Drought is a significant theme in the Bible, often symbolizing divine judgment, testing, or a call to repentance. It is a period of prolonged dryness that affects the land, leading to famine and hardship. In the biblical narrative, drought is frequently depicted as a tool used by God to communicate with His people, to discipline them, or to demonstrate His power and sovereignty.

Biblical Instances of Drought

1. Elijah and the Drought in Israel: One of the most notable instances of drought in the Bible is during the time of the prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 17:1, Elijah declares to King Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word." This drought lasted for three and a half years and was a direct result of Israel's idolatry and the worship of Baal. It served as a judgment against the nation and a challenge to the false god Baal, who was believed to control rain and fertility.

2. Drought as a Covenant Curse: In Deuteronomy 28, God outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience to His covenant. Among the curses for disobedience is drought: "The LORD will change the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed" (Deuteronomy 28:24). This passage underscores the conditional nature of Israel's relationship with God, where faithfulness leads to prosperity and rebellion results in calamity.

3. Drought in the Time of Jeremiah: The prophet Jeremiah also speaks of drought as a consequence of the people's sin. In Jeremiah 14:1-4, the drought is described in vivid terms, highlighting the suffering it brings: "Judah mourns, and her gates languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads" . This passage reflects the deep distress and humiliation that drought brings upon the people.

Theological Significance

Drought in the Bible is not merely a natural disaster but is often portrayed as a divine instrument. It serves several theological purposes:

· Judgment and Discipline: Drought is frequently a sign of God's judgment against sin and a call to repentance. It is a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the need for the people to return to Him.

· Testing and Dependence: Drought can also be a test of faith, as seen in the account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16). In times of drought, God's people are called to trust in His provision and sovereignty, even when circumstances seem dire.

· Divine Sovereignty: The control of rain and drought underscores God's sovereignty over creation. It is a demonstration that He alone is the true God, in contrast to the false gods of the nations.

Prophetic and Eschatological Dimensions

In the prophetic literature, drought is sometimes used metaphorically to describe spiritual barrenness or the absence of God's favor. For example, Amos 8:11 speaks of a "famine of hearing the words of the LORD," indicating a spiritual drought. Additionally, eschatological passages, such as those in Revelation, use drought imagery to describe the judgments that will occur in the end times (Revelation 11:6).

Overall, drought in the Bible serves as a powerful symbol of God's interaction with His people, calling them to repentance, faith, and recognition of His ultimate authority over all creation.Drought

Was an evil to which Palestine was naturally subject, as no rain fell from May to September. During these months of summer, the ground became parched and cleft, the streams and springs became dry, and vegetation was kept from extinction by the dews at night and by artificial irrigation. If rain did not come in its season and abundantly, the distress was general and dreadful. A drought therefore is threatened as one of God's sorest judgments, Job 24:19 Jeremiah 50:38 Joel 1:10-20 Haggai 1:11; and there are many allusions to its horrors in Scripture, De 28:23 Psalm 32:4 102:4.

From the middle of May to about the middle of August the land of Palestine is dry. It is then the "drought of summer" (Genesis 31:40; Psalm 32:4), and the land suffers (Deuteronomy 28:23 Psalm 102:4), vegetation being preserved only by the dews (Haggai 1:11). (see DEW.) 1. (n.) Prolonged lack of rain or of water; especially, such dryness of the weather as affects the earth, and prevents the growth of plants; aridity.

2. (n.) Thirst; want of drink.

3. (n.) Scarcity; lack.

DROUGHT

drout. See FAMINE.

850b. auchmeros -- dry, squalid
... dry, squalid. Transliteration: auchmeros Short Definition: dark. Word Origin from
auchmos (drought) Definition dry, squalid NASB Word Usage dark (1). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/850b.htm - 5k8514. talubah -- drought
... 8513, 8514. talubah or talubah. 8515 . drought. Transliteration: talubah or
talubah Phonetic Spelling: (tal-oo-baw') Short Definition: drought. ...
/hebrew/8514.htm - 6k

6723. tsiyyah -- dryness, drought
... dryness, drought. Transliteration: tsiyyah Phonetic Spelling: (tsee-yaw') Short
Definition: dry. ... barren, drought, dry land, place, solitary place, wilderness. ...
/hebrew/6723.htm - 6k

2721. choreb -- dryness, drought, heat
... dryness, drought, heat. Transliteration: choreb Phonetic Spelling: (kho'-reb) Short
Definition: desolation. desolation, drought, dry, heat, utterly, waste ...
/hebrew/2721.htm - 5k

2725. cherabon -- drought
... cherabon. 2726 . drought. Transliteration: cherabon Phonetic Spelling:
(khar-aw-bone') Short Definition: heat. ... drought. From charab; parching heat -- drought. ...
/hebrew/2725.htm - 6k

2721a. choreb -- dryness, drought, heat
... 2721, 2721a. choreb. 2721b . dryness, drought, heat. Transliteration: choreb
Short Definition: heat. Word Origin from chareb Definition ...
/hebrew/2721a.htm - 5k

1226. batstsoreth -- a dearth
... 1225, 1226. batstsoreth. 1227 . a dearth. Transliteration: batstsoreth Phonetic
Spelling: (bats-tso'-reth) Short Definition: drought. ... dearth, drought. ...
/hebrew/1226.htm - 6k

1224b. batstsarah -- dearth, destitution
... dearth, destitution. Transliteration: batstsarah Short Definition: drought. Word
Origin from batsar Definition dearth, destitution NASB Word Usage drought (1). ...
/hebrew/1224b.htm - 5k

6774. tsimmaon -- thirsty ground
... drought, dry ground, thirsty land. From tsame'; a thirsty place, ie Desert -- drought,
dry ground, thirsty land. see HEBREW tsame'. 6773, 6774. ...
/hebrew/6774.htm - 6k

6710. tsachtsachah -- a scorched region
... drought. From tsachach; a dry place, ie Desert -- drought. see HEBREW tsachach.
6709, 6710. tsachtsachah. 6711 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/6710.htm - 6k

6724. tsayon -- dryness, parched ground
... 6723, 6724. tsayon. 6725 . dryness, parched ground. Transliteration: tsayon
Phonetic Spelling: (tsee-yone') Short Definition: drought. ...
/hebrew/6724.htm - 6k

Letter iii. True Religion a Work of Grace in the Heart; but it ...
... out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall
be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall ...
/.../letter iii true religion a.htm

Triumphant Prayer
... A terrible drought has fallen upon the land, and the prophet's picture of it is,
if one might say so, like some of Dante's in its realism, in its tenderness ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/triumphant prayer.htm

A Prophet's Strange Providers
... In any case, the absence of explanation of reasons for the drought, or of credentials
of Elijah, or of offers of mercy on condition of repentance, give a ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/a prophets strange providers.htm

How Ahab when He had Taken Jezebel to Wife Became More Wicked than ...
... named cake; of which she had part for herself, and gave the rest to her son, and
to the prophet also; nor did any thing of this fall until the drought ceased. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 13 how ahab when.htm

Elijah the Tishbite
... On his way to Samaria, Elijah had passed by ever-flowing streams, hills covered
with verdure, and stately forests that seemed beyond the reach of drought. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 9 elijah the tishbite.htm

Smitten in Vain
... To Amos, famine, drought, blasting, locusts, pestilence, and probably earthquake,
were five messengers of God, and Amos was taught by God. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/smitten in vain.htm

Spiritual Dryness.
... He says, "And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought,
and make fat thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like ...
//christianbookshelf.org/orr/how to live a holy life/spiritual dryness.htm

Rhapsody
... I. Rhapsody of the Drought./ This is a simple and clear example of rhapsodic
writing. It opens with scenic description of the drought ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/rhapsody 2.htm

The Heath in the Desert and the Tree by the River
... out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall
be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the heath in the desert.htm

"And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. "
... which came to Isaiah, the son of Amos, concerning Judah and concerning Jerusalem,"
and "The Word which came to Jeremiah [4661] concerning the drought." We must ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/1 and the word was.htm

Drought (20 Occurrences)
... It is then the "drought of summer" (Genesis 31:40; Psalm 32:4), and the land suffers
(Deuteronomy 28:23 Psalm 102:4), vegetation being preserved only by the ...
/d/drought.htm - 13k

Elijah (104 Occurrences)
... Eleiou, New Testament Eleias or Elias, the King James Version of New Testament Elias):
Contents I. THE WORKS OF ELIJAH 1. The Judgment of Drought 2. The Ordeal ...
/e/elijah.htm - 71k

Droughts (3 Occurrences)
... Droughts (3 Occurrences). Psalms 32:4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon
me: My moisture was changed as with the drought of summer. Selah (See JPS YLT). ...
/d/droughts.htm - 7k

Frost (9 Occurrences)
... in the temperature of the day and the night, especially on the inland plains, so
that literally, as Jacob said to Laban, "In the day the drought consumed me ...
/f/frost.htm - 14k

Cherith (2 Occurrences)
... a gorge, a torrent-bed or winter-stream, a "brook," in whose banks the prophet Elijah
hid himself during the early part of the three years' drought (1 Kings 17 ...
/c/cherith.htm - 8k

Botany
... Among these xerophile or drought-resisting plants, some of the most characteristic
features are a thick, leathery rind admitting of little transpiration, eg ...
/b/botany.htm - 38k

Joel (22 Occurrences)
... The land has suffered from a succession of disasters, the greatest that
could befall an agricultural country, drought and locusts. ...
/j/joel.htm - 49k

Snow (25 Occurrences)
... summer. (3) The snow of the mountains is the source of the water of the
springs which last throughout the drought of summer. In ...
/s/snow.htm - 21k

Dross (7 Occurrences)

/d/dross.htm - 9k

Ahab (85 Occurrences)
... advantage of any momentary weakness, the kingdom, during the reign of Ahab, was
compelled to undergo the blighting effects of misfortune, drought and famine. ...
/a/ahab.htm - 52k

What is the story of Elijah and Elisha? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Elijah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the story of Ahab and Jezebel? | GotQuestions.org

Drought: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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