Storms on the Sea of Galilee Help Us Fresh-Water Lake, Making It Ideal for Better Understand and Appreciate What Those Involved in the Fishing Industry

STORMSon the Sea of Galilee

Looking westward across the Sea of Galilee from Hippos.

BY G. AL WRIGHT, JR. Galilee. How does knowing about the Many varieties of fish live in the storms on the Sea of Galilee help us fresh-water lake, making it ideal for better understand and appreciate what those involved in the fishing industry. VERYBODY TALKS ABOUT we read in the New Testament? A person can stand anywhere the weather. Even when we meet along the shore and see the expanse someone for the first time, we Geographical Features of the lake, which is defined by the tend to talk about the weather. Located at the northern end of the mountains that surround it. The ThisE article is about the weather. It Jordan River Valley, the Sea of Galilee mountains differ in height reaching is about one kind of weather. It is is 680 feet below sea level; measuring over 2,000 feet above sea level on the about one kind of weather in a par- 13 by 7 1/2 miles at its widest points, it eastern side of the sea at the Golan

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE (60/9593) ILLUSTRATOR ticular location—storms on the Sea of covers approximately 64 square miles. Heights. With its green and blue hues,

LIFEWAY.COM/BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR 79 the lake is beautiful to behold from in a physical sense and then simply have no end. James 1:6 uses the any vantage point. The ancient rabbis cite the reference for the symbolic term symbolically and translates it said, “Although God has created seven usage. Looking up these verses in as “surging sea.” seas, yet He has chosen this one as His which words are used symbolically Lailaps describes a severe wind- special delight.”1 But the beauty of this may help us better appreciate the storm or at its most extreme, a sea can turn ugly when a storm hits. force of the storms. hurricane.6 Used only three What do we know about the storms Anemos, which is translated times (“windstorm,” Mark 4:37; on the Sea of Galilee? “wind”2 (Mark 4:39),3 is used numer- “windstorm,” Luke 8:23; “storm,” ous times in the New Testament, but 2 Peter 2:17), this term describes the Storm Words Mark 4:35-41 uses it in conjunction most forceful of the weather condi- The New Testament records Jesus with two other storm words. The tions. This word depicts weather being involved with two storms on three, when used together, depict the that is both threatening and vio- the Sea of Galilee. In the first, He kind of tempestuous force that rocks a lent. This word is used symboli- walked on the water; in the sec- boat and all who are in it! The word is cally in 2 Peter 2:17. ond, He spoke and calmed a raging used symbolically in Ephesians 4:14 These four words together, all storm (Matt. 14:22-33; Mark 4:35-41). and is translated “wind.” used in the context of the storm The Gospel writers used four Kuma is translated “wave”4 stories in the New Testament, different Greek words that can help (Mark 4:37). When used in seem to point to three realties about us understand the nature and char- these storm stories, it accentu- these storms. They were sudden. acter of these storms. Each word ates the unpredictability and They were unpredictable. They also occurs elsewhere in the New instability of the situation. were often extremely violent. Do Testament in a symbolic sense. Jude 13 uses the word symbolically the meanings of these four words The symbolic usage helps illustrate and translates it as “waves.” validate what we know about the intensive force behind these Kludon can be roughly translated storms on the Sea of Galilee? words when used to describe a as “rough water”5 (“raging waves,” literal weather phenomenon. We Luke 8:24). This word pictures a will look at how the word is used succession of waves that seem to Sea of Galilee Weather Averages Wind averages in miles per hour Rain averages in inches

8.4 PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE (165/B/1799) ILLUSTRATOR 8.2 7.7 8.1

7.1 7.1 6.6 6.2 6.7 5.9 5.8 5.6

3.5 2.8 2.7 Above: The pits According to with stone floors early historians, 1.6 1.2 are saline pools at Magdala had a 1.2 the fish market in thriving salted fish 0.6 ancient Magdala, export enterprise, 0.5 0.1 0.1 which was the which allowed the 0 0 hometown of town to be self- JAN B AR AR AY JN JL A C N C Mary Magdalene. sustaining.

80 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / SUMMER 2020 the lake below. and drop suddenlyandseverely upon the storm come across the mountains perfect Thewinds that storm. create provide anoptimum setupfor the thus beingsurrounded by mountains end oftheGreat Rift Valley andits of theSeaGalileeat thenorthern to First, thisconclusion. thelocation violent. Several factors contribute unpredictable,den, andpotentially the seacanbecharacterized assud in theBible agree that astorm on nature ofthestorms that are recorded raphy oftheSeaGalileeand and energy to studying thetopog Most researchers whohave given time Storm Facts - - storms onthe seaisthat they were the words that are usedabout the location of theSeaGalileeand clear from boththegeographical dictable winds.What seemsto be masses create swirling andunpre colliding ofwarm andcold air suddenly andviolently. circumstances thecollision comes from the lake below. Under such meet thewarm airmass ascending descending from such a height to collision course for thecold air above sealevel, creates anatural side rising upwards of2,000 feet tains, particularly ontheeastern Third, thetopography andthe Second, theheightofmoun-

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE (165/B/2016) image of afish. remaining partial lower rightisa side.Inthe (stern) on the boat’s right steering rudder masts andthe mosaic showstwo 1st cent.AD.The sibly datedtothe fishing boat, pos- Left: Mosaicofa the Sea of Galilee. Above: Shore of - LIFEWAY.COM/BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR 81 Danker, 3rd ed.(Chicago:Univ. ofChicagoPress, 2000),77. Christian Literature [BDAG],rev. anded.Frederick William Greek-English LexiconoftheNewTestament andOtherEarly Waynesboro, Georgia. the First Baptist Church in G. AlWright, Jr., ispastor of Barry J.Beitzel(Bellingham,WA in BDAG, 581. Standard Bible(CSB). of thoseonboard. a boat, striking terror in the hearts cause waves to riseover thetop of duce ferocious winds that would passionately to thesea, and pro- over theGolanHeights,plunge fierce windstorms would sweep wind events, notrain events. The October 31,1989,www.jerusalemperspective.com/1476/. and brought calmto both. sea, anditwas Jesus whospoke It was thewind that agitated the waves all pointto thewindthat blows the accounts ofJesus calmingstorms , ed. Lexam GeographicCommentaryontheGospels , ed. 7. “WhatType ofStormsDidJesusCalm:WindorRain?” 6. “lai√lay“ (lailaps;whirlwind,hurricane)in 5. “klu/dwn(kludon,rough water)inBDAG,550. 4. “kuvma(kuma,wave)inBDAG,575. 3. AllScripture quotationsare from theChristian 2. “a‡nemoß(anemos,astrong wind)inWalter Bauer, A 1. Todd Bolen,“TheSeaofGalilee,”JerusalemPerspective, The words that are usedinthe —with no mention of rain. —with nomentionofrain. PHOTO BYJAMESBALLAONUNSPLASH 7

: Lexham, 2017), 177–80. : Lexham,2017),177–80. I