And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
Parallel translations
- WEB They waited for me as for the rain. Their mouths drank as with the spring rain.
- BSB They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.
- NKJV They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain.
- NASB “They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouths as for the late rain.
- NLT They longed for me to speak as people long for rain. They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.
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
People waited for Job's words as for life-giving rain and drank them in eagerly.
Overview
Using the imagery of the longed-for spring rains, Job conveys how thirstily his hearers received his counsel. His words brought refreshment and life to the community. The picture recalls how God's own word is like rain that waters the earth (Isaiah 55:10-11), a blessing Job once mediated to those around him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Hos 6:3Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
- Zech 10:1Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
- Ps 72:6He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 29:23 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 Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.