Topical Bible: The Wind: Drying Nature of

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The wind, as depicted in the Bible, often serves as a powerful symbol of God's might and the natural processes He governs. One of the notable characteristics of the wind is its drying nature, which is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures. This aspect of the wind is used both literally and metaphorically to convey various theological and practical truths.

In the narrative of the Exodus, the drying nature of the wind is vividly illustrated. When the Israelites were fleeing from Egypt, God used a strong east wind to part the Red Sea, allowing His people to cross on dry ground. Exodus 14:21 states, "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided." Here, the wind's drying power is a direct intervention by God, demonstrating His control over creation and His ability to deliver His people.

The drying wind is also mentioned in the context of judgment and desolation. In the book of Hosea, the prophet speaks of the wind's role in bringing about dryness and barrenness as a form of divine judgment. Hosea 13:15 declares, "Although he flourishes among his brothers, an east wind will come—the wind of the LORD rising from the desert. His spring will fail, and his well will dry up. The wind will plunder his treasury of every precious article." The east wind, often associated with harsh and arid conditions, symbolizes the stripping away of prosperity and the onset of desolation due to Israel's unfaithfulness.

The book of Jonah also references the drying nature of the wind in a personal and illustrative manner. After Jonah's mission to Nineveh, God provides a plant to give him shade, but then sends a scorching east wind to wither it. Jonah 4:8 recounts, "As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint and wished to die, saying, 'It is better for me to die than to live.'" This episode highlights the wind's capacity to bring discomfort and distress, serving as a tool for God's instruction and correction.

In the Psalms, the drying wind is used metaphorically to describe the fleeting nature of human life and the transience of earthly pursuits. Psalm 103:15-16 states, "As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more." The wind's ability to dry up and wither grass and flowers serves as a poignant reminder of the brevity of life and the enduring nature of God's steadfast love.

The drying nature of the wind is thus a multifaceted symbol in the Bible, representing God's power to save, judge, instruct, and remind humanity of its dependence on Him. Through the wind, God demonstrates His sovereignty over the natural world and His intimate involvement in the lives of His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 8:1
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 11:15
And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over with dry sandals.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Upon the Gathering Together of the Waters.
... the same time, lest we should attribute the drying of the ... Finally fire, of a nature
at the same time warm ... when, ruffled by a light breeze of wind, its surface ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily iv upon the gathering.htm

The Book of the Cross
... both sides of the Israelites in defiance of the laws of nature. In another God
accomplishes the drying of the path through the blowing of a strong east wind. ...
/.../mcconnell/understanding the scriptures/chapter vi the book of.htm

On the Firmament.
... the strength and resistance of the wind, which, enclosed ... taste and the power of
withering and drying up which ... the firmament heaven." [1502] The nature of right ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily iii on the firmament.htm

'Clear Shining after Rain'
... the sea), were 'restrained,' and a high wind set in ... discerns the earliest signs of
their drying up, and ... knowing our frame, the corruption of our nature, and the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/clear shining after rain.htm

The Cocal
... the other; a wanton superfluity of Nature, which I ... past comfortable squatters' cottages,
with cacao drying on sheets ... they lean as often toward the wind as from ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xiii the cocal.htm

Jesus at the Bier
... necessity is to impart itself, and its nature and property ... Christ, which is the divine
compassion, drying all tears ... and it departs, speaking to the wind and it ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/jesus at the bier.htm

The Riot at Philippi
... this is the reception we find?' But though the wind meets us ... They only saw a source
of profit drying up. ... yet not caring to go forth, his rough nature is broken ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/the riot at philippi.htm

Spoken in Antioch in the Old Church, as it was Called...
... just as the light dust, when the wind rushes down ... the water honey, not as though
its nature were changed ... indigence, and excess of food; the one drying up the ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily ii spoken in antioch.htm

Monos
... be swept off, harmless, by the trade-wind which rushed ... roots have some mysterious
power both of drying and purifying the ... It is not true that nature is here too ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter vi monos.htm

Letter Lx. To Heliodorus.
... is changed: to deal us this blow nature has forfeited ... when the south wind blew, and
the purple violet slowly ... and while the fire of sickness was drying up the ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lx to heliodorus.htm