Leviticus 26:4

26:4 I will give you your rains in their time so that ¹  the land will give its yield and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. ² 

Deuteronomy 11:14

11:14 then he promises, ³  “I will send rain for your land ⁴  in its season, the autumn and the spring rains, ⁵  so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive oil.

Deuteronomy 28:12

28:12 The Lord will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do; ⁶  you will lend to many nations but you will not borrow from any.

Proverbs 16:15

16:15 In the light of the king’s face ⁷  there is life,

and his favor is like the clouds ⁸  of the spring rain. ⁹ 

Jeremiah 3:3

3:3 That is why the rains have been withheld,

and the spring rains have not come.

Yet in spite of this you are obstinate as a prostitute. ¹⁰ 

You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done.

Hosea 6:3

6:3 So let us acknowledge him! ¹¹ 

Let us seek ¹²  to acknowledge ¹³  the Lord!

He will come to our rescue as certainly as the appearance of the dawn,

as certainly as the winter rain comes,

as certainly as the spring rain that waters the land.”

Zechariah 10:1

The Restoration of the True People

10:1 Ask the Lord for rain in the season of the late spring rains ¹⁴  – the Lord who causes thunderstorms – and he will give everyone showers of rain and green growth in the field.

James 5:7-8

Patience in Suffering

5:7 So be patient, brothers and sisters, ¹⁵  until the Lord’s return. ¹⁶  Think of how the farmer waits ¹⁷  for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient ¹⁸  for it until it receives the early and late rains. 5:8 You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is near.

[26:4]  ¹ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[26:4]  ² tn Heb “the tree of the field will give its fruit.” As a collective singular this has been translated as plural.

[11:14]  ³ tn The words “he promises” do not appear in the Hebrew text but are needed in the translation to facilitate the transition from the condition (v. 13) to the promise and make it clear that the Lord is speaking the words of vv. 14-15.

[11:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “the rain of your land.” In this case the genitive (modifying term) indicates the recipient of the rain.

[11:14]  ⁵ sn The autumn and the spring rains. The “former” (יוֹרֶה, yoreh) and “latter” (מַלְקוֹשׁ, malqosh) rains come in abundance respectively in September/October and March/April. Planting of most crops takes place before the former rains fall and the harvests follow the latter rains.

[28:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”

[16:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “the light of the face of the king.” This expression is a way of describing the king’s brightened face, his delight in what is taking place. This would mean life for those around him.

[16:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “cloud.”

[16:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “latter rain” (so KJV, ASV). The favor that this expression represents is now compared to the cloud of rain that comes with the “latter” rain or harvest rain. The point is that the rain cloud was necessary for the successful harvest; likewise the king’s pleasure will ensure the success and the productivity of the people under him. E.g., also Psalm 72:15-17; the prosperity of the land is portrayed as a blessing on account of the ideal king.

[3:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you have the forehead of a prostitute.”

[6:3]  ¹¹ tn The object (“him”) is omitted in the Hebrew text, but supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:3]  ¹² tn Heb “let us pursue in order to know.” The Hebrew term רָדַף (radaf, “to pursue”) is used figuratively: “to aim to secure” (BDB 923 s.v. רָדַף 2). It describes the pursuit of a moral goal: “Do not pervert justice…nor accept a bribe…pursue [רָדַף] justice” (Deut 16:20); “those who pursue [רָדַף] righteousness and who seek [בָּקַשׁ, baqash] the Lord” (Isa 51:1); “He who pursues [רָדַף] righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor” (Prov 21:20); “Seek [בָּקַשׁ] peace and pursue [רָדַף] it” (Ps 34:15); “they slander me when I pursue [רָדַף] good” (Ps 38:21).

[6:3]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew infinitive construct with לְ (lamed) denotes purpose: “to know” (לָדַעַת, lada’at).

[10:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the latter rain.” This expression refers to the last concentration of heavy rainfall in the spring of the year in Palestine, about March or April. Metaphorically and eschatologically (as here) the “latter rain” speaks of God’s outpouring of blessing in the end times (cf. Hos 6:3; Joel 2:21-25).

[5:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “brothers”; this phrase occurs again three times in the paragraph. See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[5:7]  ¹⁶ tn Or “advent”; or “coming” (also in v. 8).

[5:7]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Behold! The farmer waits.”

[5:7]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “being patient.”