The Hebrew noun chalom means a dream, particularly a significant dream that may carry divine revelation or prophetic meaning. It occurs approximately 65 times in the Old Testament, concentrated in the narratives of the Patriarchs (especially Joseph, Genesis 37–41) and the wisdom literature, where dreams serve as a primary medium of divine communication.
Dreams in the Old Testament are neither uniformly trustworthy nor to be dismissed. God genuinely speaks through dreams (Numbers 12:6; Joel 2:28), but false prophets also claimed dream-visions (Jeremiah 23:25–27). The classic cases — Joseph (Genesis 37, 40–41), Solomon (1 Kings 3:5), Daniel (Daniel 7) — show that divinely given dreams serve God's redemptive purposes. Joel's eschatological promise (2:28–29) — 'your old men will dream dreams' — is cited by Peter at Pentecost as being fulfilled by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17). Dreams thus point toward the new covenant era when God's Spirit would dwell within all believers, making divine communication accessible to all.