The Hydrologic Cycle: Aristotle or Job?

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The ninth chapter in the book of Amos has an interesting verse. It speaks of “[He] who summons the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth—the Lord is His name” (v. 6b).

It seems to be pointing to something taking place in nature, but does the Bible know best?

Ancient Greeks studied the natural world and brought about many scientific principles. However, when things could not be explained naturally, they would often make wild guesses. To explain the origin of life, Greek philosophers and thinkers settled for spontaneous generation—life from non-life. They also didn’t think that rain was sufficient to keep rivers, lakes and springs fed. While that’s certainly not the only source for the water, the hydrologic cycle is very important to agriculture, natural plant life and for human survival.

In 350 B.C. Aristotle proposed this theory: “The finest and sweetest water is every day carried up and is dissolved into vapour and rises to the upper region, where it is condensed again by the cold and so returns to the earth.”


But predating Aristotle, we read in the biblical book of Job: “For He draws up the drops of water; they distill rain according to its mist, which the clouds drop down, and drip upon man abundantly.”

You’ll notice the similar phrasing and description, but with Aristotle, in his attempt to attribute everything to nature, he neglected to give glory to the designer of the hydrologic cycle. We find, once again, that the Bible knew best, long before science caught up, and that points to the Bible being inspired by God Himself. Next time you look out the window and see rain falling down, think of God’s awesome design. He has it all under control.

Listen to the David Rives Show on the Charisma Podcast Network for more intriguing content like this. {eoa}

The Creator left a pattern of His fingerprints across each corner of the universe, a pattern that David Rives has devoted his life to researching, revealing and sharing, while declaring the glory of God. The president of David Rives Ministries, his weekly TV show Creation with David Rives airs to millions globally on TBN. Author of 21 Verses Backed By Science, his work has been featured on the History Channel, DirecTV, NRB, TBN, CBN, METV, and heard daily on Christian radio. Having gained millions of views on social platforms, his Facebook, TikTok and YouTube pages continue to grow, as Rives captures the attention of Christians and skeptics of all ages. Rives leads annual dinosaur field trips, photo safaris to Africa, expeditions into the Grand Canyon and shares the gospel to millions along the way. He may be reached at [email protected]


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