A pigeon
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Peristera names a dove or pigeon, an ordinary bird that appears in the New Testament in several distinct settings. At Jesus' baptism, the Spirit descends like a dove, so the word helps readers notice visible testimony without confusing the Spirit with the bird itself.
Reader summary
Full entry for περιστερά (G4058) · Open the biblical lexicon
Peristera names a dove or pigeon, an ordinary bird that appears in the New Testament in several distinct settings. At Jesus' baptism, the Spirit descends like a dove, so the word helps readers notice visible testimony without confusing the Spirit with the bird itself.
The BSB source-word alignment has 10 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include doves (5), a dove (4), pigeons (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 3:16. Its strongest book concentrations include John (3), Matthew (3), Luke (2), Mark (2).
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
Peristera names a dove or pigeon, an ordinary bird that appears in the New Testament in several distinct settings. At Jesus' baptism, the Spirit descends like a dove, so the word helps readers notice visible testimony without confusing the Spirit with the bird itself. In Jesus' mission instructions, doves become an image of innocence joined to wise alertness.
In Luke's infancy narrative, pigeons belong to the offering named in the Law, marking Mary and Joseph's obedience and humble station. In John's temple scene, doves appear in the marketplace Jesus drives from His Father's house. Peristera therefore moves from creation image to temple practice, public witness, and discipleship posture. It should be taught by context, not as a free-floating symbol for peace or sentiment.
Peristera names doves or pigeons in baptism, mission, sacrifice, and temple scenes. The word serves visible comparison, lawful offering, and discipleship imagery without carrying one fixed symbol everywhere.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.
Matthew describes the Spirit of God descending like a dove after Jesus is baptized.
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Jesus pairs innocence like doves with shrewdness like snakes as He sends His disciples into danger.
And to offer the sacrifice specified in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
Luke names the poor family's offering from the Law as Mary and Joseph present Jesus.
And the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Luke gives a bodily-form comparison as the Spirit descends and the Father declares His pleasure in the Son.
Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him.
John the Baptist testifies that he saw the Spirit descending like a dove and remaining on Jesus.
To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!”
Jesus addresses those selling doves as He refuses to let His Father's house become a marketplace.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. OT sacrifice bird symbolizing innocence and purity; NT symbol of Holy Spirit descent at Jesus' baptism.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
10 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a dove
Read versea dove
Read versea dove
Read versea dove
Read versea dove
Read versea dove
Read versea dove
Read versea dove
Read versea dove
Read versea dove
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 10 lexical occurrence verses.
περιστερά is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.
Peristera shows how a simple created image can serve several biblical purposes without becoming a theological shortcut. At the baptism of Jesus, the comparison to a dove makes the Spirit's descent visible in the narrative and joins the Father's voice in identifying the Son. In Matthew 10, the same word helps form disciples for vulnerable mission: innocence must not mean naivety, and wisdom must not become cynicism.
In Luke 2, pigeons belong to faithful obedience under the Law and show the lowliness of the household into which the Son came. In John 2, doves in the temple courts expose a marketplace problem in a holy place. The word helps teachers keep symbol, setting, worship, and mission distinct while letting each passage speak clearly.
John.1.32
Peristera can refer to doves or pigeons depending on context. English translations may choose one or the other when the passage concerns comparison, sacrificial birds, or animals sold in the temple courts.
The Law provides a background for birds offered by poorer Israelites, and the Gospels use the same kind of creature in baptismal comparison and temple scenes. Teachers should connect those settings carefully: lawful offering, public testimony, and temple purity are related by worship, but they are not the same claim.