What Does a Dragonfly Symbolize In The Bible (Meaning and Symbolism of Dragonflies)?

On the 2^nd Sunday of the year 2023, I was conversing with a fresh graduate from the university after church service. She told me that she had seen a dragonfly, and the spirit moved her to research the meaning of a dragonfly.

It was not a new topic to me because I had learned more about a dragonfly when I was a teenager. So then my good friend had so many questions about a dragonfly, and we had to exhaust the topic.

So we came up with possible answers to the main question; What Does A Dragonfly Symbolize In The Bible?

So join me in this article as I delve into the biblical meaning of a dragonfly and its spiritual meaning. I will also write about the prophetic meanings of a dragonfly and the different perceptions of the insect in different cultures.

Read on to find out.

What is the biblical meaning of a dragonfly?

The Bible does not give an exact interpretation of the dragonfly, but many believers associate the dragonfly with biblical messages.

The Biblical meaning of a dragonfly can be spiritual growth and development, which could be compared to its molting stages. The dragonfly molts 17 times, each time shedding off the old self and becoming new.

This could mean that Christians can grow and leave their past behind and become stronger in Christ.

Also, most people associate the dragonfly’s different habitats with biblical meanings. They suggest that when the dragonfly is immature, it leaves in water away from light.

It could be compared to a person who is emotionally hurt. So when it finally matures, it flies toward the light.

This implies that some emotional problems require spiritual approaches, in the same way, a dragonfly flues into the light after a long time of darkness.

How do dragonflies appear in the Bible?

Dragonflies are not directly mentioned in the Bible, but there are verses that compare to the life of a dragonfly. Verses that talk about growth and change can be used to explain the significance of a dragonfly in a Christian’s life.

A verse like 2^nd Corinthians 5:17 suggests that a Christian accepts the word of God and leaves the past to be new. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

The unique growth and transformation of a dragonfly could be compared to this verse because it also sheds off the past and becomes new.

10 Prophetic Meanings of Dragonfly

A dragonfly might bring a prophetic message of unexpected happiness

It is believed that a dragonfly can carry a prophecy of unexpected happiness. Most people associate this prophetic meaning with the nature of the dragonfly to be excited and full of freedom.

Therefore it is believed that when you see it or dream about it, you could start being happy because things will work out, including job promotion, among others.

They could mean that you need to stay determined

Another prophetic message of the dragonfly is that it could be telling you that your future calks for your determination.

It is often explained from the maturity stages of a dragonfly that they are always determined to grow and reach their full potential.

When dragonflies are not yet matured, they have a plain color, but they are believed to be full of determination to become beautiful with the colors that only mature dragonflies have.

Therefore, they strive to mature. In this sense, it could be telling you to stay determined because the future could be bright.

It could also be bringing a prophetic message of freedom

Another prophetic meaning of seeing a dragonfly could be that you are about to experience the freedom that you might have been longing to receive.

This prophetic meaning is often associated with how a dragonfly lacks freedom when it is immature; then it gets a lot of freedom when it is mature. Your situation makes you live a life of a captive. So you might feel the chains of captivity falling off.

Also, a dragonfly could carry a prophetic message that reveals to you that you are stressed

Sometimes you can experience difficulty in life in staying focused without knowing that you are stressed. When you see a dragonfly during hazy times, it could mean that you are stressed.

It is often associated with the idea that immature dragonflies live in water and under the sea, which is often connected to stress and depression.

It could also have a prophetic meaning of change in life

Seeing or dreaming of a dragonfly means that in the near future, you will experience immense changes in your life. In most cases, the change could be a positive change which is always associated with the change that a dragonfly experiences.

As a person, your current could be compared to the immature, fragile dragonfly that is dull and cannot fly. Then you see a dragonfly which implies that soon you will change and start being active, blooming, and living to the fullest.

It could also mean that you experience power in the future

This prophecy about power is often connected to the strength and power of a dragonfly to fly and look authoritative in the air. If you are a person who feels like you have less authority, you could as well claim the prophetic meaning of a dragonfly.

It could also mean that you might experience self-realization soon

You might be a person who has not realized your potential, so a prophetic message from a dragonfly could be that you might soon be realizing some major things about yourself.

This is often compared to the way a dragonfly barely knows how to fly when they are young and lies around. However, soon it realizes its potential and identity as a powerful flying dragonfly, and it flies freely and energetically.

Similarly, as a person, you might lack personal identity, which hinders you from a great performance, so a dragonfly could be meaning to tell you that you might be about to identify yourself.

It could mean that you might be about to meet new people

When a dragonfly flies around you, it could mean that you are about to meet new people and start to make friends with them.

This meaning is often associated with how a mature dragonfly flies away to meet other dragons after such a long time of being dull and immature.

In the same way, signaling you that the people you might start meeting soon can form part of your friend’s circle also because they have beautiful wings, which implies that the friends will color your life.

It could also mean that the future that is coming to you needs you to reduce your anger.

As human beings, we are often slow to anger which makes us overreact and destroy the plans that are ahead of us. So when you see a dragonfly, it could imply that your future requests you to avoid anger and stay humble.

It is often associated with the delicate nature of the dragonfly when it comes to flying. Had the dragonfly been doing things out of anger, it would have lost its wings and failed to fly. So stay happy like a dragonfly.

Also, it could mean that you require to be patient

Seeing a dragonfly could mean that you are being asked to start practicing patience. It is often compared to how the dragonfly is patient while it is in its immature stage.

The patience pays off because, eventually, it becomes a beautiful dragonfly that spreads its wings and flies. In this similar manner, the prophecy could be that when you start being patient, you might get what you truly deserve.

5 biblical symbolic meanings of a dragonfly

It could symbolically mean growth

Although the dragonfly is not explicitly mentioned anywhere in the Bible, the molting stages of the dragonfly could symbolize spiritual growth.

It is suggested that a dragonfly molts 17 times during its life, and each stage could take up to 7 months. This is the dragonfly experiencing different faces of growth, which could be compared to the necessary growth of a Christian.

The way the dragonfly sheds off the old is compared to how Christians should leave their old ways and grow. For example, the book of 1^st Peter 2:2 implies that Christians should always long for growth toward salvation: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.”

It could be a symbol of optimism

A dragonfly is believed to be carrying around positivity based on the colors of the light through its wings. It could symbolize the need for optimism in our life.

Amidst struggles of life and sadness, we as Christians are called upon by the word of God to remain hopeful and positive.

The Bible in Proverbs 23:18 implies that we should stay hopeful even in situations that are worst in our lives. Therefore a dragonfly could symbolize the message in the Bible for Christians going through so many struggles.

It could also symbolize the importance of not being so worried

A dragonfly could symbolize the need to live life to the fullest without letting the past or the future bother you. It is often associated with the fact that a dragonfly spends most of its time as a nymph and only flies for a short time of its life.

However, it flies so many miles, which could imply that it lives its life to the fullest despite the fact that its past was boring.

Similarly, as Christians, we should learn to live in the moment as we are urged in the book Matthew 6:31-32. It reads, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”

The Bible implies that God is aware that we need what we need, and he will provide; no amount of worries would change the situation.

It could symbolize the need for Christians to search deeper for their purpose

The dragonfly could symbolize the act of going beyond normalcy as it darts and flies on the water. This could mean that as Christians, we should not be in our comfort zone but rather take opportunities and risks to learn deeper about our purpose as Christians.

You could let go of the worldly things that prevent you from identifying your true purpose in the world, just like the dragonfly lets go of its comfort zone.

As Christians, we should let the word of God find our purposes, as implied in Hebrew 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

It could also symbolize determination

A dragonfly could symbolize the determination that a Christian could have to thrive in faith. It is often compared to the determination of the dragonfly to fly many miles in a short time; for instance, it flies 45 miles in an hour.

It is always determined to fly for longer distances because it is courageous, and it also knows that it has limited time in this world. Similarly, Christians are supposed to be determined so that they accomplish their goals with courage.

The Bible in 2^nd Timothy 5:7 implies that God wants us to be courageous so that we pursue Christianity with determination. The verse says, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

What is the spiritual meaning of dragonflies?

It could mean that you need to be more cautious

A dragonfly could have a spiritual meaning that there is more than what meets your eye. It could mean that you need to open your spiritual eye and see things that pose as good, yet they are bad.

It could be a warning to stop believing all that you see or hear.

It could mean that the dead are trying to communicate to you

It is believed that a dragonfly can be among the animals that the dead could use to communicate with the living. It is believed that when you see a live dragonfly or even a painting, the person who has departed recently could be trying to comfort you and make you feel loved.

It could mean that you should pay attention to your emotions

Another spiritual meaning of a dragonfly could be that you have to start paying attention to your emotions because they affect your spirituality. The environment around you does not make you thrive emotionally.

So when you see a dragonfly, it could be telling you that you need to change the environment for you to thrive emotionally.

It could also mean that you need to start having faith

A dragonfly could mean that you need to start taking steps of faith, like taking opportunities and risks that could lead to key changes in your life. It would help if you were thankful for what you have and then start with what you have together with your faith.

It could also mean that you need to step out of your estimate

A dragonfly could be a direction towards our destiny because it is believed that it comes to encourage the body and mind to move towards the soul’s destiny.

It could be that you are in your comfort zone, but you feel a force pulling you out, and you see a dragonfly; it could be a sign that time has come to step out.

What do dragonflies mean in different cultures?

Native American Culture

In many Native American tribes, dragonflies are considered auspicious animals and associated with medicine. As a common belief related to the orange dragonfly goes, when you see an orange dragonfly, you might have welcomed healing.

Other tribes connect the dragonfly to protection and being invincible. Most believe that a dragonfly carries a message to them that they would conquer.

The Zuni Tribe

Among the Zuni tribe, which is also American, they believe that the dragonfly is the messenger of the gods who give rain and protect them.

The myth goes like this; one time in ancient Zuni land, there was drought and infertility, meaning that there was no food and water. People had to migrate and look for better land, and they left two children behind, a boy and a girl.

The girl was so troubled because they were alone and would not have known how they would survive. So the boy being the caring brother, wanted to remove all worries from his sisters and cheer her up, making her a doll that looked like an insect.

Soon as he was done, when he gave the doll to her, it miraculously became a live insect.

This insect is believed to have been the dragonfly who told them that he was a messenger of the gods and had come to protect them.

When the girl became sick, the dragonfly had to go to the gods for help and come to help her restore her health. He would help the kids gather some food and soon teach them how to plant.

He asked the gods to send rain, and soon the original Zuni Land became green. The siblings also became leaders of the land who would respect the dragonfly and consult it when rains delayed.

Celtic Culture

Dragonflies are often associated with femininity, beauty, rebirth, and transitions. There is an Irish myth that records the transition of the dragonfly into a woman. It starts as a water drop that becomes a worm, then turns into a fly, and finally becomes a female human being.

The myth is that once upon a time, there was a married man named Midir who was injured in a foreign land. He had to be paid, and he was given a beautiful lady called E Tain, with whom he fell in love.

However, the first of Midir was jealous and used witchcraft to turn E Tain into water.

Still, Midir treasured that water, and it made her more jealous that she turned her into a worm. Midir still loved the worm and protected it, but his first wife was mad again and turned it into a big beautiful, and colorful fly that Midir still cherishes.

The wife opens the window, so E Tain flies towards her mother’s house and accidentally falls into her drinking water. The mother drinks it and becomes pregnant again, giving birth to E Tain, and Midir finds her again.

This story mirrors a whole cycle of life from birth to death and renewal that Celtic traditions believe in.

Japanese Culture

In Japanese culture, the dragonfly is also a spirit animal that is valued for its positive messages and meanings. In this culture, a dragonfly could mean rebirth, courage, and joy.

Chinese culture

A dragonfly in Chinese culture is connected to financial prosperity and growth. They affect businesses and careers positively as they are connected to good luck.

Most Chinese people print dragonflies in their homes and offices to attract good luck.

What does it mean when you see a dragonfly in your dreams?

When you see a dragonfly in your dreams, it could mean something positive, especially when you feel serene in that dream. A dragonfly in a dream could mean that you are most likely washing to be independent and free.

It could be associated with the way a dragonfly flies with a lot of freedom. Also, it could mean that your soul thirst for your youthful motivation.

It could be that you have recently been feeling unmotivated *and you do not see the need to press on. So when you are in such a situation and dream of a dragonfly, it could be a way of the spirit world motivating you.

What do different colors of dragonflies mean?

White Dragonfly

A white dragonfly could mean a number of things, including; the presence of angels, innocence and simplicity, and purity. It could mean that the dead could be trying to communicate with you through its presence.

The white color could be a reminder that there is going to be healing and acceptance of the departure of your loved one. It could also remind you that you need to focus on the joyful experiences during the time when the departed soul was alive.

Black dragonfly

A black dragonfly has both positive and negative meanings; it could mean secrets, disobedience, or even class. It could be a reminder to you that you have the power to enjoy your elegance in privacy even when the world is always busy trying to find out what goes on in your life.

It also could mean that it is time for you to cut off people who invade your privacy gently.

It could also mean that you have been disobedient recently. It could be that you are disobeying the instructions from the spirit world. So the black dragonfly could show up to remind you to be obedient.

Blue Dragonfly

The color blue is often said to be meaning loyalty, intelligence, trust, and faith. Therefore a blur dragonfly could communicate both loyalty and trust in often cases. It could remind you to stay loyal to your friends and trust them enough so that you act sincerely.

It could be that you are acting like you are giving someone the silent treatment, yet all your social media posts target them. This cannot be part of loyalty and trust, so a blue dragonfly can appear in your way to remind your loyalty and trust.

Brown dragonfly

When you see a brown dragonfly, it could mean that you need to get back to the roots of your life and search for the genuine people who affect your life so you start to appreciate them.

The brow color could represent ground, earthiness and stability, and a sense of security. Knowing those who truly got your back could provide you with a great sense of security that will help you pursue stability.

Yellow dragonfly

A yellow dragonfly could represent energy and youthfulness. It could be telling you to keep showing up for yourself even if you are so exhausted because it could determine the end of your journey.

Therefore you should search within you your youthful vigor and press on.

It also reminds you that you are supposed to do good in this world no matter the situation. The yellow color could represent the light that needs to be in your life.

If you see a yellow dragonfly, it could be an encouragement to keep acting in the light of the Lord.

Red Dragonfly

Although a red dragonfly is rare, it is often said that it could mean passion and power. The red color is often connected to passion and romance.

Therefore it is suggested that when you see a red dragonfly, it could remind you of the power your passion can grant you.

Purple Dragonfly

A purple dragonfly could mean that there is a need for you to connect with your higher self and power. You could strike a deep connection with the higher power through prayer and meditation.

It is believed that when you start connecting with your higher power, your soul will be at peace. Purple, as a color, also symbolizes peace in the sense that it initiates equilibrium.

Green Dragonfly

A green dragonfly could mean that there are feelings coming your way. The green color is often associated with feelings and rebirth.

This could imply that a green dragonfly could mean that you might receive a gift from a romantic relationship. Also, this could mean that you are experiencing a rebirth in terms of relationships.

Also, there could be prosperity coming your way. It could be career-wise, in relationships, or even in business. It is often suggested that the shiny green color represents fertility which could explain the prosperity.

Orange Dragonfly

An orange dragonfly could mean health. When you see an orange dragonfly, it could mean that there are aspects of your life that need nourishment to stay or become healthy.

You need to check on your spirituality and look for spiritual nourishment for you to have a healthy spirituality. Also, it could mean that you are going to receive healing, whether physically, emotionally, or mentally.

Also, an orange dragonfly could mean that your intuition and instincts could be right. Therefore you need to start trusting yourself because it is believed that the orange dragonfly makes careful moves.

So if you see it, it could be a carefully and intentionally calculated move.

What Does It Mean When A Dragonfly Flies Around You?

When a dragonfly flies around you, it could mean two things; your growth or a loved one who died is around you.

Dragonflies are often associated with growth and rebirth because of how they go through so many molting stages. In this manner, it could fly around you to emphasize that growth is coming your way, so you need to be keen and make the right decisions.

It could also mean that a loved one who is deceased is around you. Their spirit is trying to communicate something crucial to them.

What does a Swarm of Dragonflies mean in the Bible?

It is believed that a swarm of dragonflies could mean an emphasis on the message of one dragonfly. The main message of a dragonfly is often about growth, transformation, rebirth, and renewal.

It is therefore suggested that when you see a swarm of dragonflies, it is more emphasis on the message of growth. That message of growth is very significant to your purpose so that the spirit world could send a swarm.

Is encountering a dragonfly a good or bad omen?

In most cases, it is believed that encountering a dragonfly is a good omen because they always carry positive messages.

They are often associated with good luck in Chinese culture, where they believe that when a dragonfly comes to your house or business area, you might prosper.

Also, it is believed that a dragonfly could show up to remind you that you are powerful and blessed.