Matthew 8:24

Tempest [σ ε ι σ μ ο ς]. Lit., shaking. Used of an earthquake. The narrative indicates a sudden storm. Dr. Thomson (" Land and Book ") says : "Such winds are not only violent, but they come down suddenly, and often when the sky is perfectly clear.... To understand the causes of these sudden and violent tempests we must remember that the lake lies low - six hundred and eighty feet below the sea; that the mountainous plateau of the Jaulan rises to a considerable height, spreading backward to the wilds of the Hauran, and upward to snowy Hermon; that the water - courses have worn or washed out profound ravines and wild gorges, converging to the head of this lake; and that these act like great funnels to drawn down the cold winds from the mountains."