καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑετὸν ἔδωκε καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησε τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς. — James 5:18
The Aorist and the Answered Prayer
In this verse, James concludes his illustration of the prophet Elijah’s powerful prayer by describing the results in three closely linked aorist verbs. The Greek highlights not only what Elijah did but what heaven and earth did in response—ἔδωκε and ἐβλάστησε describe divine and natural action, each unfolding as a single, completed event in response to prophetic intercession.
καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο: Repetition and Emphasis
The adverb πάλιν (“again”) and the verb προσηύξατο (“he prayed”) signal a second, decisive act of prayer. This references Elijah’s second major prayer in the biblical account (cf. 1 Kings 18), where rain finally returns after a drought. The verb is in the aorist middle, underscoring the completeness and personal engagement of Elijah’s prayer. The grammar stresses that this was no casual request—it was a committed, purposeful intercession.
Heaven and Earth in Synchronized Response
The next two clauses, introduced by καὶ (“and”), form a chain of consequences. First, ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑετὸν ἔδωκε (“the heaven gave rain”), and then ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησε τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς (“the earth produced its fruit”). Both subjects—ὁ οὐρανός and ἡ γῆ—are grammatically parallel, emphasizing the harmony of heaven and earth in response to prophetic prayer. The aorist tense in both verbs encapsulates the completeness of the result: it rained, and fruit grew.
The Role of Word Order
The phrase τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς (“its fruit”) appears at the end of the sentence, giving it prominence. The placement of the possessive αὐτῆς (“its”) ties the productivity directly to ἡ γῆ—the earth did not just sprout abstract vegetation, but its own divinely appointed fruit. Greek word order here enhances the rhetorical and theological emphasis.
Parsing the Key Verbs
| Greek Verb | Root | Tense | Voice | Mood | Person & Number | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| προσηύξατο | προσεύχομαι | Aorist | Middle | Indicative | 3rd Person Singular | he prayed |
| ἔδωκε | δίδωμι | Aorist | Active | Indicative | 3rd Person Singular | gave |
| ἐβλάστησε | βλαστάνω | Aorist | Active | Indicative | 3rd Person Singular | sprouted / produced |
The Tense That Brought Rain
James 5:18 captures a profound theological truth through precise grammar: the prayer of a righteous person is effective. The aorist tense locks each action—praying, raining, sprouting—into a historical and completed frame. This is not abstract or hypothetical; it is a testimonial to real divine response. The Greek doesn’t just report events—it affirms cause and effect between faithful intercession and supernatural result. The heavens opened. The earth responded. And grammar tells the story.
