Doves

Doves

Were clean according to the Mosaic ritual, and were offered in sacrifice, especially by the poor,  Genesis 15:9   Leviticus 5:7   12:6-8   Luke 2:24 . Several kinds of doves or pigeons frequented the Holy Land; and the immense flocks of them sometimes witnessed illustrate a passage in  Isaiah 60:8 . They are symbols of simplicity, innocence, and fidelity,  Hosea 7:11   Matthew 10:16 . The dove was the chosen harbinger of God's returning favor after the flood,  Genesis 8:1-22 , and was honored as an emblem of the Holy Spirit,  Matthew 3:16 . See Turtledove.