James 5:18
in James 5Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he prayed again; and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
KJV
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
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This verse in James 5
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAnd he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, etc. Therefore, he prayed once and before and after, and this one Elijah obtained such great and mighty things; how much more, then, is the frequent prayer of many righteous people worth? But lest our frailty …
This site's exposition
confess your sins to each other
on James 5:16-18
The call to confess your sins to each other and pray for each other brings healing into the congregation. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail, energoumene, at work. Elijah was a man just like us, and his prayer shut and opened the heavens (Luke 4:25).
This site's exposition
Again he prayed
Clarke finds this second prayer in 1 Kings 18:42, where Elijah bows to the earth with his face between his knees. The history records it by posture alone. Bede asks how much more the frequent prayer of many righteous men is worth, when one man prayed and heaven gave rain.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
The word of the prophet went forth and suddenly the air was changed, the sky became bronze, not because its nature was altered but because of the electric effect which was produced. Suddenly the elements were transformed, as the prophet's word fell like a fiery bolt on the hollow parts of the earth, and immediately everything dried up, became a desert and disappeared.
It is rash to think that anything which spiritual men say is excessive or badly stated, for what is said is not mindless or superficial. For this man was a prophet, and the greatest of the prophets, on fire with zeal for God. What he …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
In prayer we must not look to the merit of man, but to the grace of God. Only in this we should copy after Elijah, that he prayed earnestly, or, as it is in the original, in prayer he prayed. It is not enough to say a prayer, but we must pray in prayer.
Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. The apostle is here addressing first sinners and then saints. Let us consider the address to sinners; and here we find James seconding what his great Master had said: Woe unto you that are rich; for you have received your consolation, Luke vi.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:26w-of-69
And he prayed again,.... 1Ki 18:
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
And he prayed again - This second prayer is not mentioned in the history in express words, but as in 1Ki 18:42, it is said, He cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees; that was probably the time of the second praying, namely, that rain might come, as this was the proper posture of prayer.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
prayed . . . and--that is, "and so." Mark the connection between the prayer and its accomplishment. her fruit--her usual and due fruit, heretofore withheld on account of sin. Three and a half years is the time also that the two witnesses prophesy who "have power to shut and open heaven that it rain not."
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And he prayed again - The allusion here seems to be to 1Ki 18:42, 1Ki 18:45, though it is not expressly said there that he prayed. Perhaps it might be fairly gathered from the narrative that he did pray, or at least that would be the presumption, for he put himself into a natural attitude of prayer. “He cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,” 1Ki 18:42. In such circumstances, it is to be fairly presumed that such a man would pray; but it is remarkable that it is not expressly mentioned, and quite as remarkable that James should have made his argument turn on a thing which is not expressly mentioned, but which seems to have been a matter of inference. It seems probable to me, therefore, that there was some tradition on which he relied, or that it was a common interpretation of the passage in 1 Kings, that Elijah prayed earnestly, and that this was generally believed by those to whom the apostle wrote. Of the fact that Elijah was a man of prayer, no one could doubt; and in these circumstances the tradition and common belief were sufficient to justify the argument which is employed here. And the heaven gave rain - The clouds gave rain. “The heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain,” 1Ki 18:45. And the earth brought forth her fruit - The famine ceased, and the land again became productive. The case referred to here was indeed a miracle, but it was a case of the power of prayer, and therefore to the point. If God would work a miracle in answer to prayer, it is reasonable to presume that he will bestow upon us the blessings which we need in the same way.
The words behind it
15 Greek wordsEvery Greek 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.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| πάλιν | palin | again | G3825 → | |
| προσηύξατο | proseuxato | he prayed | G4336 → | 85 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| οὐρανὸς | ouranos | heaven | G3772 → | |
| ὑετὸν | hu'eton | rain | G5205 → | |
| ἔδωκεν | edoken | gave | G1325 → | 412 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἡ | he | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆ | ge | earth | G1093 → | 248 times |
| ἐβλάστησεν | eblastesen | produced | G985 → | |
| τὸν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| καρπὸν | karpon | fruit | G2590 → | 66 times |
| αὐτῆς.¶ | autes | of it. | G846 → | 5565 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
πάλινagain
palinG3825 →
προσηύξατοhe prayed
proseuxatoG4336 →85 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
οὐρανὸςheaven
ouranosG3772 →
ὑετὸνrain
hu'etonG5205 →
ἔδωκενgave
edokenG1325 →412 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἡthe
heG3588 →19766 times
γῆearth
geG1093 →248 times
ἐβλάστησενproduced
eblastesenG985 →
τὸνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
καρπὸνfruit
karponG2590 →66 times
αὐτῆς.¶of it.
autesG846 →5565 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
Jeremiah 14:22Can the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies alone send showers? Is this not by You, O LORD our God? So we put our hope in You, for You have…
it leads to
- Joel 2:23
Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for He has given you the autumn rains for your vindication. He sends you showers, both autumn and spring rains, as…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 5:24
They have not said in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’
- Psalms 135:7
He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.
- Isaiah 30:23
Then He will send rain for the seed that you have sown in the ground, and the food that comes from your land will be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle will…
- Deuteronomy 32:21
They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will…
- Joel 2:23
Through
Acts 14:17Yet 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.”
it leads to
- Romans 1:19–20
For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
- Job 5:10
He gives rain to the earth and sends water upon the fields.
- Deuteronomy 11:14
then I will provide rain for your land in season, the autumn and spring rains, that you may gather your grain, new wine, and oil.
- Romans 1:19–20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About James
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, CATENA; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, CATENA.