Think of this as a kind of dictionary article for "Storms." When skimming through my Bible dictionary, I found entries for "wind" and "rain" but not for "storm." Clearly I'm just OCD, but I want to see all of this data in the same article with the entry title "storm, storms." Weather PrimerMy guess is that a lot of people who stumble across this article are somewhat familiar with the weather of the Ancient Near East. If that's the case for you, feel free to skip ahead! Otherwise, here's a brief description of the kind of weather ancient Jews would have been familiar with. For the most part, the region is subtropical with cold winters and hot (dry) summers. The cool wind blows off the Mediterranean from the west, while the hot blast-furnace blows off the desert from the east. The mountainous region along the Jordan provides a natural barrier to all but the most severe phenomena and creates an unstable patch within. The drop in elevation from north to south also creates disparity in weather conditions. The Sea of Galilee is a particularly unique place in that it is surrounded by mountains; cool, dry air sinks down the mountains and meets the milder, wet air on the lake, regularly creating windy and violent conditions. The rainy season is basically October through March when the west winds prevail and the season is much cooler (even cold). Those rains fill the streambeds and cisterns that keep the area live during the dry summers. Rain is scarce in the coldest months of December and January, but snow falls regularly in the higher elevations. The Jordan valley is relatively mild, while the coastal plain is cold and windy. Once April hits, the east wind prevails and things turn terribly dry and hot. Just about all of the vegetation turns brown. At noon, the winds turn from the west. Sometimes they are strong enough to bring enough moisture and cold to create conditions for storms, but very rarely. Temperatures in the southern part of the region can stay about 90 for weeks. Harvest was influenced by weather conditions. Olives were harvested from late September to early November; barley from April to May; wheat from May to June; summer fruits from August to September. Harvest generally took place during the dry season. There are obviously going to be many different words related to a storm found in the Bible.
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AuthorIf I ever say something in here that doesn't make sense, please ask me to clarify. It always makes sense in my head, but that doesn't necessary mean anything to you . . . Categories
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