Bible Dictionary
Drought
Drought is an extended period without sufficient rain, producing dry land, failed vegetation, and hardship. In Scripture, drought could be a natural affliction or a sign of divine judgment.
Definition
Drought is an extended period in which the land lacks sufficient rain. It produces dry ground, suffering, and injury to vegetation, which may survive only through dew.
Biblical Usage
The Bible speaks of the drought of summer and presents drought as an affliction of the land. It is also associated with divine punishment and with conditions contributing to famine.
Historical Background
In Palestine the land is ordinarily dry from about the middle of May until about the middle of August. During this season vegetation is preserved chiefly by the dews.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
From the middle of May to about the middle of August the land of Palestine is dry. It is then the “drought of summer” (Gen. 31:40; Ps. 32:4), and the land suffers (Deut. 28:23: Ps. 102:4), vegetation being preserved only by the dews (Hag. 1:11). (See DEW.)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>drout. See FAMINE.</p>