He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

PSALMS 147:17KJV
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Psalms 147:17 (KJV)

What does Psalms 147:17 mean?

Psalms 147:17 describes how God sends out ice in pieces, like small morsels, and asks who can endure the intense cold He brings. The verse uses the image of harsh winter weather to highlight God's power over nature and how no one can withstand the cold He creates.

The psalmist is speaking to the people of Israel, praising God for His control over creation. This verse is part of a larger section that celebrates God's greatness, especially in how He commands the weather. The vivid language about ice and cold helps the reader picture the overwhelming force of nature that only God can direct.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 147:17

  • "forth" (שָׁלַךְ, shalak): This word means to throw or cast out. Here, it suggests that God actively sends the ice, not just allowing it but purposefully directing it.
  • "ice" (קָרַח, qerach): This is the common word for ice, emphasizing the tangible, physical aspect of the cold weather.
  • "morsels" (פַּת, pat): This word usually means a small piece or fragment, like a bite of food. The comparison makes the ice seem like something God easily scatters, showing His effortless control.
  • "stand" (עָמַד, amad): This means to stand or remain standing. The question "who can stand before his cold?" underlines that no one can endure such cold except by God's mercy.
  • "before" (פָּנִים, panim): This word means "in front of" or "before," stressing the directness of facing God's cold.
  • "cold" (קָרָה, qarah): This word refers to intense cold or frost, highlighting the severity of the weather God sends.

Why Psalms 147:17 matters

  • This verse reminds readers that natural forces like ice and cold are not random but under God's command, reinforcing the theme of God's sovereignty in the psalm.
  • The imagery of ice as "morsels" helps clear up any idea that these are accidental or minor events; instead, they are deliberate acts of God.
  • By asking "who can stand before his cold?", the verse connects to the wider passage's emphasis on human dependence on God and the awe His power should inspire.

Where else these words appear

“cold” Hebrew H7135 · used in 5 verses

  • Job 24:7 They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.
  • Job 37:9 Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.
  • Proverbs 25:20 As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.

“ice” Hebrew H7140 · used in 7 verses

  • Genesis 31:40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
  • Job 37:10 By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened.
  • Jeremiah 36:30 Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

“morsels” Hebrew H6595 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 18:5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
  • Ruth 2:14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
  • Job 31:17 Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;

“forth” Hebrew H7993 · used in 121 verses

  • Genesis 21:15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
  • 2 Kings 2:16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
  • Isaiah 19:8 The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.