But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times!
A red sky at sunset predicts fair weather, while a red sky at sunrise predicts storms.
Show this passage in
The cited passage
What current science says
This one is actually (mostly) science. In mid-latitude regions where weather systems move west to east, a red sunset means dust and dry air particles are to the west — incoming fair weather. A red sunrise means that clear air has already passed east and moisture-laden systems are approaching from the west. It's not 100% reliable everywhere (it works best between about 30° and 60° latitude), but the basic atmospheric optics are sound. Broken clock, twice a day.
What the text says
This comes from Matthew 16:2-3. It records the saying: 'When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering.' This is one of the few scientifically valid observations in the bible.
Three honest ways to read this passage
-
As history
The text records how its authors understood the world with the knowledge they had. Read this way, a difference from modern science is a window into the ancient mind, not a failure.
-
As accommodation
The text speaks to its first audience in their own terms, to make a point that isn't mainly about physics or biology. Read this way, the scientific detail is the vehicle, not the cargo.
-
As contradiction
The text makes a claim about the physical world that modern findings dispute. Read this way, the difference is a genuine factual disagreement worth naming.
GEBible doesn't pick one of these for you. Each entry shows the passage, what it says, and what current science says — nothing more.