מטר ארצך אבק ועפר. "זִיקָא דְבָתַר מִטְרָא", מָטָר יוֹרֵד וְלֹא כָל צָרְכּוֹ, וְאֵין בּוֹ כְּדֵי לְהַרְבִּיץ אֶת הֶעָפָר, וְהָרוּחַ בָּאָה וּמַעֲלָה אֶת הָאָבָק וּמְכַסֶּה אֶת עֵשֶׂב הַזְּרָעִים שֶׁהֵם לַחִים מִן הַמַּיִם וְנִדְבָּק בָּהֶם, וְנַעֲשֶׂה טִיט וּמִתְיַבֵּשׁ וּמַרְקִיבִין (תענית ג'): מטר ארצך אבק ועפר [GOD SHALL MAKE] THE RAIN OF THY LAND POWDER AND DUST, through “a wind that comes after the rain” as the Talmud says (Taanit 3b); rain will fall but not as much as is needed, so that there will not be sufficient of it to lay the dust; the wind will come and blow the dust about and cover the leaves of the vegetation which are still wet from the water and it will adhere to them and so become mud which will afterwards become dry, and they will rot (Taanit 3b).