What Does the Bible Say About Interpreting Dreams?

Acts 2:17 ESV / 29 helpful votes

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

Amos 3:7 ESV / 25 helpful votes

“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

1 Corinthians 2:13 ESV / 19 helpful votes

And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Genesis 40:8 ESV / 15 helpful votes

They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

Daniel 7:1-7 ESV / 14 helpful votes

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ ...

Daniel 4:19-36 ESV / 13 helpful votes

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ ...

Daniel 2:1-3 ESV / 11 helpful votes

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”

Ecclesiastes 5:7 ESV / 11 helpful votes

For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

Romans 7:15 ESV / 10 helpful votes

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Daniel 2:28 ESV / 10 helpful votes

But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:

Daniel 2:1-49 ESV / 9 helpful votes

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. ...

Proverbs 29:18 ESV / 8 helpful votes

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

Habakkuk 2:2-3 ESV / 7 helpful votes

And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

Joel 2:28 ESV / 7 helpful votes

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

Numbers 12:6 ESV / 7 helpful votes

And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.

Genesis 46:2 ESV / 7 helpful votes

And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here am I.”

Luke 13:7 ESV / 6 helpful votes

And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’

Daniel 8:15 ESV / 6 helpful votes

When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.

Joshua 24:15 ESV / 6 helpful votes

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Genesis 47:1-31 ESV / 6 helpful votes

So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. ...

Genesis 1:11 ESV / 6 helpful votes

And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.

1 Peter 2:2 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

1 Corinthians 4:4 ESV / 5 helpful votes

For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

1 Corinthians 2:3 ESV / 5 helpful votes

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,

1 Corinthians 2:1-16 ESV / 5 helpful votes

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. ...

John 21:25 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

John 3:13 ESV / 5 helpful votes

No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

Mark 10:10 ESV / 5 helpful votes

And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter.

Matthew 22:6 ESV / 5 helpful votes

While the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

Daniel 10:14 ESV / 5 helpful votes

And came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”

Daniel 10:1 ESV / 5 helpful votes

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.

Daniel 9:24 ESV / 5 helpful votes

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.

Daniel 9:21 ESV / 5 helpful votes

While I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.

Daniel 7:15 ESV / 5 helpful votes

“As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me.

Psalm 103:1-2 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

Job 33:15 ESV / 5 helpful votes

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds,

1 Kings 11:11 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.

1 Samuel 9:11 ESV / 5 helpful votes

As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”

Ruth 1:1-22 ESV / 5 helpful votes

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. ...

Joshua 1:3 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.

Genesis 11:11 ESV / 5 helpful votes

And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 3:15 ESV / 5 helpful votes

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Isaiah 46:10 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

Isaiah 46:9-10 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

Bible Verses about Interpreting Dreams