Winds

Winds in Scripture are recognized as instruments of divine sovereignty and as natural forces with theological significance. The four winds — north, south, east, and west — represent completeness and universality: Jeremiah 49:36 speaks of the four winds of the four quarters of heaven as agents of God's judgment on Elam; Ezekiel 37:9 calls on the four winds to breathe upon the valley of dry bones, bringing life; Daniel 8:8 and Zechariah 2:6 use the four winds to indicate dispersion in all directions. The east wind (qadim or ruach qadim) is consistently associated in Scripture with destructive force: it blasted the seven thin ears of Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41:6), dried up Jonah's gourd (Jonah 4:8), and is used by God as an instrument of judgment (Exodus 10:13; Hosea 13:15). The south wind brought warmth (Job 37:17; Luke 12:55); the north wind brought cold (Proverbs 25:23). In Acts 27:14, the violent northeastern wind Euroclydon (Euroquilo) drove Paul's ship toward Malta.