Symbols and Similitudes of the Holy Spirit
62 passages listed in Nave’s Topical Bible and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook. Verse text: Berean Standard Bible; links open in your translation.
30 sections
A Dove
- Matthew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.
A Seal
- Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
A Voice
- Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!”
Abundant
- Psalm 133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing of life forevermore.
Cleansing By
- Ezekiel 16:9 Then I bathed you with water, rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil.
- Ezekiel 36:25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
- Ephesians 5:26 to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
- Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Cloven Tongues
- Acts 2:3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
- Acts 2:6 And when this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking his own language.
- Acts 2:11 both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs— we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
Comforting
- Isaiah 61:3 to console the mourners in Zion — to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, …
- Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of joy.”
Consecrating
- Exodus 29:7 Then take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.
- Exodus 30:30 Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
- Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
Earnest
- Ephesians 1:13–14 And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth — the gospel of your salvation — you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, …
- Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
- 2 Corinthians 1:22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.
Fertilizing
- Ezekiel 34:26–27 I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season— showers of blessing. …
- Hosea 6:3 So let us know — let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.
- Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.
- Hosea 14:5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
Fire
- Matthew 3:11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Guiding
- Isaiah 30:21 And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
- John 16:13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come.
Healing
- Isaiah 1:6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.
- Luke 10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
- Revelation 18:13 of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves.
Illuminating
- Zechariah 4:2–3 “What do you see?” he asked. “I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps. …
- Zechariah 4:11–13 Then I asked the angel, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?” …
- Matthew 25:3–4 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. …
- 1 John 2:20 You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
- 1 John 2:27 And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.
Imperceptible
- 2 Samuel 17:12 Then we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. And of all the men with him, not even one will remain.
- Mark 4:26–28 Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. …
Impressing
- Job 38:14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Incomprehensible
- John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
- 1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He determines.
Oil
- Psalm 45:7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you above your companions with the oil of joy.
Powerful
- 1 Kings 19:11 Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in …
- Acts 2:2 Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Purifying
- Isaiah 4:4 when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.
- Malachi 3:2–3 But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. …
Rain and Dew
- Psalm 72:6 May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.
Refreshing
- Psalm 68:9 You sent abundant rain, O God; You refreshed Your weary inheritance.
- Isaiah 18:4 For this is what the LORD has told me: “I will quietly look on from My dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
Reviving
- Ezekiel 37:9–10 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!” …
- Ezekiel 37:14 I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.’”
Searching
- Zephaniah 1:12 And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’
- 1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Sensible in Its Effects
- John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Speaking
- Matthew 10:20 For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Vivifying
- Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.
- Isaiah 27:3 I, the LORD, am its keeper; I water it continually. I guard it night and day so no one can disturb it;
- Isaiah 27:6 In the days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with fruit.
- Isaiah 44:3–4 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring. …
- Isaiah 58:11 The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Warning
- Hebrews 3:7–11 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, …
Water
- John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
- John 7:38–39 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’” …
Wind
- Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind. Breathe on my garden and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choicest fruits.
Related topics
Symbols and SimilitudesThe Emblems of the Holy Spirit
Topics: Nave’s Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook (1897), public domain, via the Berean Bible topical index.