Job 29:23
New International Version
They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain.

New Living Translation
They longed for me to speak as people long for rain. They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.

English Standard Version
They waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.

Berean Standard Bible
They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.

King James Bible
And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

New King James Version
They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain.

New American Standard Bible
“They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouths as for the late rain.

NASB 1995
“They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouth as for the spring rain.

NASB 1977
“And they waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouth as for the spring rain.

Legacy Standard Bible
They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouth as for the late rain.

Amplified Bible
“They waited for me [and for my words] as for the rain, And they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.

Christian Standard Bible
They waited for me as for the rain and opened their mouths as for spring showers.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They waited for me as for the rain and opened their mouths as for spring showers.

American Standard Version
And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

Contemporary English Version
My words were eagerly accepted like the showers of spring,

English Revised Version
And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They were as eager to hear me as they were for rain. They opened their mouths wide as if waiting for a spring shower.

Good News Translation
everyone welcomed them just as farmers welcome rain in spring.

International Standard Version
They waited for me as one waits for rain, as one opens his mouth to drink in a spring rain shower.

Majority Standard Bible
They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.

NET Bible
They waited for me as people wait for the rain, and they opened their mouths as for the spring rains.

New Heart English Bible
They waited for me as for the rain. Their mouths drank as with the spring rain.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

World English Bible
They waited for me as for the rain. Their mouths drank as with the spring rain.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they wait for me as [for] rain, "" And they have opened wide their mouth "" [As] for the spring rain.

Young's Literal Translation
And they wait as for rain for me, And their mouth they have opened wide As for the latter rain.

Smith's Literal Translation
And they waited for me as the rain, and they opened wide their mouth for the latter rain.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for a latter shower.

Catholic Public Domain Version
They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for belated rains.

New American Bible
They waited for me as for the rain; they drank in my words like the spring rains.

New Revised Standard Version
They waited for me as for the rain; they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouths wide as for the spring rain.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They waited for me as for the rain and their mouths they opened wide as for spring rain
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
As the thirsty earth expecting the rain, so they waited for my speech.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job's Former Blessings
22After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew. 23They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers. 24If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.…

Cross References
Psalm 42:1
For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God.

Psalm 63:1
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.

Isaiah 55:10-11
For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, / so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.

Deuteronomy 32:2
Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.

Amos 8:11
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.

Psalm 119:131
I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commandments.

Proverbs 16:15
When a king’s face brightens, there is life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

Hosea 6:3
So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.

Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.

Psalm 72:6
May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

John 4:14
But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

John 7:37-38
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. / Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”

Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

Matthew 13:43
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.


Treasury of Scripture

And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

as for the rain

Psalm 72:6
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

the latter rain

Hosea 6:3
Then 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.

Zechariah 10:1
Ask 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.

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Job 29
1. Job bemoans his former prosperity














They waited for me as for rain
In this phrase, Job reflects on the respect and anticipation people had for his words and counsel. The imagery of "rain" is significant in the agrarian society of the ancient Near East, where rain was a symbol of life, blessing, and sustenance. The Hebrew root for "waited" (קָוָה, qavah) conveys a sense of hope and eager expectation. This suggests that Job's wisdom and guidance were as vital and refreshing to his community as rain is to parched land. Historically, rain was seen as a divine blessing, and thus, Job's words were perceived as divinely inspired and life-giving.

and drank in my words
The metaphor of "drank" indicates a deep thirst and need for Job's insights, much like one would drink water to quench thirst. The Hebrew word for "drank" (שָׁתָה, shatah) implies satisfaction and fulfillment. This suggests that Job's words were not only eagerly anticipated but also deeply satisfying and nourishing to those who heard them. In the scriptural context, this reflects the high regard for wisdom and understanding, which are often depicted as more valuable than physical sustenance (Proverbs 3:13-18).

like a spring rain
The "spring rain" is a specific type of rain that is crucial for the growth of crops. In the Hebrew context, the spring rain (מַלְקוֹשׁ, malqosh) is associated with the latter rains that ensure a bountiful harvest. This imagery underscores the idea that Job's counsel was not only refreshing but also essential for growth and prosperity. Theologically, this can be seen as a reflection of the life-giving power of God's wisdom, which, when imparted through His servants, brings about spiritual and communal flourishing. The historical context of the reliance on seasonal rains for survival further amplifies the value and impact of Job's words during his time of favor and influence.

Verse 23. - They waited for me as for the rain; i.e. "they were as eager to heat' me speak as the parched ground is to receive the winter rain, which it expects and waits for and absorbs greedily." And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. They drank in my discourse as the spring vegetation drinks in the spring showers, known in the East generally as "the latter rains."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They waited
וְיִֽחֲל֣וּ (wə·yi·ḥă·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3176: To wait, to be patient, hope

for me as for rain
כַמָּטָ֣ר (ḵam·mā·ṭār)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4306: Rain

and drank in my words
פָּעֲר֥וּ (pā·‘ă·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6473: To open wide (the mouth)

like spring showers.
לְמַלְקֽוֹשׁ׃ (lə·mal·qō·wōš)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4456: The spring rain, eloquence


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OT Poetry: Job 29:23 They waited for me as (Jb)
Job 29:22
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