## send rain on the land ##

AT: "cause rain to fall on the land" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])

## now the famine was severe ##

The word "now" is used here to mark a break in the main storyline. Here the writer tells background information about how the famine had affected Samaria. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-background]])