For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind. - We cannot regard either of these views as correct, because neither of them does justice to the words of the text. Are they as straw before the wind,And like chaff which the storm carries away? When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens. He convicts the believer of sin the same way the wind of the Old Testament was often a sign of judgment. Copyright 2023. The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo; Terrors overtake him like a flood;A tempest steals him away in the night. "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". What does the Bible mean when it refers to the four winds? Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. James 1:6 states, A person who has doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea.. Calov, on the other hand, gives the following explanation of the relation in which Ezekiel 37:11-14 stand to Ezekiel 37:1-10 : "in this striking vision there was shown by the Lord to the prophet the resurrection of the dead; but the occasion, the cause, and the scope of this vision were the resurrection of the Israelitish people, not so much into its earlier political form, as for the restoration of the ecclesiastical hierarchy and the establishment of the worship of God, both of which were indeed restored in the time of Zerubbabel, but were first brought to perfection at the coming of Jesus Christ." The idea of the Fathers, that Ezekiel 37:11-14 treat of the resurrection of the saints (believers), cannot be reconciled either with the words or with the context of our prophecy, and has evidently originated in perplexity. And four great beasts came up from the sea Signifying the four great monarchies, or kingdoms, that should successively arise in the world, and have their origin from wars and . They went through the motions to brings forth life but did not bring salvation to the earth. While he was still speaking, another also came and said, Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brothers house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.. By WBTV Web Staff. Wind is inanimate; it has no personality. Matthew 15: 6-9,". And by His power He directed the south wind. To the people speaking thus, Ezekiel is to announce that the Lord will open their graves, bring them out of them, put His breath of life into them, and lead them into their own land. . Come from the four winds, Breath, and breathe on these people who were killed so that they will live. Specifically, the collected image of the four winds (east, west, north, and south) signals the comprehensiveness of Gods power (Dan 7:2; 8:8; Zech 2:6). Including photos each week from our outreaches and the weekly review. "A stormy wind shall rend it" (Ezekiel 13:11; compare 5:2; 12:14; 17:21; Hosea 4:19; 8:7; Jeremiah 49:36; Matthew 7:25). It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. Come to Him fully and be saved. A warning not to let the winds of life blow you away. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries. What we see is not the Spirit itself, but the Spirit's fruit. The subject to is neither the bones nor the dead of Israel (Hitzig), but the already named, which is also addressed in Ezekiel 37:12. Does God apportion destruction in His anger? 10 Bible Verses about Four Winds. What is needful to make living men of them . God is holy. The wind will sweep away all your shepherds, Then you will surely be ashamed and humiliated. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.read more.The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it felland great was its fall.. You hear its sound, but you dont know where the wind comes from or where its going. The best way to view our articles and Q&A. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. He who troubles his own house will inherit wind,And the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? Jesus is making a connection with the wordplay. The fact that the moving of the bones toward one another is represented by (with Vav consec. 1 Kings 19:11 ESV / 91 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Then said he to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. So He said, Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord. And behold, the Lord was passing by! 17:10 ; 19:12 ), and is sometimes mentioned as simply denoting a strong wind ( Job 27:21 ; Isaiah 27:8 ). Will it not. Throughout time, humans have learned to harness the wind to fill sails and run wind turbines. This is made clear in Matt. The heat and dryness wither all vegetation (Genesis 41:6). Here are a few of the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus' birth: Numbers 24:17 He would be from the line of Jacob. And lastly, according to Kliefoth, Ezekiel 37:11-14 do not furnish a literal exposition of the vision, but simply make an application of it to the bringing of Israel to life. Because the design of the vision was to comfort Israel concerning the wretchedness of its existing condition, and that wretchedness consisted for the most part in the fact that the greater portion of Israel had perished by sword, famine, and pestilence, he was shown the resurrection of the dead generally and universally, as it would take place not in the case of the Israelites alone, but in that of all the dead, though here confined within the limits of one particular field of dead; and stress is laid upon the circumstance that the dead which Ezekiel saw raised to life instar omnium, were such as had met with a violent death. signifies a sound or voice, and a trembling, and earthquake, and also a rumbling or a loud noise (compare Ezekiel 3:12 and Isaiah 9:4). Fire and hail, snow and clouds;Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. The east wind crosses the sandy wastes of Arabia Deserts before reaching Palestine and was hence termed "the wind of the wilderness." The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing . If, on the contrary, the vision was a spiritual intuition produced by God in the soul of the prophet, it might set forth the resurrection of the dead, even if the belief in this dogma had no existence as yet in the consciousness of the people, or at all events was not yet a living faith; and God might have shown to the prophet the raising of Israel to life under this figure, for the purpose of awakening this belief in Israel. A person cannot see it move or work. A constant dripping on a day of steady rainAnd a contentious woman are alike; He who would restrain her restrains the wind,And grasps oil with his right hand. Westerly winds prevail in Palestine from November to February. A person cannot see it move or work. In the Book of John, Jesus stated, "You must be born again." This phrase has been widely interpreted to refer to a spiritual rebirth in which believers become children of God through faith in Christ. The wind is also breath in humans as the breath of life ( Genesis 6:17 ). You contended with them by banishing them, by driving them away.With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the east wind. Having four winds could imply a complete or all-inclusive world war. A. In prophecy, "wind" often represents war. How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,Or does their calamity fall on them?Does God apportion destruction in His anger? Euraquilo or Euroclydon (Acts 27:14 the King James Version), which caused Paul's shipwreck, was an East-Northeast wind, which was especially dangerous in that region. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. You are seeing much death and destruction because men are demanding their own way. God also sent judgment using whirlwinds points forward to the reunion of the tribes of Israel that are severed into two nations, as foretold in Ezekiel 37:15. And the assumption of Calov and Kliefoth, that Ezekiel 37:11-14 contain simply an application of the general resurrection of the dead exhibited in Ezekiel 37:1-10 to the resurrection of Israel, by no means exhausts the meaning of the words, "these bones are the whole house of Israel," as we have already observed in our remarks on Ezekiel 37:11. The grass withers, the flower fades,When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;Surely the people are grass. The representation of the bringing of the dead bones to life in two acts may also be explained from the fact that it is based upon the history of the creation of man in Genesis 2, as Theodoret, (Note: "For as the body of our forefather Adam was first moulded, and then the soul was thus breathed into it; so here also both combined in fitting harmony." All rights reserved. Who has ascended into heaven and descended?Who has gathered the wind in His fists?Who has wrapped the waters in His garment?Who has established all the ends of the earth?What is His name or His sons name?Surely you know! 24:31, and Revelation 7:1, when it speaks of the four winds of the earth? The first one is in Jeremiah 49:36 where we can see what the phrase is meant to convey. So the Lord shifted the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. It is the same with the Spirit. Three words tell us a lot in this verse. The diamond is a symbol of light, life, the sun, and it is also a stone of commitment, faithfulness, and promise between husband and wife. So I will kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah. As a sign of destruction, the wind is portrayed throughout the Old Testament, where it's described as the "scorching wind" that will destroy everything in front of it as a symbol of God's judgment. The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. All Israel says: our bones are dried, i.e., our vital force is gone. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. When two currents of air of different directions meet, a spiral motion sometimes results. It is who God is. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. Like clouds and wind without rainIs a man who boasts of his gifts falsely. For all of us have become like one who is unclean,And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;And all of us wither like a leaf,And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Proud member The strongholds of tradition must also be broken over my people if my work is to progress. One can see how it acts on thingsjust as the wind going through a tree full of leaves. This "house" is a person's spiritual strength, their beliefs, and the life they construct as a result. upon these slain] Or, into the slain. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. The Spirit moves, and we then can see people react. Add these facts to its absence in the Scripture, and it is no wonder the Catholics and Protestants call it a mystery! Consequently we can only regard the figurative view of the vision as the correct one, though this also has been adopted in very different ways. The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My peoplenot to winnow and not to cleanse. The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 72.10.35.84 And be chased like chaff in the mountains before the wind. A sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions) -- air, anger, blast, breath, X cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit ( (-ual)), tempest, X vain, ( (whirl-))wind (-y). The rush of invaders is spoken of figuratively as a whirlwind in Isaiah 21:1), and a commotion among the nations of the world is as of the striving of the 4 winds (Dan. The temperature in a given place often rises 15 or 20 degrees within a few hours, bringing thermometer to the highest readings of the year. Paul says "Jerusalem above . When the Bible talks about the four Winds it is usually about a great event that covers the whole earth! What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? Behold, though it is planted, will it thrive? Published: Mar. The south wind is frequent in Palestine. Daniel 7:2-3. However, one can see the effect of what the Spirit does. This is also the word for spirit and breath. Such passages as Isaiah 25:8 and Isaiah 26:19, even if Ezekiel referred to them, merely prove that the belief or hope of the resurrection of the dead could not be altogether unknown to the believers of Israel, because Isaiah had already declared it. Breaking Down the Key Parts of Proverbs 11:29 #1 "Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind," A ruined family has nothing to leave behind as an inheritance. The south was a hot wind ( Job 37:17 ; Luke 12:55 ). Consequently there are not three things announced in these verses, but only two: (1) The raising to life from a state of death, by bringing out of the graves, and communicating the divine Spirit of life; (2) the leading back to their own land to rest quietly therein. Jeremiah 23:5-6 He would be David's kingly heir. The east wind was parching (Ezek. and why is it important. The rush of invaders is figuratively spoken of as a whirlwind ( Isaiah 21:1 ); a commotion among the nations of the world as a striving of the four winds ( Daniel 7:2 ). For example, the Spirit is named "Comforter" in John 14:26 (KJV), yet the Father is called "the God of all comfort" in II Corinthians 1:3-4. "When ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a scorching heat; and it cometh to pass" (Luke 12:55). The strength of the wind makes it dangerous for ships at sea: "With the east wind thou breakest the ships of Tarshish" (Psalms 48:7). Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. 92. North Wind In the Bible, the wind represents the power of the Lord working on us through the heavens. I have a diagnosis of basically multiple personality which Ive know for years and work with, from sexual abuse in child hood often and from multi sources. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Browse, sort & search all Bible Study resources. A quick intro and overview of our ministry and this website, plus some best-of articles and Q&A. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. Studying Gods word is not only my life its also my passion and faith is the number 1 thing that you have to maintain. War coming from all four corners perhaps indicate that this war will include nations from all parts of the earth. A person cannot see it move or work. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Mark 4:39ESV / 21 helpful votes HelpfulNot Helpful Then, when he prophesied, the breath came into them, so that they received life, and stood upright upon their feet. In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My peoplenot to winnow and not to cleanse, a wind too strong for thiswill come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them. From the delicate breeze to the terrifying hurricane, wind is a force of nature. What the Bible says about Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. What He does promise is that those who trust in Him will survive that storm. 43:20 and its presence is hence invoked as favorable to vegetation in ( Solomon 4:16 ) It is described in ( Proverbs 25:23 ) as bringing rain; in this case we must understand the northwest wind. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, It will be a hot day, and it turns out that way. Bibliography Information Orr, James, M.A., D.D. so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. The principal error connected with this view is the assumption that the vision was merely a parable formed by Ezekiel in accordance with the dogma of the resurrection of the dead. As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. Our hope has perished (cf. One example of a Scripture that talks about a candle is found in Proverbs 20:27, which states: "The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. In proof of this, we will not lay any stress upon the circumstance that Ezekiel sees the resurrection of the dead within certain limits; that it is only the dead men's bones lying about in one particular valley, and not the dead of the whole earth, though a very great army, that he sees come to life again; but, on the other hand, we must press the fact that in Ezekiel 37:9 those who are to be raised to life are called , a word which does not signify the dead of all kinds, but simply those who have been slain, or have perished by the sword, by famine, or by other violent deaths, and which indisputably proves that Ezekiel was not shown the resurrection of all the dead, but simply the raising to life of Israel, which had been swept away by a violent death. The winds are subject to the divine power ( Psalms 18:10 ; 135:7 ). The wind is directly of great use to the farmer in Palestine in winnowing the grain after it is threshed by treading out (Psalms 1:4; 35:5; Isaiah 17:13). The Spirit, though, is not a person but a gift of God, the mind and power of God working in and through us (II Timothy 1:7). And on its circular courses the wind returns. We grow food to support a community, build and repair homes, and support the poor, widows, and the fatherless. Throughout the Old Testament, Gods influence in the lives of evildoers is pictured as a scorching wind (Isa 11:15; Hosea 13:15), like a hailstorm, a destructive wind (Isa 28:2), and a driving wind (Jer 30:23). In Hebrew, the word for breath (ruah) can also mean wind. God created with his breath (Gen 2:7). As a positive symbol, the wind is seen as God's breath and his power that he has in the world. So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. It is a warm wind bringing good weather. "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14; compare Proverbs 27:16; Ecclesiastes 1:6; John 3:8; James 1:6). 60 THINGS GOD SAID ABOUT SEX (SEX AND THE BODY), 60 THINGS GOD SAID ABOUT SEX (GODS WORD FOR GAYS), 60 THINGS GOD SAID ABOUT SEX (SEX & THE SOUL), PORNOGRAPHYS PAIN (WHO GETS HURT BY THIS HARMLESS PASTIME? He who would restrain her restrains the wind. I found new depths of relationship With Him in the valley season Ive finally coming out of after 14 months. It is considered a good thing when a dying man can leave an inheritance "to his children's children" (Prov 13:22). This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. fol. If, therefore, our vision does not set forth the resurrection of the dead in general, but simply the raising to life of the nation of Israel which is given up to death, it is only right that, in order still further to establish this view, we should briefly examine the other explanations that have been given. WIND AS A POSITIVE SYMBOL Wind in the Bible is also positively connected with God's breath and his ultimate authority over the world. Kliefoth would account for this restriction from the purpose for which the vision was shown to the prophet. Jesus continued: "Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. It came down from the island and therefore must have blown more or less from the northward. This holds true when the Bible refers to the "four winds." The phrase "four winds" is used principally to describe the whole of the earth or heaven. There is only one mention in the Bible of a west wind which is found in Exodus 10:19, "So the LORD shifted the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt." Here it is associated with rescuing people from the plague of locusts. The word in Ezekiel 37:5, "Behold, I bring breath into you, that ye may come to life," announces in general terms the raising of them to life, whilst the process itself is more minutely described in Ezekiel 37:6. As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, What did you go out into the wilderness to see? Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'" Richard T. Ritenbaugh And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord."And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. Ultimately, this vision is also being fulfilled So I will kindle a fire on the wall of RabbahAnd it will consume her citadelsAmid war cries on the day of battle,And a storm on the day of tempest. The nations rumble on like the rumbling of many waters. So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Like this post? . It came about at the seventh time, that he said, "Behold, a cloud as small as a man's hand is coming up from the sea." This explanation is precluded, not only by the philological difficulty that without any further definition does not signify either the blast of a trumpet or the voice of God, but also by the circumstance that the is the result of the prophesying of Ezekiel; and we cannot suppose that God would make His almighty call dependent upon a prophet's prophesying. General Editor. ), as the sequel to , is decisive against this. The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. We cant see the wind, but we know it is there. He caused the storm to be still,So that the waves of the sea were hushed. In the Old Testament, wind is often used as a picture of temporality or futility. In Rev. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks about believers who develop spiritual maturity as opposed to those who are tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind (4:14). It is they who speak in Ezekiel 37:11. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The coming together of the bones was followed by their being clothed with sinews, flesh, and skin; but there was not yet any breath in them (Ezekiel 37:8). Grace thru Faith is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land. Remember that my life is but breath;My eye will not again see good. Unpredictable ways; we cant control or manipulate him to do our bidding, nor can we anticipate what he will do next. ), In that case, however, the vision was not merely a parable, but a symbolical representation of a real fact, which was to serve as a pledge to the nation of its restoration to life. The poet truly says (etymologically) the spirit does but mean the breath; but though the words be identical the ideas are different. These certainly represent four destructive powers which are held back for a time from the land, the sea .