Winter

(Song 2:11; John 18:18, and elsewhere). “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,” says the beloved to his bride in the Song of Songs. “Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter,” said the Savior, foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple of Jerusalem, and the whole kingdom of Judah (Matt. 24:20). Winter in Palestine usually lasts from mid-December to mid-February. Snow falls not infrequently, but lies on the ground no more than a single day, except in the mountains (Ps. 147:16 [146:16]).

In shaded places the ice sometimes even bears the weight of a man, but melts quickly when the sun rises. The roads in Palestine in winter become muddy, slippery, and impassable from the continual rains and snow, and travel upon them becomes not only difficult but even quite dangerous, especially on the narrow roads and mountain slopes. Hence the force of the Savior’s prediction becomes clear. The severe cold lasts about forty days, from December 12 to January 20. The north wind at this time is especially piercing (Gen. 31:40), but by the end of February the weather is already almost spring-like.

In calm wind and clear, cloudless sunshine, the plains and valleys at this time have great heat, sometimes accompanied by thunder, lightning, and hail; but the fields are already covered with every kind of flower, the brooks fill with water and the rivers rise; the almond tree begins to blossom first, followed by the peach, apricot, and plum. The other trees blossom in March. In this month there are still occasional rains, but the last of the season. Hence the force and meaning of the expression in the Song of Songs (2:11–14) becomes clear.

In the evenings and nights in Palestine, however, even in March, despite the warm, even hot daytime weather, a perceptible chill is sometimes felt, as may be seen from the Gospel of John (18:18).