Therefore the showers... — Outward calamities were looked upon as chastisements for these sins. There had apparently been a severe drought in the reign of Josiah (Jeremiah 9:12; Jeremiah 25:1). There had been no showers in spring, no “latter rain” in autumn. So like calamities are described in Amos 4:7; Haggai 1:11; Joel 1:18. The influence of the newly-discovered book of Deuteronomy (2 Chronicles 34:14; 2 Kings 22:8) had doubtless given a fresh emphasis to this view of natural disasters.

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