What's in a dove?

Why did the Spirit of God descend on Jesus in the form of a dove?

Is that his default form?

What do you make of him already incarnating Jesus at his conception and then landing on him as a dove?

(Lesser importance: What do you think to my cute theory that it's symbolically the dove of Noah finding a holy place to rest amid the evil waters of the world?)

Is the Spirit more of a dove than the Son or the Father is?

Does the dove speak to Hebrew Bible / Old Testament imagery?

No.

It is surely cute, but, I suspect, not Biblical.

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. He is fully God. God the Holy Spirit. Not a bird.

You were not serious about asking this were you? The doves mentioned in Scripture were both symbolic (landing on Jesus) and real (bringing olive branch to Noah). However, no bird is part of the Holy Trinity.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

What Does A Dove Symbolism? 9 Meanings We See In the Bible
thinkaboutsuchthings.co…

What Do Doves Symbolize in the Bible? - Bible Study Tools
biblestudytools.com

4 Bible Verses about The Holy Spirit Described As The Dove - …
bible.knowing-jesus.com

The meaning of doves in the Bible - Aleteia
aleteia.org

The Spiritual Meaning And Symbolism Of A Dove - Crystal …

“And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭8:10-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Does it really say the spirit is a dove or looks like a dove or tbat the spirit descended as a dove ?

“And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:32‬ ‭KJV‬

Just a thought maybe he’s saying the spirit was descending like a dove descends and not that the appearance was of a dove

“And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭

This account even seems clearer

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3:16

It seems he’s saying the spirit he saw descended like a dove

In tbe ot however the doves were an i portent part of the sacrifices of shadow and figure

“And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar: and he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: and he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.”
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭1:14-17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

lambs of course also but particularly a sweet smelting savor which the lord enjoys in tbe ot is revealed in the new as not an actual nice smell but the odor and perfume of his love and sacrifice for others was what the figure what about

“and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:2‬ ‭KJV‬‬

then again lol who knows

“and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3:22‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This is all great and thank you, but you didn't give an answer to the root question, which was: why? Why a dove?

Great point, I like it. But then go for it - why the manner of a dove?

If your question pertains to the choice of a dove as opposed to a different kind of bird, I can answer it from the perspective of one who has raised and kept many doves.

They are extremely gentle creatures who are very loyal to their homes and mates. When they fly their wings whisper softly, so you can sense their presence even if you never see them visually. Just being in their presence is very calming. And they never really fight or cause a ruckus, unless they are defending their young. Their courtship is very sweet and gentle as well.

I could be wrong, but I believe God chose this particular type of bird to symbolize the Holy Spirit because their gentle nature represents how the Spirit interacts with us. 🕊

No longer than just a minute or two ago, I googled "the sign of Jonah" and noticed within the things retrieved that "Jonah" means "dove." And it is said of Jesus that "one greater than Jonah is here."

Dove is gentle

but you sparked my humour, so sorry. I thought what I would do if a danged pigeon landed on my head. [we know what pigeons have in them]

Another thing is how tiny kids love pigeons, aw they run after them to catch them ... I never saw one daft enough to get caught

What's in a dove?


In general, multiple organs, half a mile's worth of vessels, veins, cartilage, muscle tissue, bones, blood, plasma, fluids, and brain matter

Yes.
The God of the universe is actually a tiny bird you can buy at a pet shop, keep in a little cage, and cook into a nice pie if you're really hungry.



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Forgive me God but that was hilarious and I laughed till I hurt.

The dove represents the Holy Spirit ----the Holy Spirit appears as different symbols in the Scripture

think “ messenger dove “

“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”
‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

annointing

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised,”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭

think innocence heavenly messenger ect think of Noah’s ark and the dove which brought the good news

I love doves, and they are gentle/beautiful creatures. I have several who hang around my home year around, and I think of peace every time I see them. I love the sound they make when they fly as you beautifully describe above.

I remember seeing this old painting online years ago.It was a dove with his head turned into his chest in an unnatural way.The painting made me think why would somebody showpiece or buy this?!
Only when I became a Christian I understood why the artist created his painting the way he did.
The painting was symbolic.His head was placed over his heart because his thoughts and heart were for God.
Could never find that painting whenever I search for it.

Look at him.He's a little tiny Ark of the Covenant.Just noticed that now lol.

Thanks for your question. Many persons are familiar with the story of Jonah and the great fish. Jonah is a name that means 'dove'. This person Jonah with the name 'dove' is a picture of Christ. Jesus said, "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. "

This three days and three nights is talking about the death Jesus endured. The story does not end there though. Jesus was resurrected to life. In like manner, Jonah did not stay in the belly of the great fish but came out to live.

In my opinion, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove to indicate that this is the person who will die and be resurrected for sin. Jonah (the dove) points to this.