Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.

JEREMIAH 14:22KJV
Know the Bible

Jeremiah 14:22 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 14:22 mean?

Jeremiah 14:22 says that none of the idols or false gods ("vanities of the Gentiles") can bring rain or provide what people truly need—only the LORD, the true God, has the power to do these things. Because of this, the people must look to God alone and wait for Him, since He is the one who made everything.

Jeremiah is speaking during a time of drought, addressing God on behalf of the people of Judah. The verse highlights the helplessness of idols (worshipped by other nations) compared to the living God. Jeremiah is making it clear that rain—a basic need for survival—comes only from the LORD, not from the sky itself or from any other supposed power.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 14:22

  • "vanities" (הֶבֶל, hevel): This word means "emptiness" or "worthlessness," often used for idols. Jeremiah is stressing that the gods of other nations are empty and powerless.
  • "Gentiles" (גּוֹי, goy): This word refers to the nations outside Israel. The verse draws a contrast between Israel’s God and the gods of other peoples.
  • "rain" (מָטָר, matar) and "showers" (רְבִיבִים, revivim): Both words point to life-giving water, but "showers" often means abundant, refreshing rain. The verse emphasizes that only God can provide both regular and abundant rain.
  • "wait" (קָוָה, qavah): This word means to hope or expect, not just passively wait. It shows an active trust in God to provide.

Why Jeremiah 14:22 matters

  • Jeremiah 14:22 clears up the idea that natural forces or other gods control the weather; it insists that only the LORD is truly in charge.
  • The verse highlights the futility of trusting in anything other than God, especially in times of crisis like drought.
  • This verse connects to the larger passage, where Jeremiah is pleading for God’s mercy during a national disaster, showing both dependence on God and rejection of idolatry.

Where else these words appear

“showers” Hebrew H7241 · used in 6 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:2 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:
  • Psalms 65:10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
  • Jeremiah 3:3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

“wait” Hebrew H6960 · used in 45 verses

  • Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
  • Psalms 40:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
  • Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

“vanities” Hebrew H1892 · used in 64 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
  • Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
  • Ecclesiastes 7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

“there” Hebrew H3426 · used in 129 verses

  • Genesis 18:24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
  • 1 Samuel 21:8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.
  • Psalms 73:11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?