Camels in the Bible

When we look deeply into the Bible and Hebrew symbolism, the process of "ask, believe, receive" isn’t merely a surface teaching — it’s hidden in a rich network of symbols, including the camel.

In the Mathers table of Hebrew Letter correspondences, the letter Gimel (ג) corresponds to the number 3 and is symbolised by the camel (גמל, gamal). Far more than an animal of transport, the camel embodies the idea of carrying the unseen substance of faith across the wilderness, acting as a bridge between your inner assumption and its outer fulfilment.

Camels are famous for storing water, enabling them to cross deserts without apparent struggle. In spiritual symbolism, water represents faith, emotional nourishment, and the life-force that sustains your assumption. This mirrors Genesis 2:6:

"But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."
Here, the mist symbolises the subconscious rising up to nurture the seed of your desire — the "watering" necessary for manifestation.

We see this beautifully illustrated in the story of the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon:

"And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart." (1 Kings 10:2)

Sheba’s journey represents the movement of a deep inner desire (ask), carried steadily by the faith symbolised in her caravan of camels. Psyche-wise, women in the Bible personify the receptive power within the mind that gives form to the desires conceived by Man. The camels, laden with treasures and able to carry water across deserts, represent the inner persistence and calm trust needed to sustain your assumption across dry, seemingly barren stretches of time. When Sheba finally meets Solomon — who symbolises the state of peace (resting in assumption as in the first seven days) and fulfilled consciousness — she receives her answers, and an exchange of wealth takes place. This is the final "receive," the visible proof of her journey’s purpose.

This camel symbolism is also echoed in Genesis 24, when Rebekah meets Abraham’s servant Eliezer:

"And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking." (Genesis 24:18–19)

Rebekah’s act of watering the camels represents a subconscious readiness to nurture the promise — the willingness to lovingly sustain the assumption. She demonstrates generosity and faith, and as a result, becomes Isaac’s bride, a direct fulfilment of the divine plan (receive).

We also find a striking image in the story of Job:

"His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen..." (Job 1:3)

The camels here signify Job’s inner wealth and faith. When he loses them, it symbolises the loss of his inner conviction, his disturbance in consciousness. When his camels are restored in double measure (Job 42:12), it represents the rebirth of his faith and the doubling of his external blessings — showing the law of Assumption in action: when the state is restored internally, it must express itself outwardly.

Finally, Jesus’ teaching about the camel and the eye of a needle highlights the camel as a symbol of the state that must be refined:

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24)

In psychological terms, the "rich man" represents the self laden with outer attachments and doubts — a "camel" overloaded with burdens cannot pass through the narrow opening of the new state of consciousness. Only when these burdens are released can the passage into the "kingdom" (the new fulfilled state) occur.

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✨ A single, unified image

In all these stories, the camel acts as the carrier of faith — it quietly and persistently moves your assumption from inner desire to outer fact. It is the silent bridge (Gimel, 3) that joins the unseen with the seen. The camel holds water within (faith), like the mist rising from the ground, gently nourishing your inner garden without effort or strain.

The Queen of Sheba’s train of camels, Rebekah’s watering at the well, Job’s camels representing lost and restored faith, and Jesus’ camel at the needle’s eye all tell the same hidden story:

• Ask: Desire is conceived and set in motion.

• Believe: The camel (faith) carries it across the barren desert of doubt, nourished by inner water, unseen but unwavering.

• Receive: Like Sheba before Solomon, your desire stands before your inner king and is fulfilled; the "gifts" are exchanged, and your assumption is made flesh.

Through these vivid, dreamlike images, the Bible reveals not a moralistic or historical record, but a psychological guide to creation. You do not strive outwardly; you quietly water the state within, rest in the journey, and allow your camels to carry your treasures safely to their destination.