Dreams in the Hebrew Bible and Wisdom Literature

This essay argues that the Hebrew Bible's attitude toward dream divination varies. Using source criticism, it is suggested that reservations towards oneiromancy in general are found in Deutero-Zechariah and in Wisdom literature. Elswhere, dreams were regarded as legitimate forms of divination and certain rituals were employed to receive a dream from God. The analysis of dream reports in the Hebrew Bible suggests that incubation was practised. The paper presents different types of dreams to illustrate the nuances within this particular subject: dreams that convey a divine message to the dreamer, and symbolic dreams that foretell the future, a form of divination that the Bible regards as legitimate if the dreamer or dream-interpreter is divinely chosen.