"For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come" (Song of Solomon 2:11-12). God "renewest the face of the earth" (Psalm 104:30), sends "the former rain, and the latter rain" (Joel 2:23), and makes the seed "spring and grow up" (Mark 4:27).
Spring arrives with longer light, green buds, and birdsong after a long winter, and the Bible uses those same pictures to speak of God's faithfulness. These twelve King James passages cover the winter passing, the spring rains Israel prayed for, and seeds rising into new life. This is a seasonal page, the springtime companion to our fall verses. For a personal fresh start, see new beginnings; for blossoms and lilies, see flowers.
The winter is past
1. Song of Solomon 2:11-12
"For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;"
The Bible's great spring poem: winter over, rain gone, flowers up, and the singing of birds come. It is a joyful reminder that cold seasons end at God's appointed time.
2. Psalms 104:30
"Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth."
Spring is God's renewal on display. The psalmist says that when God sends forth His Spirit, creatures are created and the face of the earth is renewed.
3. Mark 13:28
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:"
Jesus told His disciples to learn from the fig tree: tender branches and new leaves mean summer is near. Spring teaches us to read signs and to live watchful, hopeful lives as we wait for His return.
4. Ecclesiastes 3:2
"A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;"
A time to plant. Spring is planting season, when farmers and gardeners work in hope of a harvest they cannot yet see. Ecclesiastes reminds us that God sets the rhythm; our part is to plant faithfully when the time comes.
Spring rain from the LORD
5. Hosea 6:3
"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."
In Israel the former and latter rains framed the growing year. Hosea says the LORD will come to His people like that rain, as sure as morning.
6. Joel 2:23
"Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month."
After judgment and locusts, Joel promises restoration: rejoice, for God will send the former rain and the latter rain.
7. Zechariah 10:1
"Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field."
Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain. Even in the expected season, God's people were to pray for showers. Spring invites us to ask Him for the growth we need, not assume it.
8. Psalms 147:8
"Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains."
God covers the sky with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, and makes grass grow upon the mountains.
Seeds, sprouts and new life
9. Mark 4:26-28
"And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."
Jesus compares the kingdom to seed that sprouts and grows while the farmer sleeps: first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn.
10. John 12:24
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
Spoken shortly before His death, Jesus says a corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die to bring forth much fruit. Spring and Easter often arrive together, and this seed picture points to the resurrection life of spring.
11. Isaiah 61:11
"For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."
As the garden causes what is sown to spring forth, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before the nations. Spring gardens picture what God is growing in His people.
12. Isaiah 55:10-11
"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
Rain and snow water the earth and make it bud; so God's word never returns void.
A short prayer
Lord of the seasons, thank You that winter does not last forever. As the earth turns green again, renew my heart. Send Your rain on what is dry in me, and let righteousness and praise spring up in my life. In Jesus' name, amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
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Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about spring?
Scripture celebrates spring as a gift of God's faithfulness: the winter is past and flowers appear (Song of Solomon 2:11-12), God renews the earth (Psalm 104:30), sends spring rain (Joel 2:23), and gives seed its growth (Mark 4:26-28).
What is the former and latter rain?
In ancient Israel the former rain fell in autumn at planting and the latter rain came in spring before harvest. Prophets like Hosea and Joel used these rains as pictures of God's blessing and presence.
How is spring different from new beginnings?
Our new beginnings page is about a personal fresh start in Christ. This page is about the spring season itself and what God teaches through it, mirroring our fall page.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Bible verses about fall · Bible verses about flowers · Bible verses about nature · Bible verses about new beginnings · Bible verses about spiritual growth · Bible verses about Easter
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