© Getty Images

God communicates through dreams -

According to the Bible, God sometimes communicates through dreams. Some dreams can be symbolic and are therefore open to interpretation, but others are explicit instructions from the almighty.

© Getty Images

Most dreams are in the Old Testament -

There are a total of 21 dreams in the Bible. The majority (ten) appear in Genesis. The Gospel of Matthew lists six dreams, followed by Daniel with three dreams, and Kings 1 and Judges, with one dream each.

© Getty Images

Most dreamers are kings -

God speaks to a total of six kings through their dreams. Two other dreamers are named Joseph, and there is only one woman visited by God in her dream. Now, let’s find out what they dreamed about! 

© Getty Images

Abimelech’s warning -

When Abraham and his wife Sarah moved to Gerar, he tells everyone that Sarah is his sister because he feared Gerar’s king, Abimelech, would kill him to keep his beautiful wife. Gerar didn’t kill Abraham, but he did take Sarah to his harem.

© Getty Images

Abimelech’s warning -

Luckily, God intervened before Abimelech touched Sarah. God came to the king in a dream and told him “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.” He then returned Sarah to Abraham. The whole story is detailed in Genesis 20.

© Getty Images

Jacob’s ladder -

The next dream can be found in Genesis 28:12. Jacob dreams of a stairway to heaven with angels moving up and down. Then God promised Jacob that he would return home, and that the land of Canaan would be his and of his descendants.

© Getty Images

Jacob’s call home -

God comes to Jacob in a dream again (Genesis 31:10–13). Jacob worked for his uncle Laban, who tried to take advantage of him numerous times. In the dream, an angel of God tells Jacob “I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. [...] leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.”

© Getty Images

Laban’s warning -

Jacob follows God's advice and leaves with his family (Laban’s daughters and grandchildren). Laban was enraged and went after Jacob, but then God came to him in a dream and said “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.” Laban left it at that. (Genesis 31:24).

© Getty Images

Joseph’s grain -

Jacob’s son, Joseph, also received messages from God in two dreams. In his first dream, Joseph sees himself and his brothers gathering grain into sheaves. But while Joseph's sheaf stands upright, his brother’s sheaves bowed down to it.

© Getty Images

Joseph’s stars -

In the second dream, Joseph sees the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him. Joseph’s father and brothers weren’t happy about the dreams. Jacob told his son “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” (Genesis 37:1–10)

© Getty Images

The cupbearer’s grapes -

Joseph meets both the Pharaoh’s former cupbearer and his baker in prison. Both men had crazy dreams. The cupbearer dreamed of a vine with three branches that produced ripe grapes. He then proceeded to squeeze them into the Pharaoh’s cup and handed it to him.

© Getty Images

The cupbearer’s grapes -

Joseph interpreted the dream as follows: “the three branches are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer.” (Genesis 40:12–13).

© Getty Images

The baker’s baskets -

As for the Pharaoh's baker, he dreamed that he was carrying three bread baskets on his head and birds would eat the bread from them. Joseph’s interpretation of the dream was a bit darker. He said “the three baskets are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.” (Genesis 40:16–19)

© Getty Images

Pharaoh’s cows and grain -

Genesis 41 tells us that the Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows being devoured by seven gaunt ones. The Pharaoh falls asleep again and has yet another disturbing dream. This time, he dreams that seven full heads of grain are devoured by seven thin ones.

© Getty Images

Pharaoh’s grain -

Joseph was called in to interpret the dreams: “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.” (Genesis 41: 25-27).

© Getty Images

The runaway barley loaf -

The night before Gideon (one of Israel’s judges) attacks the Midianites, he overhears two Midianites talking about a dream one of them had: “a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.” His friend gave a pretty good interpretation of the dream and replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.” (Judges 7:13–14)

© Getty Images

Solomon’s wish -

God came to King Solomon and granted him one wish. He told him, “Ask what you wish me to give you.” Did Solomon ask for power and wealth? Not at all. He opted for wisdom instead.

© Getty Images

Solomon’s wish -

His words were: “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (Kings 3:9).

© Getty Images

Nebuchadnezzar’s statue -

Daniel 2 describes the terrifying dream the king of Babylon had. It involved a large statue which was smashed by a stone. The wind swept the broken pieces away, but the stone that hit the statue grew into a mountain. Daniel was the only man able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, which essentially meant that the kingdom of God was coming to them.

© Getty Images

Nebuchadnezzar’s tree -

The king also dreamed of an enormous tree that grew all the way to the sky and whose branches feed every creature. Then a messenger comes from heaven and orders the tree to be cut down, but the stump and roots remain in the ground. Again, Daniel interprets the dream: the tree represents Nebuchadnezzar’s fall and God’s judgment for his wickedness.

© Getty Images

Daniel’s beasts -

Daniel has some of the most terrifying dreams in the Bible. Daniel 7 tells us he dreamed of four beasts coming out of the sea. These included a lion with eagle wings, a bear, a four-headed beast that looked like a leopard, and a fourth beast, with ten horns.  

© Getty Images

Daniel’s beasts -

The interpretation can be found in the Bible: "The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth." (Daniel 7:17-24)

© Getty Images

Dreams about the birth of Jesus -

In the first dream, detailed in Matthew 1:18–24, God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to tell him to take Mary as his wife, as the son she was expecting was from the Holy Spirit.

© Getty Images

Dreams about the birth of Jesus -

God warned the Magi not to go back to Herod (Matthew 2:12). It turns out, Herod wasn’t very fond of the newborn child.

© Getty Images

Dreams about the birth of Jesus -

God comes to Joseph in a dream again. This time, to tell him to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13).

© Getty Images

Dreams about the birth of Jesus -

After Herod dies, and angel of the Lord comes to Joseph in a dream and tells him to leave Egypt and go to Israel (Matthew 2:19-20).

© Getty Images

Dreams about the birth of Jesus -

But then God sent yet another message to Joseph through his dreams, warning him to avoid Judea because Herod’s son was now in power. So Joseph and his family ended up settling in Nazareth.

© Getty Images

Pilate’s wife has a revelatory nightmare -

Pontius Pilate’s wife had a nightmare about the trial of Jesus, which was being presided over by her husband. In the nightmare, she had the revelation that Jesus was innocent.

© Getty Images

Pilate’s wife has a revelatory nightmare -

Matthew 27:19 reads: “While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”

Sources: (Overview Bible) (Biblia) (Bible Gateway) (Bible Study Tools)

See also: Have you had these top 10 common nightmares?

© Getty Images