H4456 H4456
Latter rain, spring rain; the March-April showers essential for ripening grain before the harvest season.
The malqosh is the late-season rain falling in March and April, indispensable for the final maturation of grain crops before the spring harvest. It is paired with the yoreh (former or autumn rain) throughout Scripture, together marking the bookends of Israel's agricultural year (Deut 11:14; Jer 5:24; Joel 2:23). Hosea uses it as a simile for God's faithful coming: 'He will come to us like the spring rain' (Hos 6:3). Proverbs compares a king's favor to a 'spring-rain cloud' (16:15). Spanish lluvia tardia ('late rain') perfectly captures the seasonal timing that makes this word so agriculturally significant.
Senses
1. latter rain, spring rain — The latter or spring rain, falling in March-April in the land of Israel, critical for the final ripening of grain before harvest. Consistently paired with the yoreh (former/autumn rain) to describe the complete cycle of seasonal rainfall (Deut 11:14; Jer 5:24; Joel 2:23). Used metaphorically for God's reliable coming (Hos 6:3, 'like the spring rain that waters the earth'), and for royal favor (Prov 16:15, 'like a spring-rain cloud'). Zechariah 10:1 urges prayer for this rain. Jeremiah 3:3 laments its withholding as divine judgment. Spanish lluvia tardia ('late rain') and the consistent multilingual rendering as 'spring/latter rain' confirm a unified agricultural-meteorological sense. 8×
AR["الْمَطَرِ-الْمُتَأَخِّرِ", "كَالمَطَرِ-المُتَأَخِّرِ", "لِ-المَطَرِ-المُتَأَخِّرِ", "مَطَرٍ-رَبيعٍ", "وَ-الـ-مُتَأَخِّرَ", "وَ-مَطَرُ-الـ-رَّبِيعِ", "وَ-مُتَأَخِّرًا", "وَالْمُتَأَخِّرَ"]·ben["এবং-বসন্তের", "এবং-বসন্তের-বৃষ্টি", "এবং-বসন্তের-শেষ-বৃষ্টি", "এবং-শেষ-বৃষ্টি", "বসন্ত-বৃষ্টির", "বসন্ত-বৃষ্টির-জন্য", "বসন্তের", "বসন্তের-বৃষ্টির-মতো-"]·DE["[ומלקוש]", "[כמלקוש]", "[למלקוש]", "[מלקוש]", "und-latter-Regen"]·EN["and-latter-rain", "and-the-spring-rain", "for-spring-rain", "latter-rain", "like-latter-rain", "spring-rain"]·FR["[ומלקוש]", "[כמלקוש]", "[מלקוש]", "et-la-pluie-tardive", "et-latter-pluie", "à-למלקוש", "מלקוש"]·heb["ו-מלקוש", "וּ-מַלקוֹשׁ", "כ-מלקוש", "ל-מלקוש", "מלקוש"]·HI["और-अंतिम-वर्षा", "और-पिछली", "और-बसंत-वर्षा", "बसंत-की-वर्षा-के", "बसन्त-की-वर्षा", "बसन्त-वर्षा-जैसे"]·ID["dan-hujan-akhir", "hujan-akhir", "hujan-musim-semi", "seperti-hujan-akhir", "untuk-hujan akhir"]·IT["[ומלקוש]", "[כמלקוש]", "[מלקוש]", "e-latter-pioggia", "latter-pioggia", "per-per-spring-rain"]·jav["jawah-alon", "kados-jawah-wingking", "kanggé-jawah-pungkasan", "lan-jawah-pungkasan", "lan-pungkasan", "lan-udan-pèngkèr", "lan-udan-semi", "udan-semi"]·KO["같으니라-늦은-비에", "그리고-늦은", "그리고-늦은-비", "그리고-늦은-비가", "그리고-늦은-비를", "늦은-비", "늦은-비에게", "봄비-의"]·PT["chuva-tardia", "como-chuva-serdia", "e-chuva-serdia", "e-serdia", "e-serôdia", "e-tardia", "para-chuva-tardia"]·RU["для-позднего-дождя", "и-поздний", "и-поздний-дождь", "как-поздний-дождь", "позднего-дождя"]·ES["como-lluvia-tardía", "lluvia-tardía", "para-lluvia-tardía", "y-la-tardía", "y-lluvia-tardía", "y-tardía"]·SW["kama-mvua-ya-masika", "kwa-mvua-ya-masika", "mvua-ya-masika", "mvua-za-masika", "na-mvua-ya-masika", "na-mvua-za-vuli", "na-ya-vuli"]·TR["ilkbahar-yağmuru", "ilkbahar-yağmurunun", "son-yağmur-gibi", "son-yağmura", "ve-ilkbahar-yağmuru", "ve-son-yağmur", "ve-son-yağmuru"]·urd["آخری بارش-کے-لیے", "اور-آخری", "اور-بہاری-بارش", "بارش-بہاری-کی", "بہاری-بارش-کے", "جیسے-آخری-بارش"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מַלְקוֹשׁ n.m. Je 3:3 latter-rain, spring-rain (i.e. showers of March–April; important, as strengthening and maturing crops); מ׳ Ho 6:3 + 7 times;—related to גֶּשֶׁם as particular to general, opp. יוֹרֶה (former rain, q.v.): Ho 6:3 Je 5:24, so opp. מוֹרֶה Jo 2:23; particular under מָטָר Dt 11:14 (opp. יוֹרֶה), Zc 10:1 (+ מְטַר־גֶּשֶׁם), Jb 29:23; ‖ רְבִבִים Je 3:3; עָב מ׳ Pr 16:15 spring-rain-cloud (sim. of king’s favour).