Page 126 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

Seasons and Months in Israel

Connect…

Who knows, maybe someday the Lord will provide a way for you to travel to Israel and see all the areas
you have studied with your own eyes. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Today we want to study the
weather. When would be the best time of year to visit Israel? We want to avoid visiting during religious
holidays because many places are closed during holidays, including restaurants and hotels. So, we need
to know what these holidays are called, when they are recognized, and why they are honored in Israel.
Let’s get started…

The Lesson ...

Seasons and Months in Israel

In many countries, especially those further north or south of the equator, there are basically four
seasons every year: spring, summer, fall, and winter. But in Israel, those seasons are not so clearly
identified as in other countries. The word “spring” is never mentioned in the Bible. Genesis 8:22
mentions summer and winter, heat and cold. No transition between summer and winter is described.
The word Aviv (Hebrew for spring) is the time when barley ripens, which is the month of Nissan. The
Talmud describes the seasons in Israel as the “days of sun” and the “days of rain,” or two seasons:
summer and winter.

The two seasons may be a result of the climate in Israel. For the most part, Israel is a land of sunshine
and good weather. Though the land of Israel covers a very small geographical area, there are
considerable differences in temperature throughout the country. For example, in the north rises the
great Mount Hermon, with its white snow caps all year-round. It towers 9000 feet above sea level. But
100 miles to the south in Israel lies the Dead Sea, 1292 feet below sea level. The land of Israel enjoys
sunny blue skies from the beginning of May to the end of September, with little or no interruption. God
was thinking about the large number of people who would travel to Jerusalem for the various feasts, so
they would enjoy good weather.

All along the Mediterranean coastline, the lands have an almost tropical climate. The winters are the
days of rain; the summers are hot and dry. Because of the extreme altitude variations, it will snow in
the mountains, providing water for the region, and at the same time, tropical fruits will ripen in the
coastal regions.

Rainfall in Israel depends on how high above sea level you are. It rains a lot in the mountains, a little in
the plains, and hardly at all in the southern regions of the desert. North of the Sea, Galilee receives the
most rain, about 60 inches yearly. To the south, near Jerusalem, the average rainfall is around 20-30
inches per year, or about half as much. Continuing to Beersheba, it may only rain less than 8 inches in a

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