Biblical View of Water Spirits and Demons
While the Bible does not explicitly define "water spirits" as a distinct category, it does refer to spirits and demons, sometimes in contexts involving water, and water itself carries significant symbolic meaning. Demons are consistently depicted as spiritual beings hostile to God, capable of afflicting humanity with disease and spiritual defilement [2, 6]. They recognize Jesus as the Son of God and fear His power [2, 6].
In the New Testament, demons are often called "unclean spirits" [2, 6]. Revelation 16:13 describes "three unclean spirits, something like frogs" emerging from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet [3]. While not directly linked to water, the imagery of frogs, creatures associated with watery environments, might evoke a connection. In one instance, when Jesus walked on the sea, the disciples were troubled, believing they saw a "spirit" or "a demon in human form" [7]. This suggests a cultural understanding where apparitions, even over water, could be attributed to malevolent spirits.
Ancient traditions outside the biblical text, such as the Babylonian Talmud, speak of a specific "evil spirit that rules over water" called the shavrirei. This tradition advised against drinking water at night due to the danger posed by this spirit, suggesting remedies like waking another person or knocking on the jug [9, 11]. Patristic writers also discussed the presence of spirits in water. Tertullian, for example, noted that while a holy angel might temper waters for salvation, an "evil angel holds frequent profane commerce with the selfsame element to man's ruin" [10]. He also connected the Spirit of God hovering over the primeval waters to the sanctifying power in baptismal waters [12]. Augustine, too, mentioned "abominations of demons" associated with hydromancy, a form of divination using water [8].
Biblically, water is frequently a symbol of the Holy Spirit, representing cleansing, fertility, refreshment, and abundance [5]. For instance, John 7:38-39 speaks of rivers of living water flowing from believers, referring to the Spirit [5]. The Spirit descended like a dove upon Jesus as he came up from the water after his baptism [4]. John of Damascus, an Eastern Orthodox theologian, described water as one of God's beautiful creations, noting the Spirit of God moving upon its face in Genesis [13].
The concept of demons as fallen angels is also present, described as those who "kept not their first estate" and are the "principalities and powers" against which believers contend [6]. The sea itself can be a symbolic location, as seen in Revelation 15:2, where those who overcome the beast stand on a "sea of glass mixed with fire," a place of divine victory rather than demonic influence [1].
Sources
- Revelation “I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who overcame the beast, his image, and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. -- Revelation 15:2”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Demon — In the Gospels generally, in (James 2:19) and in Reve 16:14 The demons are spoken of as spiritual beings, at enmity with God, and having power to afflict man not only with disease, but, as is marked by the frequent epithet "un-clean," with spiritual pollution also. They "believe" the power of God "and tremble," (James 2:19) they recognized the Lord as the Son of God, (Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:41) and acknowledged the power of his name, used in exorcism. In the place of the name of Jehovah, by his appointed messengers, (Acts 19:15) and looked forward in terror to t”
- Revelation “I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, something like frogs; -- Revelation 16:13”
- Mark “Mark 1:10 (YLT) — and immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens dividing, and the Spirit as a dove coming down upon him;”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Emblems of the Holy Spirit, The — Water -- Joh 3:5; 7:38,39. Cleansing. -- Eze 16:9; 36:25; Eph 5:26; Heb 10:22. Fertilising. -- Ps 1:3; Isa 27:3,6; 44:3,4; 58:11. Refreshing. -- Ps 46:4; Isa 41:17,18. Abundant. -- Joh 7:37,38. Freely given. -- Isa 55:1; Joh 4:14; Re 22:17. Fire Purifying. -- Isa 4:4; Mal 3:2,3. Illuminating. -- Ex 13:21; Ps 78:14. Searching. -- Zep 1:12; 1Co 2:10. Wind Independent. -- Joh 3:8; 1Co 12:11. Powerful. -- 1Ki 19:11; Ac 2:2. Sensible in its effects. -- Joh 3:8. Reviving. -- Eze 37:9,10,14. Oil -- Ps 45:7. Healing. -- Lu 10:34; Re 3:18. Co”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Daemon — The Greek form, rendered "devil" in the Authorized Version of the New Testament. Daemons are spoken of as spiritual beings (Matt. 8:16; 10:1; 12:43-45) at enmity with God, and as having a certain power over man (James 2:19; Rev. 16:14). They recognize our Lord as the Son of God (Matt. 8:20; Luke 4:41). They belong to the number of those angels that "kept not their first estate," "unclean spirits," "fallen angels," the angels of the devil (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:7-9). They are the "principalities and powers" against which we must "wrestle" (Eph. 6:12).”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 14:25: And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,.... It being now morning, and perhaps might have moon light; and besides, there is always more light upon the water than land; they were able to discern something like a man, walking upon the surface of the sea, but had not light enough to distinguish what, or who it was; and, moreover, had no thought of Christ, or expectation of seeing him; and the appearance of a man walking upon the waters being so unusual, and astonishing, they were troubled, saying it is a spirit: a nocturnal apparition, a demon in human form”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 35.--CONCERNING THE HYDROMANCY THROUGH WHICH NUMA WAS BEFOOLED BY CERTAIN IMAGES OF DEMONS SEEN IN THE WATER. (part 2): to have them written by themselves, and removed from the knowledge of men by being buried in the earth. Wherefore the things which are written in those books were either abominations of demons, so foul and noxious as to render that whole civil theology execrable even in the eyes of such men as those senators, who had accepted so many shameful things in the sacred rites themselves, or they were nothing else than ”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 153b.24:5: The Sages taught: A person should not drink water at night. And if he drank, his blood is upon his own head, due to the danger. The Gemara asks: What is this danger? The Gemara answers: The danger of the shavrirei , an evil spirit that rules over water. And if he is thirsty, what is his remedy? If there is another person with him, he should wake him and say to him: I thirst for water, and then he may drink. And if there is no other person with him, he should knock with the lid on the jug and say to himself: So-and-so, son of so-and-so, your mother sai”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 3: Tertullian — CHAP. V.--USE MADE OF WATER BY THE HEATHEN. TYPE OF THE ANGEL AT THE POOL OF BETHSAIDA.[5] (part 2): hydro-phobic." Why have we adduced these instances? Lest any think it too hard far belief that a holy angel of God should grant his presence to waters, to temper them to man's salvation; while the evil angel holds frequent profane commerce with the selfsame element to man's ruin. If it seems a novelty for an angel to be present in waters, an example of what was to come to pass has forerun. An angel, by his intervention, was wont to stir the pool at Bethsaida.[14] They wh”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 12b.5: The Sages taught: A person should not drink water at night. And if he drank, his blood is upon his own head, due to the danger. The Gemara asks: What is this danger? The Gemara answers: The danger of the shavrirei , an evil spirit that rules over water. And if he is thirsty, what is his remedy? If there is another person with him, he should wake him and say to him: I thirst for water, and then he may drink. And if there is no other person with him, he should knock with the lid on the jug and say to himself: So-and-so, son of so-and-so, your mother said to”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 3: Tertullian — CHAP. IV.--THE PRIMEVAL HOVERING OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD OVER THE WATERS TYPICAL OFBAPTISM.THE UNIVERSAL ELEMENT OF WATER THUS MADE A CHANNEL OF SANCTIFICATION. RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN THE OUTWARD (part 1): But it will suffice to have this called at the outset those points in which withal is recognised that primary principle of baptism,--which was even then fore-noted by the very attitude assumed for a type of baptism,--that the Spirit of God, who hovered over (the waters) from the beginning, would continue to linger over the waters of the baptized.[12] But a holy t”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 24: Chapter IX .— Concerning the waters. Water also is one of the four elements, the most beautiful of God’s creations. It is both wet and cold, heavy, and with a tendency to descend, and flows with great readiness. It is this the Holy Scripture has in view when it says, And darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters 1743 1743 Gen. i. 2 . . For the deep is nothing else than a huge quantity of water whose limit man cannot comprehend. In the beginning, indeed, the water lay a”