Word Study for H4175 (מוֹרֶה)

môwreh /mo-reh'/ Ask about this word

Meaning(see יוֹרֶה); an archer; also teacher or teaching; also the early rain

KJV usage(early) rain.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of môwreh — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word môwreh, represented by H4175, primarily refers to the early rain or former rain. Though its base definition also includes "archer" and "teacher," its scriptural use is focused on this meteorological blessing. It appears 3 times across 2 unique verses, highlighting its specific role in describing God's provision.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H4175 signifies a specific, timely rainfall. In Joel, God promises to give his people "the former rain moderately" and will cause "the former rain, and the latter rain" to come down as a sign of restoration and blessing Joel 2:23. In Psalms, the rain H4175 is described as filling the pools in the valley of Baca, transforming a place of difficulty into a source of life Psalms 84:6.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words clarify the concept of divinely sent rain:

H1653 geshem (a shower; rain, shower.): This is a general term for rain that appears alongside H4175 in the promise of restoration, where God will cause the rain to come down Joel 2:23. It is also described as a blessing God gives in due season Leviticus 26:4.
H4456 malqôwsh (the spring rain; figuratively, eloquence; latter rain.): Often translated as latter rain, this word is paired directly with H4175 to describe the full agricultural cycle of rain promised by God Joel 2:23. Believers are encouraged to ask the Lord for this latter rain Zechariah 10:1.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H4175 is centered on God's faithful provision.

Divine Blessing and Restoration: The "former rain" is a tangible gift from God, given to His people as a sign of favor and the restoration of abundance Joel 2:23. Its return signifies an end to a period of hardship.
Transformation of Hardship: The word is used to illustrate how God can bring blessing out of difficult circumstances. The rain of H4175 turns the desolate "valley of Baca" into a place with "pools" of water, representing divine comfort and life in a place of trial Psalms 84:6.

Summary

In summary, H4175 is more than just a word for the first rains of the season. It functions as a powerful symbol of God's timely and restorative blessing. Whether providing for the land after a drought Joel 2:23 or transforming a valley of sorrow into a place of life Psalms 84:6, môwreh consistently points to the direct, life-giving intervention of God in the world and in the lives of His people.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 7 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

מוֹרֶה
מוֹרֶי

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms and Joel (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

Psalms

Joel

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.