Deuteronomy 28:23

And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

Heaven ... brass ... earth ... iron - strong Oriental figures used to describe the effects of long-continued drought. But the language is limited to Judea: "the heaven that is over thy head ... the earth that is under thee" - i:e., while the clouds may carry vapour and moisture to other regions, there shall be none in Judea; and this want of regular and seasonable rain is allowed by the most intelligent observers to be one great cause of the present sterility of Palestine.

Compared with the attractive descriptions of the promised land, as "a land of brooks and fountains," etc. (Deuteronomy 8:7), the existing condition of Palestine, as almost entirely destitute of flowing streams, must be regarded as a fulfillment of the prophetic curse denounced in this passage. The natural causes to which the change is to be attributed is the destruction of the mountain forests, together with the ignorance and neglect of uncivilized occupiers.