A recent study proposed a scientific explanation for one of the most famous biblical miracles. Researchers suggested that unusual events on Lake Kineret, also known as the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias, could be the result of a natural phenomenon.
The Sea of Galilee, located in the north of Israel, holds particular importance in biblical history. It is on its shores that several miracles are associated: the multiplication of bread and fish and a miraculous catch. In the first story, Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish, and in the second, he instructed the apostles on how to fill their nets after an unsuccessful night of fishing.
However, a new study suggests that the causes of these events may not be as mystical as previously thought. Scientists believe that the so-called “fish deaths” – observed masses of fish appearing on the surface – are the result of a natural phenomenon that creates the illusion of a miraculous event. They describe two similar cases in May and June of 2012, where thousands of dead fish were seen on the surface of the water off the coast of the lake.
Researchers used three-dimensional modeling to explain the mechanism behind this phenomenon. They found that a lack of oxygen, caused by rising internal waves, could lead to the mass deaths. In the summer, the lake forms three layers: a warm upper layer, a cold lower layer, and an intermediate layer with a sharp temperature gradient. Under the influence of western winds, the lower layer with low oxygen rises to the surface, trapping the fish and causing suffocation.
While such events are rare for Lake Kineret, researchers mention only two other instances – in April 2007 and in the early 1990s – aside from the 2012 episodes, all of which occurred near the Tabha district, where biblical miracles are said to have taken place.
Similar phenomena have been recorded in other locations such as Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Neuse River in North Carolina, and in Hamilton Harbor in Canada. Scientists suggest that these occurrences could explain the biblical descriptions of “miracles.”
In their study, the researchers conclude that similar phenomena may have also occurred two thousand years ago off the coast of Lake Kineret, creating the illusion of miracles through the light access to fish near the shore.