Biblical Meaning of Shark in Dreams

Sharks are one of the most terrifying and dangerous sea dwellers there are. They are usually found in deeper parts of the ocean, and they’re a predator to smaller fishes and other animals in the water. Unfortunately, humans fit into this latter group.

No wonder, dreaming of sharks often ends with the dreamer waking up screaming or in a cold sweat. Thankfully, the biblical meaning of shark in dreams is not as cut and dried as we think.

Whether it’s a great white shark or one of the more “friendly” types of sharks, to dream about them is something we humans are scared of. Dreams about sharks may have different meanings, but they tend to leave people feeling vulnerable.

A possible dream interpretation of a shark attack involves areas of our life we can’t fully control. When you dream of a shark attack, it can serve as a warning to you that you need to strengthen your faith in the Lord.

The Character of Sharks

Sharks are cold-blooded marine animals. In all the oceans and seas in the world, they are at the top of the food chain.

Most of the time, a dream involving a shark symbolizes people around you. Dreams about sharks can also represent the meaning behind social situations we may find ourselves in.

When you encounter scenes in your waking life where you have unshakeable feelings of imminent threat when in new social circles, seeing sharks in your dream means you need to pay attention to what’s going on around you.

Where Do Sharks Live?

Sharks thrive in dark waters. These represent our unconscious emotions, feelings, and desires. To dream about a shark may be a sign that certain parts of our real life are under threat of being attacked in the spirit world.

Dreaming of a shark biting you or several sharks attacking can be a reflection of your inner conflict between the values and virtues you know to be good and righteous and the actual feelings and actions you live out daily.

Going Past Fear

Sharks symbolize a distinct type of fear. You enter an emotional state involving threat and hesitation to move on coupled with the feeling of absolute uncertainty. It manifests itself in the form of a warning.

Naturally, one shark dream meaning could involve our uneasiness with others. When we feel attacked by other people or new situations, we sometimes lose the ability to think calmly and rationally. We jump to conclusions and point fingers. This is how a bad dream bears even more terrible consequences.

The Most Common Dreams About Sharks and Their Meanings

Shark dreams vary from situation to situation. The same person can have dreams about sharks at one point in their life, varying in dream interpretation and meaning from another dream at another point in time.

Sharks Swimming in a Pool

A possible dream meaning of sharks in the swimming pool is the sense of threat in your life. Usually, this is not physical danger but more about feeling vulnerable, fearing betrayal, and lack of trust.

The person that you’re fearing could be a close friend, family member, or coworker. This manifests itself in dreams where you feel that you’re under attack from a predator.

Generally, dreams about sharks in a swimming pool symbolize the invasion of your personal space by people you don’t trust.

Shark Dream While Pregnant

A lot of women have dreams about shark attacks, shark bites, or sharks appearing in one form or another.

For pregnant women, shark attack dreams have no effect on their daily life. But the common meaning of this dream points to a lot of the hesitation, fear, and anxiety they experience about the big change they’re going through: bearing bringing new life into this world.

Naturally, a lot of women who have shark dreams while pregnant rarely interpret such dreams as a good sign.

Sharks in the Bible

When the Bible speaks about fish like sharks, it’s in the context of food or situations like Jonah. But in all those mentions, sharks are not explicitly mentioned—much less described.

Fish, in the Bible, can stand for tranquility, balance, peace, and good luck—a sharp contrast to the image of sharks. It stands to reason that a shark dream can involve a severe disturbance of the stability that fish normally symbolize.

Bible Verses About Sea Dwellers

Leviticus 11:9-10: “These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. But anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming things in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you.”

Genesis 1:20: “And God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.'”

Psalm 148:7: “Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps.”

Daniel 7:3: “And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.”

Psalm 69:34: “Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.”

Evidently, when it comes to marine animals, the Old Testament is rather broad. We have to then look at the shark image in context to get a good stab at its specific dream meaning.

Different Meanings of Shark Dreams

When it comes to the contextual reading of shark dreams, here are just some possibilities. This list is not exhaustive.

Dreaming of a whale shark means that you’re about to receive an important message in your waking life. The specific dream meaning depends on how you interact with the shark. Are you under attack by the shark, or is it simply passing by in your dream? Is there an effect on the water?

Usually, when there is any disturbance in the water, this involves your unconscious emotions, as well as your level of self-awareness. This is your “meta-consciousness”: the ability to find meaning for yourself from the outside.

Dreaming of a baby shark can involve immature fears and mindsets.

When you transitioned from being a young child to an adult, you may have lost your sense of wonder, natural curiosity, and thirst for adventure. Some of this can resonate from the image of a baby shark when you’re dreaming. Possibly, the meaning of this dream could be about a re-connection with the things you have left behind.

Dreams of a Dead Shark

Usually, death and decay are very troubling in our waking lives. In a dream, it can mean that a lot of the difficulties, vulnerabilities, and problems that you’ve been facing for a long time are ending.

Allow yourself to breathe a sigh of relief when you get such a dream. These dreams may be telling you that your problems are under control because you’ve chosen to take control of certain things in your life.

Dreams of a Shark Attack and Killing a Shark

When you get the dream imagery of a shark swimming and biting around you while you try to kill it, focus on the details. How are you trying to kill it? Do you have a weapon? Are you swimming away or towards the shark? How is the shark responding in your dream? If you’re fighting bare-knuckled, where are you hitting the shark?

These small details in your dreams indicate the state of mind you’re at when facing difficulties and challenges in real life.

But be sure not to assume that you’re trying to kill the shark. In many cases, you may be thinking that you’re killing a shark when you’re actually running away.

What Does Dreaming of Catching a Shark Mean?

Catching a shark is normally a good sign in a dream. It means that you’ve decided to stop swimming away and take ownership of your situation.

Most people would rather imagine, explain, or excuse things away. Denial rarely deals with the problem. In fact, in many cases, it just makes it worse. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to stare it face to face.

By placing your trust and faith in the Lord, you’re making progress. Simple belief, whether in the truths of the Bible or the impressions you get when you pray, may go far, but not far enough.

If you feel that the Holy Spirit is talking to your heart, you need to trust God enough to act on that impression. Otherwise, the inspiration that you’re getting never fully makes it from your head to your heart.

Different Types of Sharks in Different Types of People

From time to time, you’ll have dreams that are so vivid and easy to relate to the people you know that there can be a one-to-one correlation. This is rare, but be on the lookout for it.

Again, the real meaning of your dream is the context. Still, here are some common correlations we see in our dreams.

Dreaming of sand sharks symbolizes a smart and cunning person. This is someone who cannot be easily trusted; you have to watch your back. But this person can also help you if doing so helps them.

A white shark or great white sharks symbolize someone you’re afraid of. This person casts a long shadow: it may or may not be justified. Whatever the case may be, your dream reflects that you feel that if you cross their path, you’ll suffer.

Bull sharks represent a nasty bully. Maybe there’s someone in your life that may seem small, weak, and unassuming, but they bully you on an emotional level. In many cases, you might not even be fully conscious of their emotional manipulation that leads you to be triggered against other people.

The most dangerous sharks or bullies are not those who threaten others with their physical might or their nasty words. The worst bullies are those that pit you against other people by picking on your insecurities. To them, it’s just a game. Your pain, anxiety, suffering, and depression are things that amuse them.

A hammerhead shark in your dream represents stubborn people. If you know somebody that can’t be convinced of anything, they might manifest themselves in your dream as hammerheads. Nurse sharks, on the other hand, are caretakers.

Sand tigers in your dream represent people who are aggressive unconsciously. These are people who push others around without being all too aware of doing so. They’re so focused on what they want and what’s good for them that they become blind to the negative effects on those around them.

Finally, a big black shark can symbolize illness and death, especially when there’s a shark bite involved. This is not automatically literal. It can also refer to an irrational amount of fear involving mortality.

The Final Word on the Biblical Meaning of Sharks

The good news is the more we look at our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the more we open our hearts to God’s strength. Pretty soon, we’re able to live the kind of life the Lord wills for us, not because of our own strength but because we’ve allowed Jesus to live in us.

As Apostle Paul writes, “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.” This is how you’re able to love your enemy. This is how you’re able to turn the other cheek and do the long list of things that Jesus said we all could do if we only allow Him to live fully in our hearts.

Dream Example #1

Ever since I was a kid. I was used to watching horror movies and thriller ones, especially sharks.

All the family members would all sit on the couch watching a Thriller shark killer movie. You’d probably said that I shouldn’t be scared of it already, but it is the opposite.

They preoccupied my mind to the point that I always dream about them. Every night when I would sleep alone in my bedroom, would always prefer the lights open.

My bedroom is higher than the ground. I would still have to have a chair near my bed to be able to climb up.

Every time I look down at that bed, it looked so high. I won’t bother getting down again. Afraid that there might be some monsters that would eat me right up if I peeked under my bed.

Though right now looking at it, it was just 2 meters high. It is indeed high for a 5-year-old kid.

That one night, I was alone in my room, and the lights came out. I almost shout in fear, so I hide under my blanket.

I was afraid. Furthermore, I get a lot more conscious of my surrounding.

The strong wind swayed the tree outside my window, causing a large banging sound. There was a storm that night.

I fall asleep as I hear the winds echoing in my ears. Then it followed in my dreams.

I can hear the strong wind. I saw myself at the front of the ocean. In the seashore and the sunset was swallowed by the sea.

I remember how I walked through the water. I looked down at my feet as they touched the water. I walked deeper and deeper until I cannot reach the land anymore. I was already under the water.

So I was trying to puddle my way up, catching for air. In my memory, the above the water seems so far away. Until I surrender, letting myself fall deep in the water.

All I saw was the blue water, getting darker and darker. I saw a little figure approaching me from afar.

It was coming in my direction. A small fish got larger as it approach me.

A large fish with triangular fin, and white skin that’s standing out from its blue surrounding. It is a shark, so familiar I can even recognize it without even looking.

It was approaching me slowly as its teeth became visible, and its long nose pointing in my direction, and its tail wagged left and right.

The Shark opened its mouth and was about to swallow me whole, and I woke up.

I did cry that morning because of my dream. My mom asked me, why did I cry. I said I dreamed about a shark. I remember well what she told me about it.

“Really? But when you dream about sharks, it can mean something evil.” I cried more because of what mom said.

Growing up, I have always been scared of sharks, even now.

Every time I dream of sharks, I will remember what mom told me. It always makes me overthink what it could mean, and something might be watching me or something.

It was just a biblical meaning, but I can’t help but think, what might lurk in that vast ocean.