Deuteronomy 32:2
in Deuteronomy 32Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
My doctrine shall drop as the rain; My speech shall distil as the dew, As the small rain upon the tender grass, And as the showers upon the herb.
KJV
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
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This verse in Deuteronomy 32
Commentary
12 notes on this verseA commentator
Origen of AlexandriaHOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 16.2.3.See also AMBROSE ON DEUTERONOMY 28:12 · Written before 253.
Therefore let us seek in the Scriptures what is "the rain" which is given only to the saints and concerning which "it is commanded to the clouds that they do not pour their rain" upon the unjust. Therefore Moses and the Lawgiver himself teach us what this rain is. For he himself says in Deuteronomy, "Consider, O heaven, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words from my mouth; let my speech be awaited like rain." Are these words my speech? Do we pervert violently the meaning of divine law by arguments of rhetoric?
This site's exposition
Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak
on Deuteronomy 32:1-3
Heaven and earth are summoned as witnesses, which is what Moses did the day before at 31:28 and twice earlier at 4:26 and 30:19. Isaiah 1:2 opens his own prophecy with the same summons, so the form outlived the man using it here. Verse 2 asks for the words to fall as rain on grass rather than as a sentence read out, and verse 3 names the subject before the song starts.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Behold the nature of the rain which is given only to the just and denied to sinners. Therefore the rain is the Word of God. Only the just are prepared to receive it. Lovers of the world, however, who are proud, dissolute or avaricious are …
All of us wish to have refreshing waters in our gardens. If there are no waters in them, we draw them from the sea with great effort in order to provide vegetables for our bodies. If so how much more solicitous should we be for …
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 14 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
"Give ear, O heavens, while I speak; let the earth hearken to the words of my mouth! May my instruction soak in like the rain, and my discourse permeate like the dew, like a downpour upon the grass, like a shower upon the crops." This …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
"It shall be a beating sweeping rain to the rebellious;" so one of the Chaldee paraphrasts expounds the first clause. Rain is sometimes sent for judgment, witness that with which the world was deluged; and so the word of God, while to some it is reviving and refreshing--a savour of life unto life, is to others terrifying and killing--a savour of death unto death.
27 ); the heaven shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him. Or heaven and earth are here put for the inhabitants of both, angels and men; both shall agree to justify God in his proceedings against Israel, and to declare his righteousness, Ps. l. 2. he begins with a solemn application of what he was about to say to the people (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
As the rain - Look what effect rain and dew have upon herbs and grass which they make fresh and fragrant and growing, the same effect may my discourse have upon your hearts, that is, to make them soft and pliable and fruitful.
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
My doctrine - לקחי likchi, from לקח lakach, to take, carry away; to attract or gain over the heart by eloquence or persuasive speech. Hence the Septuagint translate the word αποφθεγμα, an apophthegm, a sententious and weighty saying, for the regulation of the moral conduct such, properly, are the sayings in this inimitable ode. Shall drop as the rain - It shall come drop by drop as the shower, beginning slowly and distinctly, but increasing more and more till the plenitude of righteousness is poured down, and the whole canon of Divine revelation completed.
THIS is the language of the great Prophet, Moses, "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." We read of Moses that he was a Prophet mighty in word and deed—he combined with his incomparable teaching an unequalled degree of marvelous miracle-working. He was equally great as a law-giver and as an administrator. This double power was found in no other Prophet till our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, came. The other Prophets were, many of them, mighty in deed, but not in word. And others were mighty in word, but not in deed. Samuel spoke mightily in the name of the Lord, but his miracles were few. Elijah was a great doer, but few of his words remain. The combination of the two was peculiar to Moses and, afterwards, to Him of whom Moses had said, "The Lord your God will raise up unto you a Prophet from the midst of you, of your brethren, like unto me; unto Him you shall hearken." Moses was mighty, indeed, no man could have been more so. He it was that broke the power of Egypt by the 10 great plagues and led forth the once-enslaved people through the Red Sea—and fed them 40 years with bread from Heaven— and formed them into a nation. Heaven and earth and sea seemed to be obedient to Moses! God had girded him with such extraordinary power, yet I greatly question whether his power of word was not greater than his power of action. Although he was slow of speech, yet with Aaron as his spokesman, he faced the terrible Egyptian king and so vanquished him, that he dreaded the word of Moses more than all the armies of the nations! In the five volumes which Moses wrote, which are to this day accepted by us as lying at the base of Revelation, Moses proved his great capacity in word.
THIS is the language of the great Prophet, Moses, "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." We read of Moses that he was a Prophet mighty in word and deed—he combined with his incomparable teaching an unequalled degree of marvelous miracle-working. He was equally great as a law-giver and as an administrator. This double power was found in no other Prophet till our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, came.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
By way of the plain meaning of Scripture, the words of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra are correct that the Scriptures designate as witnesses all things which exist and endure. Similarly, Hear O ye mountains, the Eternal’s controversy. 1 Micah:2.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יַעֲרֹ֤ף | yaarof | may it drop | H6201 → | |
| כַּמָּטָר֙ | kamatar | like the rain | H4306 → | 38 times |
| לִקְחִ֔י | likchi | teaching my | H3948 → | |
| תִּזַּ֥ל | tizal | may it distil | H5140 → | |
| כַּטַּ֖ל | katal | like the dew | H2919 → | 31 times |
| אִמְרָתִ֑י | ʾimrati | speech my | H565 → | |
| כִּשְׂעִירִ֣ם | kisirim | like showers of rain | H8164 → | |
| עֲלֵי־ | ʾalei- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| דֶ֔שֶׁא | deshe' | grass | H1877 → | |
| וְכִרְבִיבִ֖ים | vekhirvivim | and like copious showers | H7241 → | |
| עֲלֵי־ | ʾalei- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| עֵֽשֶׂב׃ | ʾesev | vegetation | H6212 → | 33 times |
יַעֲרֹ֤ףmay it drop
yaarofH6201 →
כַּמָּטָר֙like the rain
kamatarH4306 →38 times
לִקְחִ֔יteaching my
likchiH3948 →
תִּזַּ֥לmay it distil
tizalH5140 →
כַּטַּ֖לlike the dew
katalH2919 →31 times
אִמְרָתִ֑יspeech my
ʾimratiH565 →
כִּשְׂעִירִ֣םlike showers of rain
kisirimH8164 →
עֲלֵי־on
ʾalei-H5921 →5755 times
דֶ֔שֶׁאgrass
deshe'H1877 →
וְכִרְבִיבִ֖יםand like copious showers
vekhirvivimH7241 →
עֲלֵי־on
ʾalei-H5921 →5755 times
עֵֽשֶׂב׃vegetation
ʾesevH6212 →33 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hosea 14:5I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
it leads to
- Isaiah 35:2
It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the…
- Isaiah 27:6
In the days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with fruit.
- Ephesians 3:17
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,
- Matthew 6:28
And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.
- Isaiah 35:2
Through
Psalms 72:6May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.
it leads to
- Hosea 6:3
So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water…
- Hosea 6:3
Through
Micah 5:7Then the remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for man or linger for mankind.
it leads to
- Psalms 72:6
May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.
- Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.
- Micah 5:3
Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel.
- Psalms 72:6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 14; Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 105.2; Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 1.15; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1999: “Small Rain for Tender Herbs” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 16.2.3.See also AMBROSE ON DEUTERONOMY 28:12.