Reference: Winds
American
Mt 24:31. The winds which most commonly prevail in Palestine are from the western quarter, more usually perhaps from the south-west, Lu 12:54. Not infrequently a north wind arises, Job 37:9, which, as in ancient days, is till the sure harbinger of fair weather; illustrating the truth of the observation in Pr 25:23, "The north wind driveth away rain." For the tempestuous wind called EUROCLYDON, see that article.
But the wind most frequently mentioned in the Bible is the "cast wind," which is represented as blasting and drying up the fruits, Ge 41:6; Eze 17:10; 19:12, and also as blowing with great violence, Ps 48:7; Eze 27:26; Jon 4:8. It is also the "horrible tempest" literally the glow-wind, of Ps 11:6. This is a sultry and oppressive wind blowing from the south-east, and prevailing only in the hot and dry months of summer. Coming thus from the vast Arabian desert, it seems to increase the heat and drought of the season, and produces universal languor and debility. Rev. Dr. Eli Smith, who experienced it effects during the summer, at Beyrout, describes it as possessing the same qualities and characteristics as the Sirocco, which he had felt at Malta, and which also prevails in Sicily and Italy; except that the Sirocco, in passing over the sea, acquires great dampness. This wind is called by the Arabs the Simoom, by the Turks the Samuel; and by the Egyptians the Camsin; and has long been regarded as a pestilential wind, suddenly overtaking travelers and caravans in the deserts, and almost instantly destroying them by its poisonous and suffocating death. But late and judicious travelers find no evidence that this wind is laden with any poisonous influence. It is indeed oppressively hot and dry, rapidly evaporating the water in the ordinary skin bottles, stopping the perspiration of travelers, drying up the palate and the air passages, and producing great restlessness and exhaustion. As it often blows with a terrible roaring and violence, it carries dust and fine sand high up into the air, so that the whole atmosphere is lurid, and seems in a state of combustion, and the sun is shorn of his beams, and looks like a globe of dull smoldering fire. Both men and animals are greatly annoyed by the dust, and seek any practicable shelter or covering. The camels turn their backs, and hide their heads from it in the ground. It is often accompanied by local whirlwinds, which form pillars of sand and dust, rising high above the ground and moving with swiftness over the plain. Such a tempest may have suggested some features in the prophetic descriptions of the day of God's power: "wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood," Joe 2:30-31; Ac 2:19-20.
Dr. Thomson describes another variety of hot winds or siroccos, often more overwhelming than those just mentioned. The sky is covered with clouds, and pale lightning play through the air; but there is no rain, thunder, or wind. The heat, however, is intolerable; every traveler seeks a refuge, the birds hide themselves in the thickest shades, the fowls pant under the walls with open mouths, and no living thing is in motion.
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After them, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up.
The windstorm comes from its chamber, and the cold from the driving north winds.
He will rain burning coals and sulfur on the wicked; a scorching wind will be their portion.
as You wrecked the ships of Tarshish with the east wind.
The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
Even though it is planted, will it flourish? Won't it completely wither when the east wind strikes it? It will wither on the bed where it sprouted."
But it was uprooted in fury, thrown to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were torn off and dried up; fire consumed them.
Your rowers have brought you onto the high seas, but the east wind has shattered you in the heart of the sea.
I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and awe-inspiring Day of the Lord comes.
As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, "It's better for me to die than to live."
He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
He also said to the crowds: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, right away you say, 'A storm is coming,' and so it does.
I will display wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and remarkable day of the Lord comes;
Easton
blowing from the four quarters of heaven (Jer 49:36; Eze 37:9; Da 8:8; Zec 2:6). The east wind was parching (Eze 17:10; 19:12), and is sometimes mentioned as simply denoting a strong wind (Job 27:21; Isa 27:8). This wind prevails in Palestine from February to June, as the west wind (Lu 12:54) does from November to February. The south was a hot wind (Job 37:17; Lu 12:55). It swept over the Arabian peninsula. The rush of invaders is figuratively spoken of as a whirlwind (Isa 21:1); a commotion among the nations of the world as a striving of the four winds (Da 7:2). The winds are subject to the divine power (Ps 18:10; 135:7).
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An east wind picks him up, and he is gone; it carries him away from his place.
You whose clothes get hot when the south wind brings calm to the land,
He rode on a cherub and flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.
He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses.
An oracle against the desert by the sea: Like storms that pass over the Negev, it comes from the desert, from the land of terror.
You disputed with her by banishing and driving her away. He removed [her] with His severe storm on the day of the east wind.
I will bring the four winds against Elam from the four corners of the heavens, and I will scatter them to all these winds. There will not be a nation to which Elam's banished ones will not go.
Even though it is planted, will it flourish? Won't it completely wither when the east wind strikes it? It will wither on the bed where it sprouted."
But it was uprooted in fury, thrown to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were torn off and dried up; fire consumed them.
He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!"
Daniel said, "In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea.
Then the male goat became very great, but when he became powerful, the large horn was shattered. Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, [pointing] toward the four winds of heaven.
"Get up! Leave the land of the north"-the Lord's declaration-"for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven"-the Lord's declaration.
He also said to the crowds: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, right away you say, 'A storm is coming,' and so it does. And when the south wind is blowing, you say, 'It's going to be a scorcher!' and it is.
Fausets
The four represent the four quarters (Eze 37:9; Da 8:8; Mt 24:31; Jer 49:36). The N. wind was coldest (Song 4:16). The N. wind "awakes," i.e. arises strongly; the Holy Spirit as the Reprover of sin (Joh 16:8-11). The S. wind "comes" gently; the Comforter (Joh 14:16). The W. wind brings rain from the sea (1Ki 18:44-45); its precursor is cloud (Lu 12:54), prevailing in Palestine from November to February. The E. wind is tempestuous (Job 27:21) and, withering (Ge 41:23). The N. wind is first invoked (Song 4:16) to clear the air (Job 37:22); then the warm S. wind (Job 37:17; Lu 12:55); so the Holy Spirit first clears away mists of gloom, error, unbelief, and sin, which intercept the light of the Sun of righteousness, then infuses warmth (2Co 4:6), causing the graces to exhale their odor.
In Pr 25:23 "the N. wind driveth away (literally, causeth to grieve, so puts to flight) rain," so a frowning countenance drives away a backbiting tongue. So Vulgate, Chald., and Syriac less appropriately "bringeth forth rain." The N. wind prevails from June to the equinox, the N.W. wind thence to November. The E. wind, "the wind of the wilderness" (Job 1:19; 27:21; Jer 13:24). It is parching and penetrating, like the sirocco (Jon 4:8). The E. wind blowing from across the Red Sea, just at the Passover time of year, was the natural agency employed by divine interposition to part the waters of the Red Sea S. of Suez (Ex 14:21). The E. wind meant in Ge 41:6,23 is probably the S.E. wind blowing from the Arabian desert, called the chamsin, so parching as to wither up all grass; during it there is an entire absence of ozone in the air.
The samoom blows from the S.S.E.; blowing over the Arabian peninsula, it is parching when it reaches Palestine. Lake squalls (lailaps) are noticed Mr 4:37; Lu 8:23. The Greek (lips) name for S.W. wind, and the Latin (cores) N.W. wind, and the violent Euraquilon (not Euroclydon), E.N.E. wind, are noticed Ac 27:12,14. (See EUROCLYDON.) The E. wind symbolizes empty violence (Job 15:2; Ho 12:1; Israel "followeth after" not only vain but pernicious things) and destruction (Jer 18:17; Isa 27:8). Wind indicates speed (Ps 104:4; Heb 1:7), transitoriness (Job 7:7; Ps 78:39), the Holy Spirit (Joh 3:8; Ac 2:2; Ge 3:8 margin).
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Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
After them, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up.
After them, seven heads of grain- withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind-sprouted up.
After them, seven heads of grain- withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind-sprouted up.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea [back] with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided,
On the seventh time, he reported, "There's a cloud as small as a man's hand coming from the sea." Then Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Get [your chariot] ready and go down so the rain doesn't stop you.' " In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in [his chariot] and went to Jezreel.
Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!"
Remember that my life is [but] a breath. My eye will never again see anything good.
Does a wise man answer with empty counsel or fill himself with the hot east wind?
An east wind picks him up, and he is gone; it carries him away from his place.
An east wind picks him up, and he is gone; it carries him away from his place.
You whose clothes get hot when the south wind brings calm to the land,
Yet out of the north He comes, [shrouded] in a golden [glow]; awesome majesty surrounds Him.
He remembered that they were [only] flesh, a wind that passes and does not return.
and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.
The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
Awaken, north wind- come, south wind. Blow on my garden, and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my love come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits.
Awaken, north wind- come, south wind. Blow on my garden, and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my love come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits.
You disputed with her by banishing and driving her away. He removed [her] with His severe storm on the day of the east wind.
I will scatter you like drifting chaff before the desert wind.
I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind. I will show them [My] back and not [My] face on the day of their calamity.
I will bring the four winds against Elam from the four corners of the heavens, and I will scatter them to all these winds. There will not be a nation to which Elam's banished ones will not go.
He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!"
Then the male goat became very great, but when he became powerful, the large horn was shattered. Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, [pointing] toward the four winds of heaven.
Ephraim chases the wind and pursues the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and violence. He makes a covenant with Assyria, and olive oil is carried to Egypt.
As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, "It's better for me to die than to live."
He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.
and as they were sailing He fell asleep. Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake; they were being swamped and were in danger.
He also said to the crowds: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, right away you say, 'A storm is coming,' and so it does. And when the south wind is blowing, you say, 'It's going to be a scorcher!' and it is.
The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.
When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in Me; read more. about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying.
Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete open to the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.
But not long afterwards, a fierce wind called the "northeaster" rushed down from the island.
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness"-He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
And about the angels He says: He makes His angels winds, and His servants a fiery flame;
Smith
Winds.
That the Hebrews recognized the existence of four prevailing winds as issuing, broadly speaking, from the four cardinal points, north, south, east and west, may be inferred from their custom of using the expression "four winds" as equivalent to the "four quarters" of the hemisphere.
Eze 37:9; Da 8:8; Zec 2:6; Mt 24:31
The north wind, or, as it was usually called "the north," was naturally the coldest of the four, Ecclus. 43:20 and its presence is hence invoked as favorable to vegetation in
It is described in
as bringing rain; in this case we must understand the northwest wind. The northwest wind prevails from the autumnal equinox to the beginning of November, and the north wind from June to the equinox. The east wind crosses the sandy wastes of Arabia Deserts before reaching Palestine and was hence termed "the wind of the wilderness."
It blows with violence, and is hence supposed to be used generally for any violent wind.
Job 27:21; 38:24; Ps 48:7; Isa 27:8; Eze 27:26
In Palestine the east wind prevails from February to June. The south wind, which traverses the Arabian peninsula before reaching Palestine, must necessarily be extremely hot.
Job 37:17; Lu 12:55
The west and southwest winds reach Palestine loaded with moisture gathered from the Mediterranean, and are hence expressly termed by the Arabs "the fathers of the rain." Westerly winds prevail in Palestine from November to February. In addition to the four regular winds, we have notice in the Bible of the local squalls,
Mr 4:37; Lu 8:23
to which the Sea of Gennesareth was liable. In the narrative of St. Paul's voyage we meet with the Greek term Lips to describe the southwest wind; the Latin Carus or Caurus, the northwest wind
and Euroclydon, a wind of a very violent character coming from east-northeast.
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Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!"
An east wind picks him up, and he is gone; it carries him away from his place.
You whose clothes get hot when the south wind brings calm to the land,
What road leads to [the place] where light is dispersed? [Where is the source of] the east wind that spreads across the earth?
as You wrecked the ships of Tarshish with the east wind.
Awaken, north wind- come, south wind. Blow on my garden, and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my love come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits.
You disputed with her by banishing and driving her away. He removed [her] with His severe storm on the day of the east wind.
I will smash them against each other, fathers and sons alike"-the Lord's declaration. "I will allow no mercy, pity, or compassion [to keep Me] from destroying them."
Your rowers have brought you onto the high seas, but the east wind has shattered you in the heart of the sea.
He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!"
Then the male goat became very great, but when he became powerful, the large horn was shattered. Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, [pointing] toward the four winds of heaven.
"Get up! Leave the land of the north"-the Lord's declaration-"for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven"-the Lord's declaration.
He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.
and as they were sailing He fell asleep. Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake; they were being swamped and were in danger.
And when the south wind is blowing, you say, 'It's going to be a scorcher!' and it is.
But not long afterwards, a fierce wind called the "northeaster" rushed down from the island.