The term for the autumn rains that begin the agricultural year in ancient Palestine, falling from late October through early December. These early rains soften the ground for plowing and planting, contrasted with the מַלְקוֹשׁ (late spring rains) that ripen the crops before harvest. Found in Deuteronomy 11:14, Jeremiah 5:24, and Hosea 6:3, the early rain becomes a powerful metaphor for God's blessing and faithfulness. The textual note in Hosea 6:3 suggests some manuscripts vocalized this as a verbal form rather than a noun, but the rain imagery fits the context perfectly.