Amos 4:7
New International Version
“I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up.

New Living Translation
“I kept the rain from falling when your crops needed it the most. I sent rain on one town but withheld it from another. Rain fell on one field, while another field withered away.

English Standard Version
“I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither;

Berean Standard Bible
“I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered.

King James Bible
And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

New King James Version
“I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, And where it did not rain the part withered.

New American Standard Bible
“Furthermore, I withheld the rain from you While there were still three months until harvest. Then I would send rain on one city, But on another city I would not send rain; One part would be rained on, While the part not rained on would dry up.

NASB 1995
“Furthermore, I withheld the rain from you While there were still three months until harvest. Then I would send rain on one city And on another city I would not send rain; One part would be rained on, While the part not rained on would dry up.

NASB 1977
“And furthermore, I withheld the rain from you While there were still three months until harvest. Then I would send rain on one city And on another city I would not send rain; One part would be rained on, While the part not rained on would dry up.

Legacy Standard Bible
“And I also withheld the rain from you While there were still three months until harvest. Then I would send rain on one city, And on another city I would not send rain; One portion would be rained on, While the portion not rained on would dry up.

Amplified Bible
“Furthermore, I withheld the rain from you When there were still three months until the harvest. Then I would send rain on one city, And on another city I would not send rain; One piece of ground was rained on, While the part not rained on would dry up.

Christian Standard Bible
I also withheld the rain from you while there were still three months until harvest. I sent rain on one city but no rain on another. One field received rain while a field with no rain withered.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I also withheld the rain from you while there were still three months until harvest. I sent rain on one city but no rain on another. One field received rain while a field with no rain withered.

American Standard Version
And I also have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

Contemporary English Version
Three months before harvest, I kept back the rain. Sometimes I would let it fall on one town or field but not on another, and pastures dried up.

English Revised Version
And I also have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I stopped the rain from falling three months before the harvest. I sent rain on one city and not on another. One field had rain. Another field had none and dried up.

Good News Translation
I kept it from raining when your crops needed it most. I sent rain on one city, but not on another. Rain fell on one field, but another field dried up.

International Standard Version
"I therefore have withheld the rain from you three months before the harvest, causing rain to come upon one city, but not upon another, and upon one field but not upon another, so that it would wither.

Majority Standard Bible
“I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered.

NET Bible
"I withheld rain from you three months before the harvest. I gave rain to one city, but not to another. One field would get rain, but the field that received no rain dried up.

New Heart English Bible
"I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city. One place was rained on, and the piece where it did not rain withered.

Webster's Bible Translation
And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece on which it rained not withered.

World English Bible
“I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city. One field was rained on, and the field where it didn’t rain withered.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“And I also—I have withheld from you the rain, "" While yet three months to harvest, "" And I have sent rain on one city, "" And on another city I do not send rain, "" One portion is rained on, "" And the portion on which it does not rain withers.

Young's Literal Translation
And I also -- I have withheld from you the rain. While yet three months to harvest, And I have sent rain on one city, And on another city I do not send rain, One portion is rained on, And the portion on which it raineth not withereth.

Smith's Literal Translation
And I withheld from you the rain in yet three months to harvest: and I caused to rain upon one city, and upon one city I will not cause to rain: and one portion shall be rained upon, and the portion which shall not be rained upon, it shall dry up.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I also have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon: and the piece whereupon I rained not, withered.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, I have withheld the rains from you, when there were still three months left until the harvest. And I rained on one city, and I did not rain on another city; one part was rained on, and the part on which I did not rain, dried out.

New American Bible
And I withheld the rain from you when the harvest was still three months away; I sent rain upon one city but not upon another; One field was watered by rain, but the one I did not water dried up;

New Revised Standard Version
And I also withheld the rain from you when there were still three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would be rained upon, and the field on which it did not rain withered;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I also have withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city; one part was rained upon, and the other part on which it did not rain withered.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Also I have restrained from you the early rain, three months of harvest, and I brought down rain on one city, and not upon another, and upon one part it rain shall descend, and the part upon which rain will not descend shall dry up
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And I also have withholden the rain from you, When there were yet three months to the harvest; And I caused it to rain upon one city, And caused it not to rain upon another city; One piece was rained upon, And the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Also I withheld from you the rain three months before the harvest: and I will rain upon one city, and on another city I will not rain: one part shall be rained upon, and the part on which I shall not rain shall be dried up.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Punishment Brings No Repentance
6“I beset all your cities with cleanness of teeth and all your towns with lack of bread, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD. 7“I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered. 8People staggered from city to city for water to drink, but they were not satisfied; yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 11:17
or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.

1 Kings 17:1
Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”

Jeremiah 14:1-6
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: / “Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. / The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads. ...

Haggai 1:10-11
Therefore, on account of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth has withheld its crops. / I have summoned a drought on the fields and on the mountains, on the grain, new wine, and oil, and on whatever the ground yields, on man and beast, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Zechariah 14:17
And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them.

Leviticus 26:19-20
I will break down your stubborn pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze, / and your strength will be spent in vain. For your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit.

2 Chronicles 7:13
If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people,

Isaiah 5:6
I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”

Joel 1:16-20
Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes—joy and gladness from the house of our God? / The seeds lie shriveled beneath the clods; the storehouses are in ruins; the granaries are broken down, for the grain has withered away. / How the cattle groan! The herds wander in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering. ...

Ezekiel 22:24
“Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’

Matthew 5:45
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

James 5:17-18
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. / Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.

Luke 4:25
But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.

Revelation 11:6
These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

Acts 14:17
Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”


Treasury of Scripture

And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city: one piece was rained on, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

I have.

Leviticus 26:18-21,23,24,27,28
And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins…

Deuteronomy 28:23,24
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron…

1 Kings 8:35,36
When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: …

when.

Joel 2:23
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

John 4:35
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

and I.

Exodus 8:22
And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

Exodus 9:4,26
And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel…

Exodus 10:23
They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

and the.

Joel 1:10-18
The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth…

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Caused City Furthermore Harvest Months Piece Rain Rained Three Whereupon Withered Withheld Withholden
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Caused City Furthermore Harvest Months Piece Rain Rained Three Whereupon Withered Withheld Withholden
Amos 4
1. He reproves Israel for oppression,
4. for idolatry,
6. and for their incorrigibleness.














I also withheld rain from you
The phrase "withheld rain" is significant in the Hebrew context, as rain was seen as a direct blessing from God, essential for survival and prosperity. The Hebrew word for "withheld" (מָנַע, mana) implies a deliberate action, indicating God's control over nature. In the ancient Near East, rain was crucial for agriculture, and its absence was often interpreted as divine displeasure. This withholding serves as a divine warning, urging the Israelites to recognize their dependence on God and to repent from their ways.

when the harvest was still three months away
This timing is critical, as it refers to the period before the grain harvest, typically around March or April in Israel. The mention of "three months away" underscores the urgency and severity of the situation. It highlights God's intervention at a crucial time, emphasizing the impending crisis if the people do not turn back to Him. Historically, this would have been a time of anxiety for farmers, relying on the latter rains to ensure a successful harvest.

I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another
This selective distribution of rain illustrates God's sovereignty and the personal nature of His judgments. The Hebrew word for "city" (עִיר, ir) can also mean a community or settlement, indicating that God's actions were not random but targeted. This differentiation serves as a powerful message to the Israelites, showing that God is not bound by natural laws but acts according to His will. It also serves as a call to introspection, prompting each community to examine their relationship with God.

One field received rain; another without rain withered
The contrast between the fields that received rain and those that did not is a vivid illustration of blessing versus judgment. The Hebrew word for "withered" (יָבֵשׁ, yabesh) conveys a sense of drying up or failing, symbolizing the spiritual barrenness that results from disobedience to God. This imagery would resonate deeply with an agrarian society, where the health of the fields directly impacted survival. It serves as a metaphor for the spiritual state of the people, urging them to seek the life-giving presence of God.

(7, 8) Three months to the harvest.--The withdrawal of rain at this period (February and March) is at the present day most calamitous to the crops in Palestine.

Caused it to rain . . .--The tenses should be regarded as expressing repetition of the act, and might be, with advantage, rendered as present cause it to rain . . . is rained upon, &c. The inhabitants of the most suffering districts wander, distracted and weary, to a more favoured city, and find no sufficiency. Comp. the graphic description in Jeremiah 14:1-6. Moreover, the specialties of affliction, in particular localities. reveal the purpose of God rather than the operation of universal laws.

Verse 7. - The second punishment is drought, as predicted (Leviticus 26:19, etc.; Deuteronomy 28:23). When there were yet three months to the harvest, and when rain was most necessary to swell the grain. The season meant is in February and March, when what was called "the latter rain" fell. In the south of Palestine the harvest commenced at the end of April, but in the northern parts it was some weeks later, so that it might be said in round numbers that it took place three months after the latter rain. I caused it to rain upon one city. That they might not attribute this drought to the blind laws of nature, God caused it to be of a partial character, giving rain to one city while he withheld it from another. One piece. The portion of ground belonging to an individual is so called (Deuteronomy 33:21; Ruth 2:3; Ruth 4:3).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“I
אָנֹכִי֩ (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

also
וְגַ֣ם (wə·ḡam)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

withheld
מָנַ֨עְתִּי (mā·na‘·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 4513: To debar, from benefit, injury

the rain
הַגֶּ֗שֶׁם (hag·ge·šem)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1653: Rain, shower

from you
מִכֶּ֜ם (mik·kem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

when the harvest was
לַקָּצִ֔יר (laq·qā·ṣîr)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7105: Severed, harvest, the crop, the time, the reaper, a limb

three
שְׁלֹשָׁ֤ה (šə·lō·šāh)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 7969: Three, third, thrice

months
חֳדָשִׁים֙ (ḥo·ḏā·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2320: The new moon, a month

away.
בְּע֨וֹד (bə·‘ō·wḏ)
Preposition-b | Adverb
Strong's 5750: Iteration, continuance, again, repeatedly, still, more

I sent rain
וְהִמְטַרְתִּי֙ (wə·him·ṭar·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 4305: To rain

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

one
אֶחָ֔ת (’e·ḥāṯ)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

city
עִ֣יר (‘îr)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

but withheld
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

[it]
אַמְטִ֑יר (’am·ṭîr)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 4305: To rain

from
וְעַל־ (wə·‘al-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

another.
אַחַ֖ת (’a·ḥaṯ)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

One
אַחַת֙ (’a·ḥaṯ)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

field
חֶלְקָ֤ה (ḥel·qāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2513: Smoothness, flattery, an allotment

received rain
תִּמָּטֵ֔ר (tim·mā·ṭêr)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 4305: To rain

while [one]
וְחֶלְקָ֛ה (wə·ḥel·qāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2513: Smoothness, flattery, an allotment

without
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

rain
תַמְטִ֥יר (ṯam·ṭîr)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 4305: To rain

withered.
תִּיבָֽשׁ׃ (tî·ḇāš)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3001: To be ashamed, confused, disappointed, to dry up, wither


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OT Prophets: Amos 4:7 I also have withheld the rain (Amo. Am)
Amos 4:6
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