νότος G3558
The south wind or the south as a cardinal direction; used of weather, geography, and the eschatological gathering from all compass points.
Notos serves double duty in the NT as both a meteorological term (the south wind) and a geographical marker (the south as a direction). When Jesus says the Queen of the South will rise in judgment (Matt 12:42, Luke 11:31), notos points to a region (Sheba, in southern Arabia). When he describes weather forecasting, a south wind means scorching heat (Luke 12:55). In Luke 13:29 people come from east, west, north, and notos to sit at table in God's kingdom. Acts 27:13 records a gentle south wind on the Mediterranean. Spanish 'sur' and German 'Sueden' consistently render the directional sense, while French 'midi' elegantly captures both noon-sun and southward orientation.
Senses
1. south, south wind — The south wind or the south as a compass direction, with the two meanings closely related since winds were named for their origin. In Luke 12:55, notos is the hot wind from the desert bringing scorching weather. In Matt 12:42 and Luke 11:31, it is a geographical reference to the land of the Queen of Sheba. Luke 13:29 uses it in the grand eschatological vision of people streaming from all four directions. Acts 27:13 and 28:13 record it as a nautical wind term. French 'midi' (noon/south) nicely reflects the ancient conflation of sun-position and direction, while Spanish 'sur' and German 'Sueden' focus on the purely directional sense. 7×
AR["الجَنوبِ", "الجَنُوبِ", "الجَنُوبِيَّةُ", "الْجَنوبِ", "جَنوبِيَّةٌ", "جَنُوبًا"]·ben["দক্ষিণ", "দক্ষিণ-বাতাস", "দক্ষিণের"]·DE["Sueden", "νότον", "νότου"]·EN["a-south-wind", "of-south", "south"]·FR["midi", "sud"]·heb["דָּרוֹם", "נֶגֶב", "רוּחַ-דָּרוֹם"]·HI["दकशिन-कि", "दक्षिण", "दक्षिण,", "दक्षिण-की", "दक्षिण-हवा", "दक्षिणहवाकी"]·ID["Selatan", "selatan", "selatan,"]·IT["noton", "notou", "sud"]·jav["kidul", "kidul,"]·KO["남쪽", "남쪽에서", "남쪽의", "남풍이"]·PT["do-sul,", "sul"]·RU["Юга", "юга", "юга,", "южный"]·ES["del-sur", "el-sur", "sur", "sur,", "viento-del-sur"]·SW["kusini", "kusini,", "wa-kusini"]·TR["güney", "güney-rüzgarı", "güneyden", "güneyin"]·urd["جنوب", "جنوب-کی", "جنوبی", "دکھن"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
νότος, ὁ, south wind (opposed to Βορέας, Refs 8th c.BC+; ὅταν μὲν ἐλάττων ᾖ, αἴθριός ἐστιν, ὅταν δὲ μέγας, νεφώδηςRefs __2 N. personified as god of the South wind, Refs 8th c.BC+ __II south or south-west quarter, πρὸς μεσαμβρίης τε καὶ νότου NT+5th c.BC+; ἀπὸ νότου with genitive, to the south of, Refs 2nd c.BC+, etc.; later ἐκ νότου with genitive, Refs 3rd c.AD+, etc.: genitive νότου to the south, Refs 2nd c.BC+