to wait · conjunction + verb, piel sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
rain
כַמָּטָ֣רkha.ma.Tar
H4306
rain · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
opened
פָּעֲר֥וּpa.'a.Ru
H6473
to yawn · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
mouth
וּ֝פִיהֶ֗םu.fi.Hem
H6310
the mouth (as the means of blowing) · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
rain
לְמַלְקֽוֹשׁle.mal.Ko.osh
H4456
the spring rain · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
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…
Psalms 72:6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water 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 gr…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 29:18–end
That which crowned Job's prosperity was the pleasing prospect he had of the continuance of it. Though he knew, in general, that he was liable to trouble, and therefore was not secure (Job 3:26, I was not in safety, neither had I rest), yet he had no particular occasion for fear, but as much reason as ever any man had to count upon the lengthening out of his tranquility.
I. See here what his thoughts were in his prosperity (Job 29:18): Then I said, I shall die in my nest. Having made himself a warm and easy nest, he hoped nothing would disturb him in it, nor remove him out of it, till death removed him. He knew he had never stolen any coal from the altar which might fire his nest; he saw no s…
Image of Job 29:22 continued. They waited for my salutary counsel, as the dry soil does for the refreshing rain.
opened . . . mouth--panted for; Oriental image (Psa 119:131). The "early rain" is in autumn and onwards, while the seed is being sown. The "latter rain" is in March, and brings forward the harvest, which ripens in May or June. Between the early and latter rains, some rain falls, but not in such quantities as those rains. Between March and October no rain falls (Deu 11:14; Jam 5:7).
John Gill on Job 29:23
And they waited for me as for the rain,.... The former rain, as appears by the following clause, which fell in autumn, about October, after seedtime, in order to nourish and cherish it, and bring it up; now as the husbandman waited for this, was in daily expectation of it, and greatly desired it, and longed for it; see James 5:7; so the people waited for Job, for his coming into their public assemblies, whether civil or religious, and longed to hear him speak, for their counsel and instruction, for their comfort and direction in all things they stood in need of:
and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain; which fell in the spring about March, in the time of harvest, which was o…
And they waited for me as the rain, and opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. Where too it is fitly added, They waited for me as the rain, and opened their mouth as for the latter rain. For the words of holy preaching we undergo as rain, when by true humility we learn the dryness of our hearts, that we may be watered by the draught of holy preaching. Whence also it is rightly said to God by the Psalmist, My soul is like earth without water to Thee. The Prophet charges us to be bathed with these streams of teaching, saying, Ho, every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters. Who whilst in the final portion of the world we now receive the words of holy preaching, as it were 'open the mouth of the heart to the latter rain.' For if there were not in the heart 'a mouth,' the Psalmist would not say, Crafty lips in heart, and with the heart they have spoken evil things. The mouth of the heart, then, because we apply ourselves to the word of the preaching at the end, this, I say, we as it were open to the latter streams. Which same preaching came forth to us by the sacrifice of Him, Who says by the Psalmist, And the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. For because our Redeemer at the end of the world underwent the violence of those that persecuted Him, Himself He 'gave an evening sacrifice for us.' Of this 'latter rain' it is elsewhere written, I will give you rain, both the early, and the latter rain. For He 'gave the early rain,' because in the former period He bestowed on His Elect the knowledge of the Law. He 'gave the latter rain,' because He caused the mystery of His Incarnation to be preached in the last days. Which same mystery because Holy Church ceases not to tell forth day by day, she waters the mouths of her hearers' hearts as it were by 'the latter rain.'
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Agriculture — Tilling the ground (Gen. 2:15; 4:2, 3, 12) and rearing cattle were the chief employments in ancient times. The Egyptians excelled in agriculture. And after the Israelites entered into the possession…
Rain · The want of: Causes the earth to open — The want of: Causes the earth to open
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
on Job 29:21–end
21 They hearkened to me and waited,
And remained silent at my decision.
22 After my utterance they spake not again,
And my speech distilled upon them.
23 And they waited for me as for the rain,
And they opened their mouth wide for the latter rain.
24 I smiled to them in their hopelessness,
And the light of my countenance they cast not down.
25 I chose the way for them, and sat as chief,
And dwelt as a king in the army,
As one that comforteth the mourners.
Attentive, patient, and ready to be instructed, they hearkened to him (this is the force of שׁמע ל), and waited, without interrupting, for what he should say. ויחלּוּ, the pausal pronunciation with a reduplication of the last radical, as Jd…
after a long, good life (literally after I have counted my days like sand): Job thought the length of his years would signify God’s blessing, like the great number of Abraham’s offspring (Gen 15:5; 32:12) or the abundance of Joseph’s supplies in Egypt (Gen 41:49).
Rashi on Job 29:23
after a long time After a long time they would speak, because most of their time was spent in silence, for they were anxiously waiting to hear my words.
