Dream symbols: The colour white and what it means

Biblical and spiritual meaning of the colour white in dreams, what that means in practice, with real dream examples.

What does the colour white symbolize?

What does the colour white mean in a dream?

And what does the colour white mean in the bible?

This article examines the biblical and spiritual meaning of the colour white, what that could mean in a dream or vision, with real dreams and life application examples.

I approach dream interpretation from a biblical perspective. My belief is that our dreams can come from God, and understanding them is best understood within the context of an ongoing relationship with Him.

Firstly, if you have just come across this post and are new to dream interpretation, it is worth mentioning that dreams are symbolic in nature. You might find it helpful to read the following article: Understand your dreams: A bible-based introduction to dream language. Plus, see my FREE ultimate guide to Interpreting Dreams from God.

Secondly, remember that dreams are personal, so the meanings that I suggest may not apply to your specific dream. But please feel free to use my ideas as a springboard to thinking and praying about dreams yourself. Don’t take my ideas as gospel, but rather let them help you start to think metaphorically.

Meaning of the colour white

The colour white has been used in throughout history in art and is the foundation of modern decorating schemes. It is the colour of snow, and often the choice for wedding dresses. In culture it is sometimes associated with goodness, peace and purity.

The colour white also has some negative symbolisms. In fact, I have discovered that I often dream of white in a negative context. Read on to find out what that could mean.

What does the colour white mean in a dream?

As a lifelong follower of Jesus and bible teacher, I have reviewed thousands of my own dreams with hindsight to see how God was using them and what happened in real life afterwards.

This article is a result of researching the biblical meaning of the colour white, plus reviewing my own dreams with hindsight to see why God used the colour white in those dreams.

What does white symbolise?

As with any dream symbol, each colour can potentially have both positive and negative meanings. The context, feeling and atmosphere of a dream will give us clues to help us determine whether to interpret it in a positive or negative way. 

Positive biblical meaning of colour white

When we think about the positive symbolism of white in dreams and visions, it is often really the concept of white light that we mean rather than the colour itself.

When white light shines through a prism, the light is refracted and all the colours of the rainbow are revealed. Therefore, white light is made up of ALL of the colours combined.

White light contains all the colours of the rainbow.

Meaning of white: White as God’s light

In the bible, the colour white is often associated with God, because of the concept of God being light and the light that is seen around His throne and presence.

Also, God is the source of everything, so it makes sense that in Him is contained every colour under the rainbow. Descriptions of his heavenly throne in the bible sometimes mention a rainbow (Ezekiel 1:28, Revelation 4:3, Revelation 10:1).

Here are some bible verses about white as God’s light

• Daniel 7:9, NASB “I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames”
• Matthew 17:2, NASB And He [Jesus] was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.
• Matthew 28:3, NASB And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
• 1 John 1:5, NASB This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

We can see from these Scriptures that God is sometimes described as appearing as white light or shining. He is sometimes depicted as wearing white clothes, or having white hair.

In practice, this means that if you dream of something positive in a dream that is white, it generally means that God is in it – because of the white light aspect.

If we dream of a positive white light or a positive person dressed in white it could be God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit! Or it could be an angel from God, or a person who loves God.

Meaning of white: Cleansing and holiness

White is also associated biblically with purity, cleansing, holiness and righteousness.

• Psalm 51:7, NASB Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Cleanse me, and I will be whiter than snow.
• Isaiah 1:18, NASB Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.
• Revelation 7:14, NASB These are the ones who…have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

All these bible verses carry the sense of being cleansed, purified, washed (like washing clothes), and having dirt (or sin) removed.

Of course, God Himself is pure and holy, so it makes sense that He would appear in white in dreams and visions in the context of this meaning of the colour white.

So, if we dream we are wearing / being given white clothes, it could carry a sense of being cleansed or forgiven, or being set apart in some way for God’s purposes. Sometimes repentance/renewing our mind is involved too, depending on the context and the rest of the dream.

Real dream examples: Positive meaning of white

DREAM	MEANING
One January I dreamed our bathroom had been redecorated with white tiles and it looked very nice	During the year I would undergo a period of repentance (bathroom) where God would bring good changes in my life.  The white tiles were positive in this dream.
I dreamed I was in a room where people were arguing, then Jesus walked in. I just saw the white light come in and the room was immediately calm.	Jesus was going to intervene and bring peace and light into an area of my life that was causing me distress. This was an encouragement to hold on until He did. I believe this really was Jesus. I knew in the dream that it was him, but all I saw was the bright light surrounding him.
A dreamed a big white dog came into our garden. I rushed up and gave it a hug. It was lovely. We instantly had a great connection.	This dog represented a new friend. So, God was about to bring a new friend into my life. This person would be a follower of Jesus like me, and we would have an instant connection. This did happen. This was a positive context of white.

Negative biblical meaning of colour white

Sometimes white appears in a negative context. We can tell this from the context of the dream. It could feel unpleasant, or we might think it is a horrible shade of white, off-white, dirty white, or a pale appearance. Or maybe the object has the potential to hurt us, like a white snake.

Meaning of white: White as a religious spirit

In a negative context, white usually represents religion or religious spirits. What we mean by this is something that is an imitation of the real thing: i.e. a counterfeit.

A religious spirit is something that APPEARS to be of God, but is really NOT of God.

It could be alerting us to something that looks good at face value, and we genuinely believe is of God, but is really NOT from God nor in our best interests.

A white being or person dressed in white could even be a religious spirit, which is a spiritual being that pretends to be God, or an angel that appears to be from God, but is not.

Here are some bible verses about the colour white symbolising religion or a false spirit:

• Ezekiel 22:28, NASB And her prophets have coated with whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ when the Lord has not spoken.
• Matthew 23:27, NASB [Jesus said to the religious leaders] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”
• 2 Corinthians 11:14, NASB No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

These Scriptures all point to things which appear good on the outside but are really a deception or illusion.

This is really helpful, because often we are not aware of these things, or not sure whether something is of God or not. The positive or negative context of the colour white in a dream can help with discernment and help us identify where things are coming from.

Snow and ice can be used in dreams in a smiliar way.

I think dreams are one of the best tools we have to help identify areas of our lives where we are unknowingly deceived. For example, I once had a religious spirit appear in a dream pretending to be Jesus. But, in the dream I was aware that something was not right, and the deception was exposed.

Real dream examples: Negative meaning of white

DREAM	MEANING
I dreamed some evil figures in white robes were chasing me. I kept spraying them in the face to destroy them, but the last one I didn’t because it was someone I knew.	At the time of dreaming I had been dealing with some wrong religious mindsets I had. This dream was alerting me that I’d ignored one because I was sure it was true, but it wasn’t.
I dreamed I was walking along and saw a big white statue with lots of people around it. I turned right instead to walk towards my destination.	I would soon have to leave behind a religious idol that I had unknowingly embraced and take a different path. The statue represented an idol. Turning right meant that the time for change was right now!
I dreamed I had eaten some white berries from a bush in my childhood back garden. They turned out to be poisonous, but I didn’t want to admit to my husband that I had eaten them.	It turned out that there was something I had believed about God since childhood that was untrue and unhealthy for me. The dream was letting me know that I was in denial about it. The berries had the potential to harm me, indicating a negative context.

Other symbolism of the colour white

Objects that are normally white: If you dream of ice or snow, wedding dresses, or other naturally white objects, it’s worth asking yourself the following question: Is it in the dream because it is white (i.e. is white the main point), or is it is there for another reason and it just happens to be white?

• Ice can appear in dreams to represent a harsh environment.  But I find it usually represents a religious atmosphere.
• Snow can appear in a dream because it is white, to indicate purity and blessing, or revelation being released from heaven. But snow can appear for all sorts of other reasons too, such has difficult journey conditions, enjoying skiing / sledging, or feeling snowed under.
• White hair (or a person with white hair) could symbolise godly thinking (positive) or ideas that we think are from God but are not (negative).
• White horse in the bible (positive context) represented a powerful move of God (Revelation 6). In a negative context it could be a counterfeit move.
• White teeth can be about understanding coming into alignment with God (positive), or about religious ideas (negative).
• White wedding dress might be in a dream because it is white (the bible talks about a pure and spotless bride), but it might be there to represent the wedding aspect of intimacy with God, agreements, and covenant relationship.

Meaning of people dressed in white clothes

People and beings from God – or representing God – are also sometimes described in the bible as wearing white clothes of being clothed in white linen. For example:

• Angels (John 20:12)
• The 24 elders around the throne (Revelation 4:4)
• Followers of Jesus (Revelation 3:5)
• The heavenly armies (Revelation 19:14)
• The men in white linen (Acts 1:10)
• The multitude of people in heaven (Revelation 7:9)

So, in a positive context, people dressed in white in dreams can represent God Himself (e.g. the Holy Spirit) or something/someone that is from God.

If we dream of walking in white, for example wearing white trousers, it could symbolise us walking in God’s ways or walking with the Holy Spirit.

In a negative context, people dressed in white can represent things that appear to be from God but are not, or they could even be false/religious spirits.

Real dream examples: White clothes

DREAM	MEANING
Early one January I dreamed I went with my friend Lucy to a tent in a lovely quiet corner of the field. I put on white leggings and new top coloured with shades of blue.	God was calling me to go on sabbatical which happened later that year. The purpose was to take time out to listen to God (blue top). Lucy means light, confirming the white leggings as being me walking with God for that time.
I dreamed I got changed into white trousers ready for work the next day, but was worried they would get dirty, so I put my old work trousers back on.	With hindsight I can see this was about a transforming work God was doing to prepare me for the next season. But at the time of dreaming I was struggling to receive it, so this dream was encouraging me to embrace the process.

Conclusion: Meaning of colour white

We have seen that in a positive context, white can mean light, holiness, righteousness, purity and God’s Spirit. It in that context it usually means that the white coloured dream element is good and from God.

In a negative context, the colour white generally symbolises something with the appearance of being good and from God – but really is NOT, i.e., it is a deception or counterfeit of the truth, for example like a religious spirit.

Here are a few closing thoughts:

• The colour white in a dream could represent any number of things. The above ideas should give you a good starting point. 
• I believe that only God can tell us what the colour white means in a specific dream, so I recommend asking Him!
• Consider the atmosphere and context of the dream to see whether the colour is being used in a positive or negative sense.
• In additional to the meanings that I have shared, remember that white could mean something personal or culturally significant to you, that isn’t mentioned here.

And finally… enjoy interpreting those dreams of white! If this article has helped you interpret a dream, please do like and share this post!