The Biblical Meaning of Snakes in Dreams

Dreaming of snakes? You are not alone. Many people dream about snakes but what do you do with these dreams? In this article, we will take a look at the Biblical meaning of snakes in dreams and visions.

I’m so glad you have come to this post. I hope to help you understand and interpret your dreams. Dreams can come in all different shapes, styles, meanings, and more. And when a dreams shakes you up it’s important to take note and start praying!

Now, If you are new to dreams and visions or Christian dream interpretation. Please check out these posts to further your growth:

• Does God Speak in Dreams?
• The Ultimate List of Bible Verses on Dreams
• Prophetic Ways We Hear God
• What is the Difference Between Dreams and Visions?
• Joseph’s Dreams: Unlock 7 Life Lessons
• The Biblical Meaning of Colors in Dreams

I also touch on different symbols beyond just snakes in dreams. Some other topics are babies, frogs, mermaids, and more.

To make things a little easier please use the table of contents to skip to parts you want to read, or you can enjoy the whole article by just scrolling through it.

Dreaming of Snakes?

Dreaming of snakes is not as unusual as you would think. It’s one of the top searched terms when it comes to symbols in a dream.

And a lot of stuff on the internet on the topic is either new age, occultic, or psychological understanding and even some of the “Biblical” stuff is not even coming from people of the Christian faith.

And as a minister, this honestly bugs me! So, I want to shed light on the topic, from a Biblical Christian perspective.

I have had my fair share of snake dreams. And as oddly as it may sound, I’m thankful for them. Let me explain why…

As you will learn below, you will see how these dreams can open your eyes to areas you are struggling with and how you can pray.

God will use these dreams to reveal what the enemy is trying to do in our lives. These kind of dreams help bring a level of awareness of what is going on in the spirit realm and sometimes even what is happening in the natural.

What Does the Bible Say About Snakes?

If we gather information about snakes or serpents and look at the law of first mention we see the story of the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3).

The Law of First Mention: “Some Bible students use the law of first mention as a guideline of study in which they find the first time a word, idea, or doctrine is introduced in Scripture to better understand the other references. The idea is that the first time it is mentioned will be the simplest, most understandable reference from which the others build. ” (source)

We see that Satan uses the snake to lie (manipulate God’s truth… “Did God really say?“) tempt, and bring forth the fall of man.

Not a good start for the snake.

According to Smith’s Bible Dictionary,

“Hence, as a fruit of the tradition of the Fall, the serpent all through the East became the emblem of the spirit of evil, and is so pictured even on the monuments of Egypt.…”

“Throughout the East the serpent was used as an emblem of the evil principle, of the spirit of disobedience and contumacy.

Much has been written on the question of the “fiery serpents” of Numbers 21:6, 8 with which it is usual to erroneously identify the “fiery flying serpent” of Isaiah 14:29 and Isai 30:6 The word “fiery” probably signifies “burning,” in allusion to the sensation produced by the bite…. “

Majority of scripture paints snakes as evil and cunning. Even Jesus tells us as Christians we will have authority over snakes and scorpions. He is speaking of spirit enemies here.

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Luke 10:19

But in scripture, a snake doesn’t always point blank mean the devil. In the next section, we will take a deeper look into the symbolism of snakes.

Spiritual Meaning of Snakes in Dreams

You will see in this section a slew of different symbolic meanings for snakes. With Biblical references.

• Temptation and Sin – Genesis 3, Number 21* (see below)

• Sharp tongue and Words – Psalms 140:3; Job 20:16 

• Associates with Falling –  Ecclesiastes 10:8

• Divination (Spirit of Python) – Acts 16:16

The word divination in Acts 16:16 is from the Greek word puthon. This is where we get our English word “python.” 

According to Vine’s Dictionary:

“In Greek mythology was the name of the Pythian serpent or dragon, dwelling in Pytho, at the foot of mount Parnassus, guarding the oracle of Delphi, and slain by Apollo. Thence the name was transferred to Apollo himself.

Later the word was applied to diviners or soothsayers, regarded as inspired by Apollo. Since demons are the agents inspiring idolatry, 1 Corinthians 10:20 , the young woman in Acts 16:16 was possessed by a demon instigating the cult of Apollo, and thus had “a spirit of divination.”

• Idolatry – Number 21* (see below)

• Lies and False Belief –  Genesis 3, Psalms 140:3

• The Wicked – Psalm 58:3-4

• Satan/Devil – Revelation 12:9

• Self-Righteous and Hypocrisy – Matthew 3:7

• Treachery and Deceptive – Number 21* (see below)

• Being Devoured – Jeremiah 51:34

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*In Numbers 21, God commands Moses to make a bronze serpent to stop the effects of a plague of poisonous snakes. This serpent image was later erected in the Jerusalem temple, but they started to worship it and was associated with Canaanite religious practice (snake cults). This eventually led King Hezekiah to destroy it (2 Kgs. 18:4).

Also, in Numbers 21 you will see how snakes symbolize treachery and dual nature. It was the snake that brought forth death/sickness but the bronze snake that brought healing.

Treachery: The betrayal of trust; deceptive action or nature.

How Jesus is symbolized as a snake: First off don’t stone me… let me show you what I mean by this.

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” John 3:14

This imagery is to express how Jesus was lifted up on the cross taking on the sin of the world (becoming a snake) to bring healing (salvation) to all who look to Him.

How to Interpret Snakes in Dreams

When it comes to interpreting dreams we must always remember the key source of our interpretation.

Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

Genesis 40:8

With dreams, the interpretation can be very personal to the dreamer. It’s not always cut and dry, and there is no real formula. A symbol can mean one thing this time and another thing another time.

But understanding Biblical symbolism is important for us as we seek out the interpretation. It grounds us in the Word and helps us piece things together that the Holy Spirit is showing us.

These are some key steps you can take to help you interpret a dream with snake(s) in it.

1. Write the dream out and make note of anything prominent in the dream.
   
2. Look into scripture about certain symbols you see in the dream. Take notes and if something is quickened in your spirit than write that down.
   
3. Begin to pray about the dream and ask God to bring clarity about what the snake symbolizes. If you sense anything from the Lord jot it down.
   
4. Share the dream with a mature fellow sister or brother in Christ. Tell them what your sensing and ask for their thoughts and counsel. I would encourage you to ask for prayer as well.
   
5. Pray over what you feel the dream and the snake mean and take action if you feel the Lord is leading to you.

For me personally… when I have had dreams about a snake or snakes they tend to be a warning that I am being spiritually attacked. I am either believing lies or being tempted in an area of my life.

This would lead me into a time of prayer to break things off lies and take authority over the situation. I ask God to protect me in this season and to keep me watchful.

I usually will see a lot of breakthrough in my thought life.

Remember the context of the dream matters. You have to take everything into consideration. If you see a snake in a dream but it’s attacking someone else. Then pray for that person! This is why it’s good to write the whole dream out.

Can snakes in a dream mean something positive?

I once heard a fellow Christian say that snake dreams can reflect something positive happening. They gave no scriptural reference for this.

That was hard for me to swallow because of my understanding of it Biblically and for my own personal experience, it doesn’t tend to be positive.

It doesn’t mean God couldn’t use it in a positive light. I would just tread EXTREMELY carefully with that kind of interpretation. And I would seek Godly counsel about it and confirmation.

For example, having a dream about a white snake would to me symbolize some type of false purity. While someone else seeing it be white might think it’s a “good” snake.

Common Snake Dreams

As I mentioned before, snake dreams are not a rarity. In the next portion, we will take a look at different but common snake dreams.

I won’t be going in-depth on the types of snakes or colors of snakes. I will note here that if in your dream you see a specific kind of snake like a rattlesnake, python, cobra…etc

It would be wise to look into the characteristics of that type of snake. It might give a greater understanding of what the snake symbolizes in the dream.

For example, python snakes are known to be the largest breed snakes in the world. We also know they kill their prey by suffocating them.

It could be that this dream of a python is representing some kind of large force is trying to suffocate or strangle. This, of course, depends on the context of the dream.

Remember there is no formula for Christian dream interpretation. We must seek out the Holy Spirit and get into His word.

What we will take a look is what is happening within the dream. Is the snake biting, chasing, hiding, attacking etc?… Your dream might even have a combination of things going on.

Dreaming of Snakes Attacking

If the dream is of you being attacked by snakes or a snake. I would begin to pray and ask God to show you if you’re being spiritually attacked. This can also manifest in the natural realm with people or situations coming up against you.

I would take a special note on how you are combating the snake in the dream. Are you using your hands/legs, a weapon, or a random object? These can be key in your understanding of what the dream is about.

Dreaming of Being Chased by a Snake

Being chased in a dream can create fear and terror. Similar to being attacked something is trying to come after you and subdue you. This is exactly what the enemy wants.

Come against it in prayer!

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. – 2 Timothy 1:7

Dreaming About a Snake Bite

If in the dream the snake bites you or has latched on to you. This is going beyond just being an attack but being affected or hurt by whatever the snake is symbolizing.

If the snake is symbolizing lies you are believing and you are bitten. That could represent you are taking on that lie as a full blown truth.

I would suggest praying and asking the Lord to reveal things in your life that enemy has latched on to you.

Killing Snakes in Your Dream

These are my favorite kind of snake dreams! You are overcoming whatever the enemy is coming against you with! Luke 10:19

I remember a dream I had where a snake bit me and latched on. I grabbed the snake and ripped it’s head off. It was AWESOME.

When I woke up I prayed and ask God to help me be victorious against the schemes of the enemy and I praised Him in advance for the victory. (Note: I was bitten but was able to overcome it)

Recurring Dreams About Snakes

If you are having recurring dreams about snakes I would pay special attention to that. I would write them down and begin praying.

Usually, when we have recurring dreams it’s a type of warning or something God is trying emphasizes.

I like what Joe Ibojie says about them. He states that recurring dreams or those that are similar in nature may occur because we have ignored God’s message the first time.

We see this in Genesis 41:31

And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

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A Call to Prayer

When it comes to dreaming about snakes I believe it’s a call to prayer.

It’s NOT a call to be fearful.

It’s NOT a call to be confused.

It’s a call to pray.

The source of the dream also matter. There are times when these dreams come from God. It’s a way He is revealing what is going on so we can stand and pray.

If the source of the dream is demonic I usually take it as the enemy being stupid and revealing his plans. I then pray against those plans.

There have been times when I pray about a dream with snakes or other dark symbols in them. And the Holy Spirit is quick to tell me to pay no attention to it. As the dream has no meaning and enemy is just toying with me.

This is why I recommend always praying into a dream. God is so good and kind…He will help you understand your dreams. Just be faithful to write them down and pray into them.

And If a dream really shakes you up bring it with a friend or a spiritual mentor. Have them pray with you and discuss things going on in your life.

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I hope this has helped you in your understanding dreams with snakes in them. If you would like to learn more about dreams. Please check out these two posts below.