Spiritual meaning of colors in the bible Many bible scholars and religious people have assigned spiritual meaning to color. In some translations it appears as if the Bible refers to colors when it mentions sins and curses, however, this is all symbolic. The following text will tell you about spiritual meanings of colors in the Bible.
The Bible is a very special book. It not only records some of the most significant historical events, it also reveals the spiritual meaning of colors. This infographic will give you insight into what God thinks about colors – and you’ll be surprised by some of the answers! Explaining; Prophetic colors and numbers, What Color Represents Blessing.
Spiritual meaning of colors in the bible
The spiritual meaning of colors in the Bible is a topic that has been debated for centuries. This article will explore some of the most common interpretations of color symbolism in different parts of the Bible.
The Old Testament contains several references to color symbolism, and they are often used in conjunction with other symbols. For example, white is often associated with purity and justice, while red is associated with blood and sacrifice. Green has multiple meanings depending on its context, but it generally represents growth or fertility. Black can represent death or mourning, while yellow represents healing or spirituality. Orange sometimes represents wealth or abundance; however, it also represents evil if paired with purple or black. Purple symbolizes royalty or authority; however, it may also represent corruption if worn by an individual who does not deserve such power.
In the New Testament, white represents purity and innocence; green symbolizes life; red symbolizes sacrifice and martyrdom; black represents death or mourning; gold represents power and wealth; silver represents royalty or nobility; blue represents peace and tranquility; purple represents royalty or authority (though this may be corrupted); brown is associated with dirtiness or poverty
The spiritual meaning of colors in the Bible is something that has been debated for ages. However, there are a few things that we know for sure about the significance of colors in Scripture.
For example, white represents purity and innocence. This is most commonly seen in the garments of priests and saints—but it can also be seen as an attribute of God himself (see Isaiah 1:18).
Black and dark colors represent mourning or humility. They are often used to refer to death or misfortune. For example, when Jacob’s sons return from the land of Shechem (Genesis 42:17), he is dressed in black (Genesis 43:30). Similarly, when Job hears his friends’ accusations against him, he “put on sackcloth” (Job 2:13).
Red is traditionally associated with blood—in particular, the blood of martyrs who died for their faith (Revelation 17:6). It can also represent love or passion; red roses were thought to symbolize love because they were so strongly associated with courtship and romance.
In this article, we will explore the Biblical meaning of colors in dreams We will touch on various colors and what they mean symbolically in the Bible.
I’ve written in the past how God speaks in dreams but today I want to cover a different topic on dreams and even visions. I want to talk about colors! Sometimes we dream in color, other times in black and white, but what does it mean when we dream and a specific color pops out or emphasised?
Could this color have some kind of specific meaning? What does the Bible say about colors? Well, today we are going to touch on various colors and take a biblical look at what these dreams could mean.
Important Things to Cover About Colors in Dreams
he said, “Listen to my words: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams. – Numbers 12:6
Before we continue into specific colors I wanted to cover some important things about dreams:
- It’s vital that nothing should replace the Bible and Holy Spirit. Seek Him and dig into His Word to understand symbolism when it comes to dreams and visions.
- It’s important to note that not all dreams come from God. There are some dreams that come from our soul, and others can be demonic. For example certain medication can induce intense dreams. It’s always vital we pray about our dreams and ask God for clarity and wisdom.
- Colors only matter in dreams when their is specific color that is germane. It stood out to you… so you could have a dream and it was from the Lord but there was no specific color that was brought to your attention. In another dream there could be an article of clothing that was bright yellow. And color stood out to you in the dream.
- I find it helpful to jot down my dreams in a journal. This helps me remember details of the dream that I would easily forget with time. Make specific notes about the colors that stood out. Ask questions like where was the color? was an object a specific color? How did this color make me feel? More on this later…
- Dreams are symbolic in nature and should not always be taken literal. A great example of this are the dreams of Joseph. In one of his dreams stalks of wheat were symbols of his family members.
- It’s NOT wise to seek interpretation outside of the Lord. The Bible is very clear that the interpretation belongs to the Lord (Genesis 40:8). This is why it’s important to learn about Biblical symbolism, and learn to hear God’s voice.
- Colors can symbolize something positive or something negative. This is determined by the object or person and what was happening within the dream. Her is a quick example: A beautiful red coat is given to you as a gift. This would reflect a positive meaning, while a dream of being chased by an angry red wolf would have a negative meaning.
what color represents blessings
Cultural Meanings VS Biblical Meaning of Colors in Dreams
We can gather symbolic meanings from all kinds of sources. Here on Think About Such Things we focus on Biblical truth and symbolism. But there other symbolic meanings behind colors. One that is extremely common is cultural meanings. I was born and raised in America and we have some colors associated with certain things. Let me go through some examples for you:
GREEN – In America our money is green and there is even a slang word for money called greenback. So, at times the color green can be associated with money and even greed.
RED- Oh, no! You have been caught…”red-handed” The color red can mean being caught or exposed. While the same color can also mean love and romance.
BLUE – Have you ever heard the term, “Why are you so blue today?” We see blue as meaning sad, down and out, and even depressed or what about the term, black and blue. This means to be bruised and beat up.
YELLOW – Watching an old western movie, you might hear someone being called “yellow-bellied.” meaning they are a coward and full of fear.
For more cultural meanings check out: The Meaning of Colors in Cultures Around the World
These are just a few examples, but there are tons of cultural symbolism with colors. Now, when praying and interpreting a dream I would focus on scriptural meaning, but are times when God will use a cultural meaning behind a color to convey what He wants to reveal to you.
Now, let’s get started on individual colors…
The Color Red in Dreams
Red in dreams can convey a slew of meanings. In Scripture we see it representing the blood of Christ, covenant, atonement, war, sin, judgement, and more.
| SYMBOLIC MEANING OF RED | BIBLE VERSES |
|---|---|
| Blood | 2 Kings 3:22 |
| War | Revelation 6:4 |
| Atonement and Purification | Exodus 12:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Hebrews 9:22, Leviticus 17:11, 1 John 1:7 |
| Wealth | 2 Samuel 1:24, Proverbs 31:21 |
| Covenant | Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 9:18, Exodus 24:8, |
| God/Jesus | Revelation 4:2-3, Rev 19:13–15 |
| Judgement | Revelation 6:12, Isaiah 63 |
| Sin and Self-Righteousness | Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 64:6 |
The Color Red in the Bible
The Color Orange in Dreams
Orange is a unique color as it’s not found in scripture. So, we pull meaning from objects that are orange in nature as you can see in graph below. Orange can represent passion (fire), and rebellion- decay(rust). Culturally it can represent warning or to be caution as construction traffic street signs are orange.
| SYMBOLIC MEANING OF ORANGE | BIBLE REFERENCE |
|---|---|
| Rust: Corruption | Ezekiel 24:6, Matthew 6:19-20 |
| Iron Ore: Rebellion | Jeremiah 6:28 |
| Pottery: Vessel/Person | Psalm 31:12, Hosea 8:8 |
| Fire: God Presence, Purification, Judgement | 1 Peter 1:7, Hebrews 12:29, Revelation 1:14 |
The Color Yellow in Dreams
Yellow is a lot like orange in that we find it’s symbolic meaning in object of that color. When seeing yellow in a dream it can convey God’s anointing/presence, God’s blessing, and purification. On the flip side it can represent sickness, and even immaturity (a young plant is yellowish-green).
| SYMBOLIC MEANING OF YELLOW | BIBLE REFERENCE |
|---|---|
| Oil – Anointing/Presence of God | Exodus 30:22-25, 1 Samuel 16:13 Psalm 92:10 |
| Fire – Purification/Judgement | Hebrews 12:29, Zechariah 13:9, Proverbs 17:3, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 |
| Honey – Promises/Blessing/Delight | Proverbs 16:24, Psalm 81:16, Exodus 3:8, Ezekiel 3:3 |
| Sickness and Leprosy | Leviticus 13:30 |
| Glory and God’s Presence | Daniel 10, Ezekiel 8:2 |
The Color Green in Dreams
Green on a positive symbol means growth, flourishing, fruitfulness, and rest. On a negative meaning it mean pride and lawlessness. We see this in the book of Daniel, in the dream of the great tree which represented the pride of King Nebuchadnezzar.
| SYMBOLIC MEANING OF GREEN | BIBLE REFERENCE |
|---|---|
| Life/Thriving/Flourish/Growth | Jeremiah 11:16, Isaiah 15:6, Psalm 1:3, Ezekiel 17:24, |
| Rest | Psalm 23:2 |
| Lawlessness and Pride | Jeremiah 2:19-21, Daniel 4 |
| Fruitful | Psalm 92:13-13, Jeremiah 11:16, Hosea 14:8 |
| Frailty and Sickness | Psalm 37:2, Revelation 6:8 |
| God’s Throne | Revelation 4:1-3 |
The Color Blue in Dreams
Blue tends to represent revelation, the Spirit, and healing. It’s seen throughout scripture to be associated with God. Many times when I have had dreams or visions from the Lord the color blue represented His presence.
| SYMBOLIC MEANING OF BLUE | BIBLE REFERENCE |
|---|---|
| The Heavens/God’s Throne | Exodus 24:10, Ezekiel 10:1, Ezekiel 1:26 |
| Life – Water | John 4:13-14, Revelation 21:6 |
| Healing (The Tallit and Tzitzit) and Cleansing | Matthew 9:21 |
| Prayer ( the Tallit and Tzitzit) | Numbers 15:38, Deuteronomy 22:12 |
| Royalty/High Position/Wealth | Esther 8:15, Esther 1:6, Ezekiel 23:6, |
| The Lord’s Commandments | Numbers 15:38-40 |
The Color Purple in Dreams
Many times when we see purple in our dreams it represents authority, position, or influence. It can also represent wealth. These sound all positive but all those things can be used for good or evil. So, keep that in mind when you are looking at your dream. For example you are being attacked by a person in a purple shirt. This could represent someone of authority coming against you. Another dream where you are gifted a beautiful purple coat, can represent a new position at work or authority in the Spirit. This is when prayer is important.
biblical meaning of colors in the rainbow
So, what is the true meaning of the rainbow? To answer that question, we must look beyond the children’s coloring books and really weird movies to the Bible — the only truly infallible, inspired, and authoritative source of truth that we have.
The rainbow first appears in Scripture toward the end of the story of the worldwide flood in Genesis 6-9. Because of the continual evil and wickedness of mankind (Genesis 6:5-12), God decided to cause rain to fall for 40 days and nights and flood the entire earth — killing everyone and everything except for a man named Noah and his family and a bunch of animals that were kept safe inside of a wooden ark.
After several months of interesting events, God’s judgment was “restrained” and the rain stopped (Genesis 8:2), resulting in a rainbow that appeared in the sky.
Whether this was the first appearance of a rainbow in human history (because it had not rained yet as Genesis 2:5 seems to say) or it was just God repurposing the phenomenon that already existed (as Ken Ham explains), the Bible is very clear about what the rainbow symbolizes.
After the floodwaters receded and Noah could get out of the boat onto dry land, he built an altar and offered a burnt offering to God. In response, God declared this promise to Noah and his family:
“Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth… This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth” (Genesis 9:8-16, ESV).
So, considering this passage, God attached special meaning to the rainbow so that every time we see it, we may be reminded of God’s covenant to never destroy everyone and everything on the earth again with a flood.
Of course, there are quite a few other details that we might notice from this story, such as God’s power over the elements as well as the constancy of seasons, earth rotations, and temperature changes on earth (Genesis 8:22).
As fantastical as it may seem, this world-wide flood event really happened. And while it is certainly not a myth or even an allegorical story, there are still lessons that we should learn for our lives today.
It is intriguing that so many myths explain the rainbow as some sort of supernatural “bridge” (as we noted above), because the most important theme that the rainbow illustrates for us is God’s gracious and grand purpose of redemption (especially in light of his justness and holy judgment) to not only spare Noah and his family but also to give humanity (yet another) chance to start again.
This was good news to Noah because, despite the righteousness of Noah who (in a way) was a new “prototype” for humanity, mankind’s heart was still “evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21).
What Color Represents Blessing
The color represents the blessings of God. It is a reminder of His goodness and faithfulness to His people. The more you wear it, the more blessings you will receive.
Color is a powerful tool that can affect your mood and emotions. For example, if you’re feeling blue, look at something red. Red is a color which represents energy and vitality, so it will help you feel more energetic and cheerful.
Color can also be used to enhance your spiritual life by using the right colors during meditation or prayer. The spiritual meaning of colors is not just an old wives’ tale; it’s a science with many benefits for your daily life.
The following list includes the top ten spiritual meanings for colors, along with their corresponding numbers and stones:
1) White – purity, innocence, new beginnings
2) Red – energy and vitality
3) Blue – peace and tranquility
4) Yellow – happiness and optimism (can also represent cowardice or lack of confidence)
5) Green – growth and abundance (also represents jealousy or greed)
6) Orange – creativity and expression (can also represent impulsivity or aggression)
7) Purple – spirituality and royalty (can also represent unhappiness or depression; represents wisdom when combined with white or black)
Prophetic colors and numbers
White: For biblical prophets, white symbolizes purity and holiness. White is also associated with God’s glory and power. In certain countries such as Japan, white is considered a sacred color because it represents death and mourning. However, in many other cultures such as India and China, white symbolizes life and purity, which is why they wear white at funerals. In western culture, white is associated with innocence or virginity and sometimes even spirituality (especially among Christians). Its connotations vary depending on where one lives or how much exposure he has had to different cultures around him or her.
Red: Red symbolizes love, anger and danger in many cultures around the world including China (where red means happiness), Mexico (where red means courage), Russia (where red means communism) and Germany (where red has been used by nationalists). In western culture however red has come to represent passion and desire as well as being associated with blood which makes it an appropriate color for Valentine’s Day gifts!
In fact, although Noah built an altar to worship God immediately getting off the boat, it was not too long until his drunkenness resulted in new curses on some of his descendants (Genesis 9).
The Rainbow Reminds Us of the Gospel
And it is great news for us as well because this story clearly and beautifully points us to the time when God sent his own Son, Jesus, to die on a cross and then rise again to give humanity an amazing opportunity to escape judgment by being “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3; 1 Peter 3:20-22; 2 Peter 2:9).
And because of the gospel, we can respond to God’s grace with faithful surrender and be saved. As Paul laid out for us:
…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:9-10, ESV).