Lexical Summary
matar: To rain, to cause to rain
Original Word:מָטַר
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:matar
Pronunciation:mah-TAR
Phonetic Spelling:(maw-tar')
KJV: (cause to) rain (upon)
NASB:rain, rained, send rain, bring rain, rained down, send, sent rain
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to rain
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cause to rain upon
A primitive root; to rain -- (cause to) rain (upon).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origindenominative verb from
matarDefinitionto rain
NASB Translationbring rain (1), rain (5), rained (5), rained down (1), send (1), send rain (3), sent rain (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (compare Gerber
Verb. denom.106) [] (Arabic
; Syriac
Aph`el ); —
Imperfectbe rained uponAmos 4:7.
Pf .Genesis 2:5;Genesis 19:24;Amos 4:7;ImperfectPsalm 11:6;Job 20:23;Exodus 9:3 2t.; 3 feminine singularAmos 4:7 (but read 1singularAmos 4:7 + vAmos 4:7 (for ),Ezekiel 38:22;Infinitive constructIsaiah 5:6;Job 38:26;ParticipleGenesis 7:4 2t.; —send rain, rain (followed by exceptExodus 9:18;Exodus 16:4); subject (no direct object)Genesis 2:5;Genesis 7:4 (both J),Amos 4:7 (3 t. in verse), compareJob 38:26; subject clouds by divine commandIsaiah 5:6 (accusative of congnate meaning with verb );Psalm 78:24;Psalm 78:27;Exodus 16:4 (J; no ); as act of judgmentrain hail, send hail, subjectExodus 9:23 (J); compareExodus 9:18 (J; no ); objectGenesis 19:24 (J), compareEzekiel 38:22 ; figurativePsalm 11:6 (object ; but read see Ew Che Bae and others);Job 20:23 ("" clause ).
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe verb מָטַר appears seventeen times and consistently portrays Yahweh as the One who actively sends or withholds rain. Whether in narrative, poetry, prophecy, or wisdom literature, the term underlines divine sovereignty over creation and history. Rain is thus revealed not merely as a meteorological event but as an instrument through which the covenant God blesses, judges, teaches, and ultimately points His people to dependence upon Him.
Occurrences and Thematic Clusters
• Beginnings and Foundations:Genesis 2:5 notes that before cultivated agriculture existed “the LORD God had not yet caused it to rain on the earth,” preparing the reader to understand the entire hydrological cycle as contingent upon His will.
• Global Judgment:Genesis 7:4 records, “For seven days from now I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights,” emphasizing that the Flood is no cosmic accident but a deliberate divine act.
• Localized Judgment:Genesis 19:24 depicts the overthrow of Sodom: “Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire,” broadening the semantic field from literal water to destructive elements.
• Redemptive History:Exodus 9:18, 23 presents unprecedented hail on Egypt, highlighting Yahweh’s supremacy over the Egyptian pantheon and His commitment to liberate Israel.
• Provision in the Wilderness:Exodus 16:4,Psalm 78:24, 27 use the verb metaphorically for manna and quail, teaching that daily bread is as surely “rained” from heaven as water.
• Wisdom and Sovereignty:Job 38:26 stresses the gratuitous grace of God in watering “a land where no man lives,” underscoring His care for apparently insignificant spaces.
• Prophetic Warning:Amos 4:7 repeats the verb four times to dramatize selective drought: “I withheld the rain from one city but sent it upon another,” calling Israel to repentance.
• Eschatological Warfare:Ezekiel 38:22 anticipates a future day when God will “rain down torrential rain, hailstones and burning sulfur,” combining blessing-imagery with apocalyptic judgment.
Rain as Covenant Blessing
In agricultural Israel, timely rain meant life. By causing rain, God fulfils covenant promises of fruitfulness (cf. but not limited toDeuteronomy 11:14). WhenExodus 16:4 states, “I will rain down bread from heaven,” the miracle reveals that every harvest—natural or supernatural—comes from the same gracious Source.Psalm 78 meditates on that provision, linking the wilderness generation with later audiences who depend daily upon the Lord.
Rain as Instrument of Judgment
The same verb that signals blessing can describe wrath.Genesis 7 and 19,Exodus 9,Psalm 11:6 (“He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur on the wicked”), andEzekiel 38:22 all show that nature obeys its Maker for punitive purposes as well. This dual usage cautions against divorcing divine love from holiness and calls the reader to covenant faithfulness.
Prayer, Providence, and Waiting
Because rain originates in God’s hand, prayer becomes the logical human response. Solomon’s temple dedication (1 Kings 8:35-36) employs this theology, even though the verb מָטַר does not appear there. Elijah’s intercession on Carmel andJames 5:17-18 later draw from the same principle. The farmer waits for rain (James 5:7); the believer waits for God’s providence in every sphere.
Typology and Christological Layers
Isaiah 55:10-11 (again using a different Hebrew verb) compares rain with the effective Word of God. Against that backdrop,John 6 reveals Jesus as the true Bread from heaven, fulfillingExodus 16:4. Thus the raining of manna becomes a type pointing to the incarnate Word who gives life to the world.
Eschatological Resonances
Prophets like Ezekiel and Zechariah foresee a final day when God will pour out blessings or judgments in climatic phenomena.Revelation 16 echoes both the Flood and Exodus plagues, affirming the unbroken narrative thread from Genesis to the New Creation: the One who once “caused it to rain” will consummate history in righteousness.
Ministry Application
1. Dependence: Congregations in any economy—agrarian or industrial—must recognize daily provision as divinely dispensed. Gratitude fosters stewardship and combats anxiety.
2. Discipline: Preachers should warn that the God who withholds or sends rain disciplines those He loves.Amos 4:7 challenges complacency and calls for repentance when blessings wane.
3. Hope: Even in drought-like seasons, believers rest inJob 38:26: God waters the wilderness; He will not forget His people.
4. Gospel Proclamation: Rain imagery offers bridge language for evangelism—just as rain revives parched soil, so the gospel revives the human heart.
Thus מָטַר serves as a vivid, multifaceted testimony to the Lord who commands the skies, accomplishes salvation, and will finally restore all things.
Forms and Transliterations
אַמְטִ֑יר אַמְטִ֤יר אמטיר הִמְטִ֜יר הִמְטִ֧יר המטיר וְהִמְטַרְתִּי֙ וְיַמְטֵ֥ר וַיַּמְטֵ֧ר וַיַּמְטֵ֬ר והמטרתי וימטר יַמְטֵ֥ר ימטר לְ֭הַמְטִיר להמטיר מֵהַמְטִ֥יר מַמְטִ֣יר מַמְטִ֥יר מַמְטִיר֙ מהמטיר ממטיר תִּמָּטֵ֔ר תַמְטִ֥יר תמטיר תמטר ’am·ṭîr ’amṭîr amTir him·ṭîr himTir himṭîr lə·ham·ṭîr Lehamtir ləhamṭîr mam·ṭîr mamTir mamṭîr mê·ham·ṭîr mehamTir mêhamṭîr ṯam·ṭîr tamTir ṯamṭîr tim·mā·ṭêr timmaTer timmāṭêr vaiyamTer vehimtarTi veyamTer way·yam·ṭêr wayyamṭêr wə·him·ṭar·tî wə·yam·ṭêr wəhimṭartî wəyamṭêr yam·ṭêr yamTer yamṭêr
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