Psalms 147:16 BSB — MannaFest

Psalms 147:16

He spreads the snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes;

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

He giveth snow like wool; He scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.

KJV

He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

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Commentary

3 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)

He giveth snow like wool,.... For colour as white as wool; so the Targum and Kimchi: and for the manner of its falling, lightly and gently as a lock of wool; which for its thinness and fineness it also resembles. Hence the ancients used to call snow εριωδες υδωρ, "woolly water" (t); and Martial (u) gives it the name of "densum veilus aquarum", "a thick fleece of waters": so another poet (w) calls clouds flying fleeces of wool, to which they sometimes seem like; Pliny (x) calls it the from of the celestial waters.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Treasury of David, Vol. 7 (1885)

Here follow instances of the power of God upon the elements. He giveth snow like wool. As a gift he scatters the snow, which falls in flakes like fleecy wool. Snow falls softly, covers universally, and clothes warmly, even as wool covers the sheep. The most evident resemblance lies in the whiteness of the two substances; but many other likenesses are to be seen by the observant eye. It is wise to see God in winter and in distress as well as in summer and prosperity.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

God's Word, as a swift messenger, executes His purpose, for with Him to command is to perform (Ge 1:3; Ps 33:9), and He brings about the wonders of providence as easily as men cast crumbs.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

6 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
הַנֹּתֵ֣ן	ha.no.Ten	the [one who] gives	H5414 →
שֶׁ֣לֶג	She.leg	snow	H7950 →
כַּצָּ֑מֶר	ka.Tza.mer	like <the> wool	H6785 →
כְּ֝פ֗וֹר	ke.For	frost	H3713 →
כָּאֵ֥פֶר	ka.'E.fer	like <the> ash[es]	H665 →
יְפַזֵּֽר׃	ye.fa.Zer	he scatters	H6340 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Isaiah 55:10
For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat,
leads to
- 2 Corinthians 9:9–11
  As it is written: “He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”
- Deuteronomy 32:2
  Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.
- Isaiah 30:23
  Then He will send rain for the seed that you have sown in the ground, and the food that comes from your land will be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle will…
- Ezekiel 34:26
  I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season—showers of blessing.
- Hosea 10:12
  Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.
Through
Psalms 148:8
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,
leads to
- Psalms 147:15–18
  He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.
Through
Job 38:29
From whose womb does the ice emerge? Who gives birth to the frost from heaven,
leads to
- Psalms 147:16–17
  He spreads the snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes;
Through
Job 37:6
For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the gentle rain, ‘Pour out a mighty downpour.’
leads to
- Job 36:27
  For He draws up drops of water which distill the rain from the mist,

Featured studies on this passage

Walks through Psalms 147

Mazzaroth

Twelve constellation groupings; one biblical word (Job 38:32). Bullinger and Seiss read them as a gospel-arc; modern critics trace their figures to Albumazar, not Adam. The objections below are presented at full strength, and the founder's own slot on the page is his to fill.

Open the study →

The Star of Bethlehem — Edward Burne-Jones

Walks through Psalms 147

The Stars

Open the study →

About Psalms

Saul attempts to kill David (the harpist of Israel) — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Psalms: the study guide →Read chapter 147 →The featured study →

Continue: Psalms 147 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Psalms

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Psalms