UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: south

Semantic entry: 82.4

Semantic domains: Spacial Orientations

Subdomains: North, South, East, West

Notes: In most languages east and west are related to the rising or setting sun, although in some languages there may be some local geographical feature which serves as a marker of direction, for example, the location of a particular mountain, the ocean, or a river. For north, some languages employ ‘to the left of the rising sun,’ that is to say, the direction is oriented in terms of the left hand of a person facing toward the rising sun. Similarly, south would be ‘to the right of the rising sun.’

Sense 2: south wind

Semantic entry: 14.8

Semantic domains: Physical Events and States

Subdomains: Wind

Definition: a wind which blows from the south

Notes: A number of languages have terms for winds coming from or going toward different directions. In a number of cases, however, directional expressions are not included in the terms for such winds. For example, a north wind may be simply called ‘a cold wind,’ and a south wind might be called ‘a wind from the sea.’ Such expressions depend upon local geographical features. Even in the instance in which a south wind is described in terms of direction, it may be necessary to use a somewhat expanded phrase, for example, ‘a wind from the right of the rising sun.’ Such an expression is based upon the experience of a person facing the rising sun and determining the south in terms of the right side of the person.