Matthew 8:24

There arose. great tempest in the sea.

Mark says, "A great storm;" Luke, "There came down. storm of wind;" the word used by Matthew implies. tornado. The Greek word denotes. sudden and violent gust of wind, such as frequently bursts on the lake, which is surrounded by mountains with deep ravines.-- Cook. The Sea of Galilee lies 600 feet below the level of the Mediterranean. The snowy peaks of Lebanon are directly to the north. The heated tropical air of the valley is. constant invitation to the cold and heavy winds from the north, which sweep down with great fury, and in sudden storms, through the ravines of the hills which converge to the head of the lake, and act like gigantic funnels.-- Abbott. These winds are not only violent, but they come down suddenly, and often when the sky is perfectly clear.. once went into swim near the hot-baths; and, before. was aware,. wind came rushing over the cliffs with such ferocity that it was with great difficulty. could regain the shore. At another time, when on the eastern side, the sun had scarcely set when the wind began to rush down toward the lake; and it continued all night long with constantly increasing violence, so that when we reached the shore next morning the face of the lake was like. huge boiling caldron. We had to double-pin all the tent-ropes, and frequently were obliged to hang with our whole weight upon them to keep the quivering tabernacle from being carried off bodily into the air.-- W. H. Thomson. The waves dashed over the vessel and Mark says they beat into it until it was full.

He was asleep.

He is emphatic. While all the rest were awake and filled with terror, he himself was in the stern, the back part of the vessel, sleeping.-- Clark. The stern in ancient ships was much higher than the prow; and this form continued even to the last century in England, while it is still the fashion in Egypt. The high stern made. safe and sloping place, where our Savior slept in the storm.--. John Macgregor. Asleep: he needed sleep like other men. He was wearied out with the arduous labors of that busy day.