And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.

LUKE 12:55KJV
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Luke 12:55 (KJV)

What does Luke 12:55 mean?

Luke 12:55 points out how people can predict the weather by noticing when the south wind blows, knowing it will bring heat, and that their prediction usually proves true. Jesus uses this example to highlight how people are skilled at reading natural signs but may miss more important spiritual or moral signs.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to a crowd, using a familiar example from everyday life in the region—when the wind comes from the south (the desert), it brings hot weather. He is making a comparison: just as people can interpret weather patterns, they should also be able to recognize and respond to the significant things happening in their own time, especially regarding spiritual matters.

The Greek behind Luke 12:55

  • ἄνεμος (anemos, "wind"): This word refers specifically to wind, and in the context of the south wind, it would be understood as a hot, dry wind coming from the desert areas south of Israel, which locals would associate with rising temperatures.
  • καύσων (kausōn, "heat"): This word means intense heat or scorching heat. The use of this word emphasizes not just a warm day, but a particularly oppressive or notable heat, which would be a clear and memorable sign to the listeners.
  • πνέω (pneō, "blow"): This verb describes the action of the wind blowing. The present tense here gives a sense of an observable, ongoing event—something the audience would have seen and understood in their daily lives.

Why Luke 12:55 matters

  • Luke 12:55 clarifies that Jesus is drawing on practical, everyday knowledge to make a spiritual point, showing that his teaching is grounded in real life and accessible to ordinary people.
  • The verse highlights a contrast: people are attentive and wise about physical signs but may be inattentive to spiritual realities, which is a key theme in the surrounding passage.
  • Understanding the local weather patterns and their meaning helps modern readers appreciate how Jesus used familiar experiences to communicate deeper truths, making his message relatable and memorable.

Where else these words appear

“heat” Greek G2742 · used in 3 verses

  • Matthew 20:12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
  • James 1:11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

“wind” Greek G3558 · used in 7 verses

  • Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
  • Luke 13:29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
  • Acts 28:13 And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:

“blow” Greek G4154 · used in 7 verses

  • Matthew 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
  • John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
  • Acts 27:40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.

“when” Greek G3752 · used in 118 verses

  • Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
  • Luke 5:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
  • John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.