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

cause to rain upon

A primitive root; to rain -- (cause to) rain (upon).

Word Origin
denominative verb from matar
Definition
to rain
NASB Translation
bring rain (1), rain (5), rained (5), rained down (1), send (1), send rain (3), sent rain (1).

[מָטַר] verb denominative (compare Gerber^{Verb. denom.106}) [rain] (Arabic ; Syriac ᵑ7 Aph`el אַמְטַר); —

Niph`al Imperfect be rained upon חֶלְקָה אַחַתּ תִּמָּטֵר Amos 4:7.

Hiph`il Pf . הִמְטִיר Genesis 2:5; Genesis 19:24; וְהִמְטַרְתִּ֫י Amos 4:7; Imperfect יַמְטֵר Psalm 11:6; Job 20:23; וַיַּמְטֵר Exodus 9:3 2t.; 3 feminine singular תַּמְטִיר Amos 4:7 (but read אַמְטִיר ᵐ5 ᵑ91singular אַמְטִיר Amos 4:7 + vAmos 4:7 (for תַּמְטִיר), Ezekiel 38:22; Infinitive construct הַמְטִיר Isaiah 5:6; Job 38:26; Participle מַמְטִיר Genesis 7:4 2t.; — send rain, rain (followed by עַל except Exodus 9:18; Exodus 16:4); subject ׳י (no direct object) Genesis 2:5; Genesis 7:4 (both J), Amos 4:7 (3 t. in verse), compare Job 38:26; subject clouds עָבִים by divine command Isaiah 5:6 (accusative of congnate meaning with verb מָטָר); מָן ׳הִמִ Psalm 78:24; שְׁאֵר Psalm 78:27; לֶחֶם Exodus 16:4 (J; מִןהַֿשָּׁמַים no עַל); as act of judgment בָּרָד ׳הִמ rain hail, send hail, subject ׳י Exodus 9:23 (J); compare Exodus 9:18 (J; no עַל); object גָּפְרִית וָאֵשׁ Genesis 19:24 (J), compare Ezekiel 38:22 ׳וְגֶשֶׁם שׁוֺטֵף וְאַבְנֵי אֶלְגָּבִישׁ אֵשׁ וְגָפְרִית אַמ; figurative Psalm 11:6 (object מַּחִים; but read מַּחֲמֵי אֵשׁ see Ew Che Bae and others); Job 20:23 ("" clause יְשַׁלַּח בּוֺ חֲרוֺן אַמּוֺ).

Overview

The 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 to Deuteronomy 11:14). When Exodus 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”), and Ezekiel 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 and James 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, fulfilling Exodus 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 in Job 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.

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 yamṭêrInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts