 (see Garden)

LEPROSY: Sin, a rising in the flesh (exaltation); defect in faith or works, which make the character - (Lev 13 & 14). By Jesus’ works, he cleanses us - Mt 8:3.

LOCUST: Babylon (confused thoughts), Northern army - Joel 2:25, 20; destructive words. 1:4; 2:3 which eat all the green things. Thoughts out of the abyss (Rev 9:3), which the wicked think separate themselves to God.

MARK ON THE FOREHEAD: The way you think, or in the hand - your works; Deuteronomy 6:6-8

MILK: Beginning principles of God’s word - 1 Pt 2:1-2; 1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12-14; 6:1-2. See Wine.

MOON: Reflects only 1/7th of the light that falls on it. The law of God, which has no light of its own - Jer 31:35. One’s understanding of the law from his own light (sun), or from the Sun of righteousness - Mal 4:2. See Light.

MOUNTAIN: Symbol of a kingdom or an understanding: Babylon - world's confused way of thinking about God - Jer 51:24-25; Rev 8:8 (destroyed); Mt Zion God's way of thinking possessed by saints - Zech 8:3; God's righteousness like - Ps 36:6; God will make my mountain strong - Ps 30:7; It is faith that removes the bad mountains - Mt 17:20; Two ways of thinking in Revelation - New Jerusalem, on Mt Zion & Babylon, that great city - Rev 21:10; 17:5, 18 God’’s kingdom represented by Mt Zion - Dan 9:16, 20; Zech 8:3; Ps 87:1-2

NAIL: A sure concept - Ezra 9:8; Eccl 12:11; Isa 22:23-25 [3489]

NAKED: Opposite of clothed, without truth, shame exposed - Lam 1:8; Eze 16:8; 2 Cor 5:1-3; Rev 3:17-18; 16:15

NAME: Character - Ex 33:18-19; 34:5-7; Rv 2:17 (reference meaning of Hebrew names in concordance)

NATIONS: The root word for nations (Heb 1471) is 1342 = to rise up (pride, self exalting) The nations picture the sin problem in man's heart; Denominations - Deu 9:1-3; 7:1 (Characteristics of the nations)

OIL: Spirit, spiritual character; used for light & anointing - Ex 35:28 [8081]; Ps 55:21; Eccl 9:8 (used with clothing); brings joy - Isa 61:3; makes face shine - Ps 104:15; the Spirit gives light - see Light

OLIVE Tree: Literally, a source of oil, a symbol of the spirit of Christ. A person filled with the spirit - [2132] Hos 14:6; Ps 52:8; Rom 11:24; Zech 4:12-14 (sons of oil - margin)

PEARLS: Worldly character trait that has been overcome - Mt 7:6 [3135]. Righteousness of Christ

PLAGUE: Message (of judgment) Rv 15:1, 8 [4127]; Poured out by God's people on living wicked. They reveal the apostasy of the wicked. Vials filled with wrath of God = wine; Rv 14:10; 21:9, 17; vials full of saints' prayers- Rv 5:8; poured out by fellow servant-Rv 22:8-9; what is coming out of the messenger’’s mouth is called plague-Rv 9:18-20.

PROMISED LAND: The mind of Christ, new earth (Abraham looked for a city, which has foundations whose builder & maker is God) - Heb 11:9-10. A person receiving the mind of Christ

RAIN: God's spoken word - Deu 32:1-2; Isa 55:10-11

RIVER: Stream of thought, way of thinking- Pr 18:4; Jer 2:13 (a path would also be a way of thinking)

ROCK (stone): Concept - Ps 114:8; 1 Cor 10:4; Mt 16:13-18. Houses, walls & altars are built of stones. A spiritual house of stones - Eph 2:19-22

ROD: Message of correction - Isa 11:4 [7626]; Job 37:13; Pr 13:24; 22:15; 29:15; Mic 6:9 [4294]; Rv 11:1 [4464]; Word of authority. Words of authority are used for correction, chastisement, etc. - Ex 4:20; 17:8-13; Isa 11:4 (the rod of God’s mouth is His spirit, His authority with which He speaks truth). Man speaking his own thoughts is unsanctified authority. Pr 14:3 [2415]; 10:13; 26:3

SAND Of The Sea: Outwardly, people - Isa 10:22, 57:20; inwardly thoughts, understanding - 1 Ki 4:29; Job 6:2-3. See Sea

SCORPION(S): Rebellious thoughts cause rebellious people - Eze 2:6; Rv 9:3, 5, 10

SEA: Thoughts of the abyss; man walking in his own understanding; worldly thoughts/thinking; wicked are like the troubled sea. The Sea is impure water. The Savior dried the sea & made it a way for the ransomed to pass over - Isa 51:10; 17:12-13; 11:15; 23:2-4; 57:20; Rv 17:15; 20:8

SEED: Words - Lk 8:11

SHITTUM WOOD: The human soul which is dark, thorny, hard. A picture of man’s innermost self (the ark of the covenant is made out of this) - Ex 25:10-21, 16 (his testimony is placed in your heart)

SONG: Life experience - Ex 15; 2 Sm 22; Rv 14:3

STONE: A concept, something conceived in the mind (water wears/smooths it) - Mt 7:24; 16:18; Ps 119:69; Job 14:19; Ex 28:9-12; See Rock.

SUN: Light is understanding (Ps 119:105 & 130). Therefore the Sun is equated to the bridegroom (Psalms 19:5) or the Son of God.  Jn 8:12; 11:9 .  Christ brings us the understanding of the Father (Mal 4:2; Ps 84:11). Humanity can shine as the Sun if they recieve His righteousnous.  Mt 13:43

THORNS (briars): Cares of life, guilt, shame, or sin problems - 2 Cor 12:7 [4647]; Mk 4:18-19 [173]; Mt 27:29

THUNDER: Voices, God's voice (as from a cloud, i.e. God's people) - Job 37:2-5; Ps 18:13, 15; rebuke of God - Ps 104:7

TREASURE: Knowledge, especially of God - Pr 2:1-5; Col 2:2-3

TREE: People, character traits - Isa 7:2; 55:12; 1 Chr 16:33; Ps 1:3; Isa 61:3; Lk 23:31; Jer 17:7-8; Mt 3:10; 8:24

TRUTH: Christ - Jn 14:6

WALL: Salvation - (made of stones - concepts) Isa 60:18; Pr 25:28; Joel 2:7; the law - Lam 2:18; Pr 7:2

WATER: Concepts, thoughts, words - Pr 18:4; a flowing brook is a stream of thought. See other types: dew, hail, pool, sea, flood, etc. All forms of water have different shades of meaning, can be holy or unholy; clean or unclean; heavenly or worldly. The sea as a pool of water indicates a mind-set. - Job 38:30, 34; Isa 55:8-11; Jer 2:13,18; Deep water is mans words- Isa 44:3; Eph 5:26; Dt 32:1-2; Jn 7:37-39

WATER, LIVING: The Father & Son - Jer 2:13; 17:13; Jn 4:10; living water brings healing; pure truth - Eze 47:8-9; spoken word - Deut 32:1-2 ; holy spirit - Jn 7:37-39

WATER, POLLUTED: Pagan, worldly thoughts (Proud or raging water) - Ps 124:4-5; Jer 2:18

WAVES: Prideful concepts, worldly works (a heap of stone, dung or water) - Isa 57:20; 48:18; Job 38:11; Ps 65:7; Jude 13

WINE: A more mature understanding, whether good or bad: Mic 2:11; Wisdom (Christ - 1 Cor 1:24) has mingled the wine, & invites us to drink - Pr 9:1-2, 5; wine of Babylon corrupts - Jer 51:7; 29:9-11; Isa 28:7; Rv 17:2; 18:3

WOMB: Mind - Job 15:35; 32:18-19; Ps 31:9; Jn 3:4-5; Pr 22:17-18, See Belly.

WOOD: Man’s character, human nature or natural man - Ps 1:3; Jer 5:14; Pr 26:20; SS 2:3

WORM: Old man, natural man - Job 25:6; Isa 41:14; 51:8; Ps 22:6

ZION: Fig. of God’s people - Isa 51:16; city of the great King Ps 48:1-2; Ps 50:2; Poetical name for Jerusalem, the city of God - Dan 9:16; figure of the ,mind of Christ - His way of thinking - Heb 12:22