The biblical and spiritual symbolism of trees in dreams, what that means in practice, plus real dream examples and infographic.
Have you ever wondered what trees mean in dreams?
In this article we will take inspiration from the bible to investigate the spiritual meaning of trees in dreams, and what that means for us in practical terms.
We will explore their meaning in positive and negative contexts, with some real dream examples too!
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.
Contents
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.
Introducing trees in dreams
Trees are all around us in the natural world, and they come in all shapes and sizes – from small ornamental varieties to giant redwoods – and everything in between.
They have come to symbolise many things for different people and cultures; they are often used symbolically in the bible, and they can also feature in our dreams.
Although dream symbols are personal and can mean different things to different people, I have found that trees are fairly universal in their meaning, and, in fact, they are a foundational dream symbol – so it is very useful to know what they commonly mean.
In addition to the ideas in this article:
- Consider whether the tree seems positive or negative in your dream and how you feel about it – as this will help you link it to real life situations
- I have written a general guide for understanding dream symbols, and this article builds on that. You can find it here: 10 simple clues for understanding dream symbols.
Trees as plant life and greenery
In a general sense, trees are a part of the plant world and its vegetation/greenery, and the principles that relate to plants and flowers can also apply to trees.
The meaning of the colour green is also relevant: Healthy greenery generally symbolises abundant life (John 10:10), which covers many aspects of life and growth. For example, a positive green colour could represent physical health and wellbeing, healthy finances, fertility, fruitfulness, and a healthy spiritual life.
In that context, if a tree is a positive green colour, growing well, and healthy, it could indicate growth, wellbeing, or fruitfulness in the area that the tree symbolises. We would need to look for clues from the dream to discover which area of life it refers to.
If the tree in our dream is in a poor state (e.g. wilting, withered, or dry) or an unhealthy colour (e.g. sickly yellow-green), this would represent lack of life, or an area which is unhealthy.
- Psalm 52:8, NASB But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.
Trees as something established
Compared to other plants, trees are generally larger, stronger, and more established; the roots of a tree go deep, and they take a long time to grow. Therefore:
- In a positive context, they can be used to represent strength, longevity, prosperity, maturity, things that are established, and things that can be relied upon.
- In a negative context, they could be situations that seem difficult to change.
The following quote illustrates the difference between short-lived plant growth (like chaff), and a tree – which is established and longer lasting:
- Psalm 1:3-4, NIV That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
On the other hand, trees are made of wood, which is weaker/less permanent than rock or stone. Symbolically, rock or stone would normally be linked to God, and wood and trees would normally be linked to humanity. So, trees are generally about something strong/established in a human sense, but not as strong/enduring as God, his word, or heavenly things.
Trees and the tree of Life
In the bible, trees are also used to represent the tree of life, which relates to God’s Holy Spirit as our true source. Closely linked to this image is the river of life, which is another symbol of the Holy Spirit. When these are our true source, then we will prosper, and experience abundant life as described earlier.
- Ezekiel 47:12, NASB Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail… because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.
Trees need a huge amount of water to grow, and they have a vast root system for finding water and other nutrients. This feature can be used to speak about our connection to God and drawing from him – rather than mankind or the things around us.
So, a flourishing tree in a dream suggests spiritual wellbeing – and can reflect the condition of our relationship with God.
Trees as knowledge and belief systems
Trees can also be associated with knowledge. We sometimes talk about knowledge trees, due to the way different ideas and concepts link up in a tree-like hierarchy.
Trees in dreams could symbolise knowledge systems, particularly strong beliefs that have been established for a long time. This could be positive or negative, depending on whether the knowledge is founded on truth or not.
In a biblical sense, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the opposite of the tree of life, and speaks of relying on our own human effort, knowledge, and understanding.
- Genesis 2:8, NIV In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
- Genesis 2:17, NIV You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.
Knowledge can be good and helpful, but if it does not come from truth, the word of God, and the tree of life – it is not life-giving.
- Isaiah 40:8, NIV The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.
Dreams of trees, plants, and grass – and their condition in the dream – can help us grasp which source our understanding is coming from, and whether it is true and helpful for us.
Real dream examples: Trees as belief systems
| Dream | Meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| I dreamed I saw a tree with a huge orange and brown snake in it. The snake nearly went down to the bottom of the tree. | God was about to reveal a stronghold (wrong belief system) in my life that originated from early childhood. | Brown can be humanity, and orange represented longevity like the tree. A snake is usually a lie or false belief. |
| I dreamed I was looking in my childhood front garden. Lots of little trees had been allowed to spring up, I would have to systematically pull them out and put in fresh soil. | God was going to take me through a process of changing my thinking, but it would be one small step/revelation at a time rather than a sudden shift. | A childhood house is often about our own life and identity. The front was the future. The trees were ideas/beliefs here. |
Trees as people
A tree can be used in dreams to symbolise a person, and the characteristics of the tree in the dream would relate to the life of the person in some way. This is most likely to be reflecting the person dreaming – but might be another person.
As quoted earlier, Psalm 1 compares a person to a tree, as does this similar passage in Jeremiah 17:
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV
The things that happen to the tree can relate to our life and health, as previously described.
Trees as leaders
I have found that trees most often represent leaders, or leadership, in dreams – and this is the first meaning I would normally consider for a tree.
We even have a real dream example of this in the bible, in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream:
There before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.
[A messenger] called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit… But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field… Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.’
In this dream, the huge tree represented Nebuchadnezzar as an established leader. His great influnce was reflected in the size of the tree and in the branches which extended out.
His dream was a warning that if he did not change, he would go through a period of humbling and losing his position (symbolised by the tree being cut down to a stump) for 7 years until he acknowledged God as Lord of all. Daniel interpreted this dream in the rest of the chapter.
The whole of Daniel chapter 4 is worth reading as a biblical example of a tree in a dream.
There is another parable in Judges 9:8-15 about the sons of Gideon – which compares various leaders to different types of trees. Some of them are good leaders (olive tree, fig tree, and vine – which all bear good fruit), and one of them is a bad leader (a thornbush).
Jesus also compared the religious leaders of his day to trees who were in danger of being cut down! In this specific illustration, he used the root of the tree to symbolise the temple system in Jerusalem which would be soon coming down (this happened in AD70):
- Matthew 3:7,10, NASB But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers… the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Woods and forests in dreams can also be about leadership systems or leadership situations.
When I dream about trees, woods, and forests, I always start by considering whether they represent leaders, leadership situations, and leadership systems. Very often, I find that this is the correct interpretation.
Trees as organisations and systems
Trees can also be groups of people and systems, such as the Jewish temple system in the previous reference.
A huge tree could be a big organisation, people group, or nation. The branches could be different areas or ‘branches’ of the organisation. The size of the tree might relate to the size of the organisation.
In a similar way, trees could represent nations, kingdoms, and empires. Ezekiel 31 compares various nations to trees in God’s garden (the world). In the Old Testament, at various different times, the nation of Israel was likened to a vine, a fig tree, an olive tree, and cedars of Lebanon. Assyria was compared to a cedar of Lebanon.
- Ezekiel 31:3, NASB Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches and forest shade, and very high.
Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a mustard seed which grows from something small (the seed) into a huge tree (Luke 13:19).
Real dream examples: Trees as people and leadership
| Dream | Meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| I dreamed I was looking in my childhood garden when suddenly a huge tree crashed down, making me jump. It was cut down. I walked away looking at my phone. | At some point my leadership role would suddenly be removed from me, but I should walk away and focus on new vision. | A childhood house is often about our own life and identity. A phone is often about vision, identity and connection with God. |
| I dreamed I saw a stump of a tree on the ground, which suddenly grew into a full-grown tree again. | My leadership role would seem to be gone, but suddenly be restored again. | This tree was reflecting me and linked to the dream above. |
| I dreamed I was on a journey amidst some tall trees. We looked at a map. A new part of the journey was about to start towards the M26 motorway. | I was about to start on a new stage of my leadership journey, and the dream was giving a roadmap for the next few years. | The tall trees were other leaders around me. A map is often about guidance and direction. The M26 points towards 2026. |
More tree-related dream symbols
Here are some more potential dream elements relating to trees. These meanings are not set in stone, but rather suggested ideas to help get you thinking metaphorically. They might mean something different in your dream:
Roots: Roots are generally about the source or foundation of something, e.g. heart values, an idea system, belief or stronghold, an attitude such as love or bitterness, God’s word, or man’s ideas.
Branches: Jesus likened himself to a vine, and we are the branches; in this illustration, if the roots of the tree are in Christ, then the branches bear good fruit. Branches could be individual people, but also other things like ideas, values, groups, systems, etc. They could symbolise an extension of something or further reach (like branching out), or a subdivision of something.
Leaves: Leaves are rather like fruit in that they represent results according to the health of the tree. The state (and greenness) of the leaves can indicate state of wellbeing. They could be people or other things.
Fruit: Fruit generally represents results. The amount of fruit and its quality depends on the roots. Good fruit results from making God our source: It could be character (fruit of the Spirit), financial, or abundance in any area of life. The degree of ripeness could indicate timing factors.
- Matthew 7:17, NIV So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
Cutting down a tree: A tree being cut down suggests an established area of life being lost or coming to an end, such as a leadership role, job, ministry, way of thinking, source of security, etc. If the stump is left, there is potential for restoration. If the roots are pulled out (or uprooted), then it has been dealt with at the source (see roots).
- Job 19:10, NIV He has uprooted my hope like a tree.
- Job 14:7, NIV For there is hope for a tree, when it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and its shoots will not fail.
Seasons: Trees in dreams can be good indicators of life seasons (new blossom, fruit, leaves changing colour or falling, etc.). They can also reveal the spiritual atmosphere (wind blowing through the trees, etc.).
Woods and forests: These can be leadership teams, groups of leaders, leadership situations, or being ‘under’ leadership – which could either be positive or negative. If they are dark woods, the meaning might relate generally to darkness and indicate difficult times, a scary situation, or a lack of God’s felt presence.
Also look out for wordplays. For example:
- A silver birch tree in a negative context could represent religious legalism in leadership – which relates to the meaning of silver as legalism, plus trees as leaders.
- A giant redwood tree in a positive context could be about a mature, wise, and anointed leader – relating to the colour red, and the huge height of the tree (suggesting longevity).
Forest green: As a colour, this is a wordplay – and this can be about leadership.
Specific types of trees
If you dream of a specific type of tree, it might mean something different to the ideas we have discussed.
Use the 10 clues for interpreting dream symbols to investigate what it could mean. In particular, think about whether the tree appears in the bible, what the name of the tree means, plus other characteristics of the tree.
Think about wordplays, and whether it means something personally to you.
- See the infographic below for a summary of specific ideas to consider for trees.
The following article discusses the symbolism of various trees that appear in the bible and what they meant, including acacia trees, almond trees, cedar trees, fig trees, grapevines, oak trees, olive trees, pomegranate trees, sycamore trees, and tamarisk trees:
- Trees in the bible at olivetree.com
This article lists bible references and meanings for lots of types of trees: https://christiananswers.net/dictionary/trees.html
Real dream examples: Different trees
| Dream | Meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| I dreamed I was looking at a willow tree and commenting how they are planted by water and need a huge amount of water to survive. | In the coming months I would need to deliberately focus on listening to God, rather than looking to the things around me. | The meaning of the willow tree was explained in the dream itself. The tree and water reflected me and my relationship with God. |
| I dreamed there was a palm tree in my garden which had dropped peaches everywhere and I kept finding more of them. | This dream was when I had recently started writing this blog, and it was encouraging me to keep going because God was in it. | The palm tree suggested I was flourishing in this new writing role. The peaches were ideas God kept giving me for blog posts. |
Conclusion
We have seen how trees can generally represent aspects of our spiritual life, growth, and health. They can indicate whether the source of something is God (positive) or something else (negative). They generally symbolise something stronger and more established than plants, but human, and therefore less solid or long-lasting than God. In addition:
- Trees can represent people, organisations, nations, empires, and kingdoms.
- Trees can represent knowledge, beliefs, and systems.
- Trees and woods/forests can represent leaders, leadership situations, and leadership systems. I have found this to be the most common meaning of trees in dreams.
There are also many different types of trees that could have specific meanings. We considered some questions to help determine their meaning in any given dream (see infographic below).
Some closing thoughts:
- Trees in a dream could represent any number of things. The above pointers should give you a good starting point.
- I believe that only God can tell us what a particular tree means in a specific dream, so try praying through the dream.
- Consider the atmosphere of the dream, and whether the tree is being used in a positive or negative sense.
- In addition to the meanings that I have shared, remember that it could mean something personal or culturally significant to you, that isn’t mentioned here.
And finally… have fun investigating the trees in your dreams! If this article has helped you interpret a dream, please leave a comment!
Infographic: Trees in dreams
Content Disclaimer
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. Jennifer Needham disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.
Thank you so much for this thorough description of trees, Jenna!!