Greek word · G5205

ὑετός

hyetos

rain

Rain, especially seasonal rainfall. In the Greek Old Testament it often means the 'early and latter rain' (autumn and spring) that farming in Canaan depended on. 'Land drinking rain' was an established biblical way of saying this.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὑετός, -οῦ, ὁ

(ὕω, to rain), [in LXX chiefly for ;]

rain: Acts 14:17 28:2, Hebrews 6:7, James 5:18, Revelation 11:6; ὄψιμος (which see), sc. ὑ., James 5:7.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 6:7

Range of meaning

Rain, especially seasonal rainfall. In the Greek Old Testament it often means the 'early and latter rain' (autumn and spring) that farming in Canaan depended on. 'Land drinking rain' was an established biblical way of saying this.

Against the English

English 'rain' is accurate. What modern city readers miss is how much rain meant: in Israel's hill country there were no rivers for irrigation, so rain decided between harvest and famine.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 11:11 (LXX): the land Israel enters 'drinks water from the rain of heaven' (ἐκ τοῦ ὑετοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πίεται ὕδωρ), in contrast to Egypt's irrigation. Deut 11:14, 17 and Deut 28:12 make rain a covenant gift that God can give or hold back. Isa 55:10–11 compares rain that makes the earth 'bring forth' to God's word, which does not return empty. Ps 65:9–13 (LXX 64) praises God for watering and blessing the land.

From the study of James 5:18

Range of meaning

Rain, especially heavy or seasonal rain. Used in the Greek Old Testament for the 'early and late rains' on which Israel's agriculture depended.

Against the English

Every version says 'rain'. NASB's 'the sky poured rain' adds force that the Greek verb 'gave' does not carry (though 1 Kings 18:45 does speak of 'a heavy rain').

Used elsewhere in the period

Leviticus 26:4 (Greek): 'I will give you rain in its season, and the land will give its produce.' Deuteronomy 11:14: 'he will give rain to your land in its season, early and late.' 1 Kings 18:45 (Greek): 'there was a great rain'. The same root appears in James 5:17 ('it did not rain').

Where it appears

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 14:17 ὑετοὺς rains

    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.”

    Here: Plural, 'rains', meaning the rainfalls that come season by season. On the dry Lycaonian plateau, rain decided whether a family ate.

  2. Acts 28:2 ὑετὸν rain

    The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.

    Here: Rain, often heavy. It was early winter in the central Mediterranean, the stormy season.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 6:7 ὑετὸν rain

    For land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives the blessing of God.

    Here: The rain on which all life in the land of Israel depended, and which was understood as God's gift (Deut 11:11–14).

James · 1

  1. James 5:18 ὑετὸν rain

    Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.

    Here: Rain, especially the heavy seasonal rain farming depended on. Placed before the verb, it gets emphasis: rain is exactly what had been missing.

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 11:6 ὑετὸς rain

    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.

    Here: Rain, the subject of the verb that follows. Together they make the doubled phrase 'rain may not rain', which YLT keeps.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.