Heat
Summary
Extreme temperature mentioned in Scripture both literally, referring to hot desert conditions and the deadly sirocco wind, and figuratively for divine judgment or human passion.
☩The Sirocco
References to deadly heat in Isaiah 49:10 and Revelation 7:16 likely describe the simoom or sirocco, the burning desert wind travelers describe as extremely pestilential and fatal. This may have been the instrument of God's destruction of Sennacherib's army (2 Kings 19:7, 35). Thevenot recorded incidents where such winds killed 20,000 men in one night (1658) and 4,000 persons (1655). The same phenomenon burns corn before harvest, explaining the imagery in 2 Kings 19:26.
☩Figurative Uses
Heat symbolizes divine judgment and the brevity of life. Psalm 103:15-16 and Jeremiah 4:11 use the scorching wind to picture how quickly human prosperity withers. James 1:11 employs similar imagery: the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the grass. Conversely, God's promise in Isaiah 49:10 that His redeemed 'shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them' pictures complete protection and provision.
Related Verses32 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Heat," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).