…the surface of the lake is 68 stories LOWER than the surface of nearby Mediterranean Sea and the rest of the world's oceans …Jesus Christ lived on this lake in the city of Capernaum which is being explored by archaeologists for clues about his life and followers. …Jesus and Peter walked on the stormy water here …Jesus did many wonderful miracles in and around this large lake, including:
…Jesus Christ often walked along the shores and sailed on its water. He taught many people the truth about God here. …the apostles Peter, Andrew, James and John lived on the shores of this lake and made their living from its abundant fish. Jesus changed them into “fishers of men” (Matt. 4:18,22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5: 1-11). …the apostle Peter's house has been found here (See: Capernaum) Author: Paul S. Taylor |
A storm on the Sea of Galilee is described in Mark 4:37:
A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
Luke 8 describes the wind and raging waves during this storm. Matthew calls it a furious storm without warning.
Such storms result from differences in temperatures between the seacoast and the mountains beyond. The Sea of Galilee lies 680 feet below sea level. It is bounded by hills, especially on the east side where they reach 2000 feet high. These heights are a source of cool, dry air.
In contrast, directly around the sea, the climate is semi-tropical with warm, moist air. The large difference in height between surrounding land and the sea causes large temperature and pressure changes. This results in strong winds dropping to the sea, funneling through the hills.
The Sea of Galilee is small, and these winds may descend directly to the center of the lake with violent results. When the contrasting air masses meet, a storm can arise quickly and without warning. Small boats caught out on the sea are in immediate danger.
The Sea of Galilee is relatively shallow, just 200 feet at its greatest depth. A shallow lake is “whipped up” by wind more rapidly than deep water, where energy is more readily absorbed.
Lake Erie [in the United States] provides somewhat similar to the Sea of Galilee. Erie is more than a hundred times larger, but it has the same 200 feet maximum depth, the shallowest of the Great Lakes. Lake Erie is especially well known as the stormy, moody member of the Great Lake system. It is easily stirred up by west winds to produce violent waves and even the largest fishing boats are put at risk.
Author: Dr. Donald B. DeYoung of Creation Research Society. Copyright © 1992, 2003, Donald B. DeYoung. (ChristianAnswers.Net team member). First published in Weather & the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1992). Used by permission, with minor editing for this publication's reading and comprehension level.
Photos of Sea of Galilee by BiblePlaces.com - a ChristianAnswers associate.
Did Jesus really sit on this ancient boat from the Sea of Galilee? Answer
About the Sea of Galilee (in our WebBible Encyclopedia)
Capernaum (in our WebBible Encyclopedia)
Bethsaida (Beth Saida) (in our WebBible Encyclopedia)
Galilee (in our WebBible Encyclopedia)
Also read:
Is it LOGICAL to believe that the biblical miracles really happened? Answer
MIRACLES, more information and list of biblical miracles and our other article involving miracles - Read
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