Dove / Wild Pigeon
The dove appears in Scripture as a symbol not only of peace but also of the one who brings peace: the Holy Spirit. One of the compelling pictures in the New Testament of the relationship between the persons of the Trinity is on display in Matthew 3:16–17: “After Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up from the water. Suddenly, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down as a dove to him. Then a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love—my Son with whom I am pleased’ ” (see also Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:32). This vivid image, combined with the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the early Christians as “tongues that looked like fire” (Acts 2:3), has led to the Spirit often being pictured as flames in the form of a dove. This use of the symbol emphasizes the peacefulness and affectionate love of the dove.
Doves in the Old Testament
In Bible times, doves were very much a part of life, seen as a source of meat and also used frequently in the sacrificial system. The eagle may be the most regal bird in Scripture, but the dove is probably the most important. Leviticus mentions several offerings that involve the sacrifice of a dove (1:14; 5:7, 11). After a woman bore a child, the ritual of purification involved the sacrifice of a dove (Lev. 12:6, 8), and healing from leprosy and other diseases would be marked by a dove offering (Lev. 14:22, 30; 15:14, 29).
Noah was the first to use doves/pigeons as messenger birds. He sent out a dove once a week for three weeks to test whether the waters of the great flood had receded enough to allow the ark’s floating menagerie to disembark on dry land (Gen. 8:8–12). The first flight was unsuccessful; the second produced a “freshly plucked olive leaf” (v. 11), indicating the presence of new life; the third led to Noah’s conclusion that the time had come to leave the ark because the dove did not bother to return.
Doves in Flight
The behavior of doves lent itself to being used in various symbolic ways. David used the defenseless fearfulness of a dove to describe his own desire for flight: “My heart is in turmoil. The terrors of death have seized me. Fear and trembling have overcome me. Horror has overwhelmed me. I said, ‘If only I had wings like a dove—I would fly away and find rest’ ” (Ps. 55:4–6). Hosea highlighted the dove’s lack of awareness and even silliness to picture the capture of Israel’s northern kingdom (Hosea 7:11), yet he also used their homing instinct as symbolic of the people’s eventual return from captivity: “ ‘They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their own homes,’ declares the LORD” (11:11). Other prophets used doves as effective symbols for return and nesting in their messages (Isa. 60:8; Jer. 48:28). Ezekiel spoke of the mourning wails of doves as a metaphor for moaning over sin (7:16). And speaking of behavior, one prophet’s name meant “dove”—Jonah—which fit his timid response to God’s call and the fact that his calling led him away from his own people. Also, in Song of Solomon, dove is used as a term of endearment (2:14; 5:2; 6:9).
The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended on Jesus after his baptism.
Doves in the Life of Christ
Doves make an appearance early in Jesus’ life. Luke 2:24 mentions that Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem, presented the child to the Lord, and “offered a sacrifice as required by the Lord’s Teachings: ‘a pair of mourning doves or two pigeons.’ ” Based on Leviticus 12:8, their offering indicates that they could not afford the usual lamb to sacrifice. The earthly parents of the Lamb of God did not have the means to offer the expected sacrifice at his arrival. Later, in his cleansing of the temple, Jesus drove out those who were desecrating the house of prayer by taking advantage of the many poor who had to obtain doves or pigeons to sacrifice (Matt. 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:14, 16).
But Jesus also mentioned doves in describing for us the character of those who would be his genuine disciples: “I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as snakes but as innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16). In this sense he was using doves as a symbol for purity and innocence.
Key Verse
As Jesus came out of the water, he saw heaven split open and the Spirit coming down to him as a dove. (Mark 1:10)