Academia
Biblical
Academia
Biblical
Hebrew Culture
Climate & Agricultural Cycle
Introduction
Next in a series of sociocultural anthropology studies is, Climate & Agricultural Cycle. Understanding the climate and agricultural cycle in Israel will provide a better understanding of the harvests, as well as, the prophecy that uses their terminology and what role they play in God’s plan for his people.
Seasons of Weather
In Israel, there are only two full seasons of weather: summer and winter. The times between summer and winter are commonly referred to as a transition period because of how short they are; typically lasting about a month. Notice how scripture refers to the seasons.
Genesis 8:22 KJV - "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
Psalm 74:17 KJV - "Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter."
Isaiah 18:6 KJV - "They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them."
Amos 3:15 KJV - "And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD."
Zechariah 14:8 KJV - "And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be."
Isaiah 18:6, Amos 3:15, and Zechariah 14:8 are prophetic scriptures using the terms summer and winter. Knowledge of the seasons provides understanding of events that will be observed year round and in correlation to both of the harvest seasons.
Rain Blessings
While the luminaries were significant for knowing when to meet with God, They were never to meet with God empty handed.
Exodus 23:15 KJV - "Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)"
Exodus 34:20 KJV - "But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty."
Deuteronomy 16:16 KJV - "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:"
In Israel, rain is heavily depended on, as it is vital for the crops to grow. In scripture, rain is always considered a blessing from God. God declares that if his people turn away from him, he will withhold the rain.
Deuteronomy 11:16-17 KJV - "Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you."
(See also Leviticus 26: esp. 4-5, Also Joel 2:23, Hosea 6:3, & Jeremiah 5:24)
Scripture shows this promise will continue even into the millennial reign of Christ as a punishment for those that are disobedient and reject God.
Zechariah 14:17 KJV - "And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain."
Former & Latter Rains
Rainfall in Israel runs from late September/early October to late April/early May. Rain that begins in September/October is known as the “former rain”; also called the "first rain" and "early rain". Rain in March/April is known as the “latter rain”. This is also shown in scripture.
Deuteronomy 11:14 KJV - "That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil."
Jeremiah 5:24 KJV - "Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest."
Hosea 6:3 KJV - "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."
Joel 2:23 KJV - "Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month."
James 5:7 KJV - "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain."
(See also Job 29:23, Proverbs 16:15, Jeremiah 3:3, Zechariah 10:1)
At the first rainfall, after a long hot summer, the ground is soft enough to start plowing and begin a new season of sowing.
Harvest Times
Harvesting times in Israel run April through November. There are three major crop harvests. They include grains, grapes, and olives. The first crop to be harvested is the barley.
Israel's Harvest Season
April
November
As mentioned in "Times and Seasons", in ancient Israel, leap years were determined by the ripening stage of the barley spring crops. Kernels needed to be close to the stage of abib in order for the first month of the ecclesiastical year to begin. By the end of Adar I, if the stage of barley was not soon ready to be harvested, then the new moon would bring on the start of Adar II.