Weather
Summary
The climate of Palestine was characterized by hot, dry summers and cooler, rainy winters, with weather patterns viewed as under God's sovereign control.
☩Climate of Palestine
Palestine's weather is subtropical with humid, cold winters and hot, dry summers. The rainy season runs from October to April, with early rains in autumn and later rains in spring essential for agriculture. The hot season from April to September is almost without rain, making farmers dependent on dews, wells, and stored water. The temperature varies with elevation—cooler in the mountains, extremely hot in the Jordan Valley and along the Dead Sea.
☩Weather Signs
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their ability to read weather signs while failing to discern spiritual signs. They could say 'It will be fair weather' when the sky was red at evening, or 'foul weather' when the sky was red and threatening in morning, yet they could not read the signs of the times. The general conditions in each season were predictable, but precise daily weather was hard to forecast due to the complex geography of mountains, desert, and sea.
☩Theological Significance
Israelites understood their God to be in control of weather. Rain signified God's continued blessing; its absence, His judgment. If they obeyed Him, He would send rain in its season; if they turned to other gods, He would send drought and disaster. This theological understanding stood in sharp contrast to Canaanite beliefs about Baal as the storm god, making weather a battleground of competing religions.
Related Verses36 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Weather," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Weather," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Don Fleming, "Weather," in Bridgeway Bible Dictionary (Bridgeway Publications, 1990).