Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
Parallel translations
- WEB He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
- KJV And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
- BSB Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
- NKJV And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
- NASB Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Elijah prayed again and the rain returned and the land bore fruit. Prayer that aligns with God's purpose brings real, visible results.
Overview
Completing the Elijah example, James notes that his renewed prayer brought rain and restored fruitfulness to the earth. The account demonstrates that God genuinely responds to the prayers of his people. It crowns the chapter's teaching on prayer with assurance that the same God who heard Elijah hears his praying church today.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 1 Kgs 18:42–45So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down on the earth, and put his face between his knees.
- Jer 14:22Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the sky give showers? Aren’t you he, Yahweh our God? Therefore we will wait for you; for you have made all these things.
- 1 Kgs 18:18He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken Yahweh’s commandments, and you have followed the Baals.
- Acts 14:17Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The wisdom from above and the royal law of love are the life of those who belong to 'our glorious Lord Jesus Christ' — faith in him made visible in works.
How James 5:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.