Job 29:23 Meaning and Explanation
“And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →People longed for Job's words as parched land longs for rain, opening wide to receive the late spring showers.
What Does Job 29:23 Mean?
Job deepens the image. His hearers waited for him as a dry land waits for rain, and opened their mouths wide as for the latter rain, the crucial spring showers that ripened the harvest. They thirsted for his counsel as for life-giving water.
The latter rain was hope itself, the difference between a full harvest and famine. To be longed for that way is a sober honor. The verse pictures the hunger of the human heart for words that give life, a hunger ultimately satisfied only in the One whose words are spirit and life.
Job 29:23 in the Original Language
malqosh (מַלְקוֹשׁ), 'latter rain' -- the spring rains that ripened the grain, vital to the coming harvest.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 29:23
What does Job 29:23 mean?
People longed for Job's words as parched land longs for rain, opening wide to receive the late spring showers.