so for the winds: not the caverns of the earth, thought to be the repositories of the wind ; nor are there proper repositories of it: but the air, as Suidas ; which, when without wind, is easily moved by the wise hand of God; so Theodoret, from whom he seems to have taken this hint.
In Scripture only mention is made of four winds, Eze 37:9; and so the ancient Greeks only reckoned four cardinal winds, but at length they added four more; and at Athens was a marble temple, built by Andronicus Cyrrhestes, called "the temple of the eight winds": this was an octagon, and on each side were engraven the images of every wind; and on the top of it was a Triton of brass, with a rod in his right hand, which being moved about by the wind, pointed to that which then blew : but now, through the great improvement of navigation, the winds are divided and subdivided in the points of the compass; and, besides the four cardinal ones, there are twenty eight collateral ones, in all thirty two; but be they reckoned as many as they may, they are all in the hands of God, and disposed of at his pleasure.
Jerom here interprets them of the angels; perhaps it might be better to apply them to the gifts and graces of the Spirit, sometimes compared to wind, which are treasured up in Christ; see Joh 3:8. rjml Myqrb "fulgura cum pluvia", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus; so Ainsworth.
"Vasto rex Aeolus antro----luctanteis ventos fraenat." Virgil. Aeneid. l. 1. In voce yhsauroi. Vid. Vitruvium de Architect. l. 1. c.