to rain down
brecho describes rain falling or being withheld, and also liquid or destructive matter falling upon someone or something.
The dominant use concerns rain falling on the earth or its being withheld: Matthew 5:45, James 5:17, and Revelation 11:6 place the verb in clauses about rain, heaven, and the earth. Luke 7:38 and Luke 7:44 use it of tears wetting Jesus’ feet, while Luke 17:29 applies it to fire and sulfur falling from heaven.
Senses in use
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Rain falling or being withheld · dominant
In Matthew 5:45, the present indicative form occurs in the clause where God causes rain to fall on just and unjust people. James 5:17 places βρέξαι and ἔβρεξεν in Elijah’s prayer that it would not rain on the earth, and Revelation 11:6 uses a present subjunctive form in the purpose clause that rain not fall during the days of prophecy.
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Tears wetting feet · common
In Luke 7:38, the present infinitive occurs as the woman weeps at Jesus’ feet; the APB renders the action as beginning “to wet his feet with her tears.” In Luke 7:44, the aorist indicative form recalls that she “has wet my feet with her tears.”
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Destructive matter falling from heaven · rare
In Luke 17:29, the aorist indicative form describes the day Lot left Sodom, when the APB renders “fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all.” The clause extends the falling action beyond ordinary rain to fire and sulfur.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the weather-related clauses with “rain” and “rain to fall,” the tears clauses with “wet,” and Luke 17:29 with “rained from heaven.” These are verse-level renderings rather than definitions of the term.