Discussion Questions
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Read Acts 27:14. To which type of wind is Luke referring, and how does it play a role in this story?
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45 Replies
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A wind of hurricane force, called a Northeaster, swept down from the island. It nearly destroys the ship and they are forced to travel the path that the storm takes them and causes them to have a shipwreck.
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A Northeaster or frontal rain. The wind stranded Paul while he was under arrest.
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Might be the winter storm. That was the type of wind in the season that stop the trade sea route.
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Luke was referring to a violent wind, called Euraquilo (a northeaster a tempestouous windstorm like a thyphoon) came rushing down from the island and they could not continue on with their travel as planned – they had to take shelter in a small island for safety.
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The event depicted in Acts 27:14 involved Paul being shipwrecked in the Mediterranean Sea. The vicious winds that he and the ship encountered on that day were most likely from a Medicane, a Mediterranean hurricane. It is a common and dangerous winter phenomenon that involves an intense area of low pressure that meets with the typical high pressure of the region and it resulted in many shipwrecks and little to no travel for fear of encountering this type of weather. Actually, this passage is one of the most detailed descriptions of such an event that can be found in ancient literature from the area.
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How are the summer and winter seasons most like and unlike the weather where you live?
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34 Replies
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We have hot summer months and we can have several weeks of drought, but it does not last for multiple months at a time. We have snow in the winter and always easy access to water for all activities of life.
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In Ohio the weather is unpredictable. It can be all seasons in a week but the summer is generally insanely hot and the winter usually has super cold days, but this year we had a drought that ended yesterday. We have the great lakes which provide us water regardless of rain or drought.
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<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: var(–bb-primary-color); background-color: var(–bb-content-background-color);”>The weather here in Singapore is perpetually hot and humid. The island is very close to the equator, which means it doesn’t experience four distinct seasons as Promised Land does. Rather, it goes through a ‘dry’ season (March to August) and a ‘wet’ season (September to February).
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As in Israel the summer is the hottest months here and winter months are the coldest. However, where I live differs greatly from Israel in many ways. Our summers are quite hot and yet humid here because we are subtropical but also temperate. We receive our least rainfall in summer but usually it is adequate to avoid drought. Although it is often dry enough to prohibit burning outdoors. Our winters are relatively mild and we do not see much snow but receive rain and wintry mixes throughout the winter season. We always have adequate water supplies, thanks to a man-made lake and system of dams. There are several rivers that flow here and when the water supply is threatened, they either release water from the dam to prevent flooding or drop the lake levels accordingly to divert to the available drinking supply. Additionally, some water use restrictions, like how frequently you may wash your car or water your lawn, are enforced to ensure an adequate supply of drinking water.
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In Africa there is no snow. the most noticeable seasons I experienced are summer and falls. the fall season is silly and dry weather but no snow. the summer season have much rain.
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Read Job 15:2. To which type of wind is Job referring, and how does it play a role in what he is saying?
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32 Replies
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He describes a person who is filling their belly with a hot east wind. It goes on to say that their words are useless with speech that has no value. Perhaps this hot wind is of no value because it does not cool anyone off as it should and undermines the intent of the wind.
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The type of wind being referred to in Job 15:2 is the east wind – which is known to be violent, withering and parching. What is being implied in using the wind analogy here is that the talk is strong and challenging, as I understand it.
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Job is referring to the dreaded khamsin winds that would blow in from the eastern desert. These winds would raise the temperature of the area significantly in a matter of moments, virtually eliminate the relative humidity, and come with wind speeds up to 60 mph. These winds would stir up dust and create a fine haze that lingered. It was essentially a sustained sandstorm. This scripture refers to the preference of wisdom over mere knowledge and also speaks to the dangers of knowledge because it is often hollow and ever changing whereas wisdom is constant and unchanging. The tempestuous stormy winds mentioned here served as a vivid word picture for the use of idle words.
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This is a hot wind blowing from the east. Job’s companion Eliphaz is criticizing him for defending God and wants him to shut up and accept his unfortunate fate.
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This is a khamsin wind, with hot and dry air that comes from the desert from the East. Here the author is saying that empty words are like hot winds that scorch and dry a land.
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What is the relationship of the rainfall cycle to the cycle of grain agriculture in ancient Israel?
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28 Replies
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The amount of growth of the grain is dependent upon the amount of rainfall for ancient Israel. Without rain, they cannot produce food and have a famine. A time of good rainfall will produce crops that will sustain the people for many years.
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Adequate rainfall and the conservation of the available water was essential to the cycle of grain production in ancient Israel. There was only approximately 25% of the land (largely in the northern region) that was fit for agricultural purposes. This production was dependent on sufficient rainfall and/or storing and accessing water for growing crops, especially grain. Without enough rainfall and with any drought, famine would be inevitable. So, the residents of ancient Israel dedicated a significant amount of time and attention to finding, developing, maintaining, and defending their freshwater resources. This consisted of preserving the winter rains for summer use, since there could be months and even years without significant rainfall in the region.
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The residents of this land dedicated significant time and attention to the identification, development, maintenance, and defense of a freshwater resource which preserved the winter rains for summer use.
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The rainfall season in Ancient Israel was between October through May. Depending on the type of grain, harvesting was done during the months of March through May Grapes were harvested around August Farmers depended on rainfalls because the “river valleys” in the area were not suited for irrigation systems. I googled the material refereed in the question;
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Drought was common in ancient Israel. Seasonal drought allowed for crops to only grow during the rainy season, so that people would have to plan their yearly food usage. However, larger droughts were also common so that in some years, it would be especially difficult to nearly impossible to grow grain or other crops.