Biblical References and Symbolism

Snow is mentioned several times throughout the Bible, often symbolizing purity, cleansing, and the divine nature of God. In the ancient Near East, snow was a rare and awe-inspiring phenomenon, primarily associated with the higher elevations of regions like Mount Hermon. Its infrequent appearance in the biblical lands made it a powerful metaphor in Scripture.

Purity and Cleansing

One of the most prominent symbolic uses of snow in the Bible is to represent purity and the cleansing power of God. In Isaiah 1:18, the Lord invites His people to reason together with Him, saying, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall become like wool." Here, snow is used to illustrate the transformative power of God's forgiveness, turning the stain of sin into the pure whiteness of snow.

Similarly, in Psalm 51:7, David pleads for purification, saying, "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." This verse underscores the association of snow with the cleansing and renewal that comes from divine forgiveness.

Divine Majesty and Holiness

Snow also serves as a metaphor for the majesty and holiness of God. In Daniel 7:9, the Ancient of Days is described with clothing "as white as snow," emphasizing His purity and righteousness. This imagery is echoed in the New Testament in the description of Jesus during the Transfiguration. In Matthew 17:2, it is written, "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light," drawing a parallel to the divine and unapproachable holiness of God.

God's Sovereignty and Power

The Bible also uses snow to illustrate God's sovereignty and power over creation. In Job 37:6, it is declared, "For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’" This verse highlights God's command over the natural world, demonstrating His authority and control over all elements, including the weather.

In Proverbs 25:13, snow is used to describe the refreshing and reliable nature of a faithful messenger: "Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters." This comparison underscores the value of faithfulness and reliability, likening it to the refreshing coolness of snow.

Judgment and Severity

While snow is often associated with positive attributes, it can also symbolize judgment and severity. In Lamentations 4:7, the once-pure Nazarites are described as being "whiter than snow," but their downfall is lamented as they become tarnished and defiled. This serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commands and the loss of purity that results from sin.

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible, snow is a multifaceted symbol that conveys themes of purity, divine majesty, sovereignty, and at times, judgment. Its rare and striking presence in the biblical narrative serves to highlight the transformative power of God's forgiveness, the holiness of His nature, and His ultimate authority over creation.Snow

This historical books of the Bible contain only two notices of snow actually falling -- (2 Samuel 23:20) 1Macc 13:22; but the allusions in the poetical books are so numerous that there can be no doubt as to its being an ordinary occurrence in the winter months. (Psalms 147:16; 148:8) The snow lies deep in the ravines of the highest ridge of Lebanon until the summer is far advanced and indeed never wholly disappears; the summit of Hermon also perpetually glistens with frozen snow. From these sources probably the Jews obtained their supplies of ice for the purpose of cooling their beverages in summer. (Proverbs 25:13) The liability to snow must of course vary considerably in a country of such varying altitude as Palestine. At Jerusalem snow often falls to the depth of a foot or more in january or February, but it seldom lies. At Nazareth it falls more frequently and deeply,a nd it has been observed to fall even in the maritime plain of Joppa and about Carmel.

Snow

Is often alluded to in Scripture, for its whiteness, Exodus 4:6; Numbers 12:10; 2 Kings 5:27; Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18, and for its cleansing qualities, Job 9:30. The expression in Proverbs 25:13, "as the cold of snow in the time of harvest," alludes to its use in preparing cool drinks for the reapers; while on the other hand, in Proverbs 26:1, "snow in summer," that is, a fall of snow, being unseasonable and unnatural, is compared to honors inappropriately lavished on a fool. Snow from Anti-Lebanon is still sold at Damascus and Beyroot in the simmer, and even conveyed to Egypt. It rarely fell of any great depth in the latitude of Palestine, or remained long on the ground except in elevated spots, 2 Samuel 23:20. Like every other wonder of nature, it is ascribed to the hand of God, Psalm 147:16,17.

Common in Palestine in winter (Psalm 147:16). The snow on the tops of the Lebanon range is almost always within view throughout the whole year. The word is frequently used figuratively by the sacred writers (Job 24:19; Psalm 51:7; 68:14; Isaiah 1:18). It is mentioned only once in the historical books (2 Samuel 23:20). It was "carried to Tyre, Sidon, and Damascus as a luxury, and labourers sweltering in the hot harvest-fields used it for the purpose of cooling the water which they drank (Proverbs 25:13; Jeremiah 18:14). No doubt Herod Antipas, at his feasts in Tiberias, enjoyed also from this very source the modern luxury of ice-water." 1. (n.) A square-rigged vessel, differing from a brig only in that she has a trysail mast close abaft the mainmast, on which a large trysail is hoisted.

2. (n.) Watery particles congealed into white or transparent crystals or flakes in the air, and falling to the earth, exhibiting a great variety of very beautiful and perfect forms.

3. (n.) Fig.: Something white like snow, as the white color (argent) in heraldry; something which falls in, or as in, flakes.

4. (v. i.) To fall in or as snow; -- chiefly used impersonally; as, it snows; it snowed yesterday.

5. (v. t.) To scatter like snow; to cover with, or as with, snow.

SNOW

sno (shelegh, telagh (Daniel 7:9); chion):

(1) Snow is not uncommon in the winter in Jerusalem, but it never reaches any depth and in many winters it is not seen at all. It usually disappears, for the most part, as soon as the sun appears, though it may "hide itself" for a time in the gorge cut by a stream (Job 6:16). On lower levels than Jerusalem there is never sufficient to cover the ground, though often there are some flakes seen in the air. Even at sea-level there is occasionally a sufficient fall of hail to cover the ground. A very exceptional snowfall is related in 1 Maccabees 13:22 at Adora (near Hebron). It was heavy enough to prevent the movement of troops.

(2) The tops of the mountains of Lebanon are white with snow for most of the year, and snow may be found in large banks in the valleys and the northern slopes at any time in the summer. Mt. Hermon, 9,200 ft. high, has long streaks of snow in the valleys all the summer.

(3) The snow of the mountains is the source of the water of the springs which last throughout the drought of summer. In case the snow fails there is sure to be a lack of water in the fountains: "Shall the snow of Lebanon fail.... or shall the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up?" (Jeremiah 18:14).

(4) Large quantities of snow are stored in caves in the mountains in winter and are brought down to the cities in summer to be used in place of ice for cooling drinks and refrigerating purposes.

(5) God's power over the elements of Nature is often brought out in the Old Testament: "For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth" (Job 37:6); but man cannot fathom the works of God: "Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow?" (Job 38:22). "The snowy day" (1 Chronicles 11:22 2 Samuel 23:20) and the "fear of snow" (Proverbs 31:21) are figurative uses describing winter and cold. "Snow in summer" (Proverbs 26:1) would be most out of place, yet it might be most refreshing to the tired workmen in the time of harvest.

(6) Snow is the symbol of purity and cleanness, giving us some of our most beautiful passages of Scripture: "Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7); "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). Carrying the figure farther, snow-water might be expected to have a special value for cleansing: "If I wash myself with snow-water" (Job 9:30). The most common use in Scripture is to denote whiteness in color and implying purity as well: "His raiment was white as snow" (Daniel 7:9 Matthew 28:3 Mark 9:3 Revelation 1:14).

(7) The whiteness of leprosy is compared to snow (Exodus 4:6 Numbers 12:10 2 Kings 5:27).

Alfred H. Joy

SPIRITUAL SONGS

(odai pneumatikai): ode, English "ode," is the general, and generic word for "song," of which "psalms and hymns" are specific varieties (Ephesians 5:19 Colossians 3:16). It includes all lyric poetry, but is limited by the word "spiritual" to songs inspired by the Holy Spirit and employed in the joyful and devotional expression of the spiritual life. While songs, like psalms and hymns, were used in public worship and praise, they were more intended for, and suited to, personal and private and social use; as, e.g. in family worship, at meals, in the agapai ("love-feasts"), in meetings for prayer and religious intercourse from house to house. The passages above cited give apostolic authority for the use of other than the Old Testament psalms in public praise, and rebuke the narrowness and unbelief that would forever limit the operations of the Holy Spirit and the hymnology of the church to the narrow compass of the Davidic era and the Davidic school of poetry and song.

The "new song" of Revelation 5:9; Revelation 14:3, and "the song of Moses and of the Lamb" (15:3), indicate that spiritual songs are to be perpetuated in the eternal melodies of the redeemed.

Dwight M. Pratt

SPIRITUAL THINGS

(ta pneumatika): Things proceeding from the Holy Spirit and pertaining to man's spiritual life, worship, service. Contrasted in 1 Corinthians 9:11 and in Romans 15:27 with ta sarkika, things fleshly, physical, which have to do with man's sensuous, corporeal nature, such as food, raiment, money. By "spiritual things" Paul signifies the benefits accompanying salvation, the gifts of the Spirit-faith, hope, love, justification, sanctification, peace-all the fruits and blessings and aids of the regenerate life.

Ecclesiastically:

Things pertaining to spiritual office, the ministry of the Word, or the service of the sanctuary.

Dwight M. Pratt

GIFTS, SPIRITUAL

See SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

5510. chion -- snow
... 5509, 5510. chion. 5511 . snow. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
chion Phonetic Spelling: (khee-one') Short Definition: snow Definition: snow ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5510.htm - 6k8517. telag -- snow
... 8516, 8517. telag. 8518 . snow. Transliteration: telag Phonetic Spelling:
(tel-ag') Short Definition: snow. Word Origin (Aramaic ...
/hebrew/8517.htm - 6k

7950. sheleg -- snow
... 7949, 7950. sheleg. 7951 . snow. Transliteration: sheleg Phonetic Spelling:
(sheh'-leg) Short Definition: snow. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/7950.htm - 6k

7949. shalag -- to snow
... 7948, 7949. shalag. 7950 . to snow. Transliteration: shalag Phonetic
Spelling: (shaw-lag') Short Definition: snowing. ... be as snow. ...
/hebrew/7949.htm - 6k

8303. Siryon -- a Sidonian name for Mount Hermon
... Sirion. And Siryon {sir-yone'}; the same as Srayah (ie Sheeted with snow); Shirjon
or Sirjon, a peak of the Lebanon -- Sirion. see HEBREW Srayah. 8302, 8303. ...
/hebrew/8303.htm - 6k

3844. Lebanon -- a wooded mountain range on the N. border of Isr.
... NASB Word Usage Lebanon (71). Lebanon. From lbab; (the) white mountain (from its
snow); Lebanon, a mountain range in Palestine -- Lebanon. see HEBREW lbab. ...
/hebrew/3844.htm - 6k

Whiter than Snow
... Whiter Than Snow. Gerhard Ter Steegen Hebrews 4:14. To heart and soul how sweet
Thou art,. O great High Priest of God! My heart brought nigh to God's own heart. ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen suso and others/whiter than snow.htm

The Snow Lay on the Ground
... No. 8 The snow lay on the ground. CHRISTMAS The snow lay on the ground Old English
Carol. Rev. Dr. Lingard Edv. Grieg Arr. By NAM. Non troppo lento. ...
/.../various/the st gregory hymnal and catholic choir book/no 8 the snow lay.htm

August the Seventh Rivers from the Snow
... AUGUST The Seventh RIVERS FROM THE SNOW. REVELATION xxii.1-7, 17-21. ... Grace has its
rise in sovereign holiness. This river is born amid the virgin snow. ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/august the seventh rivers from.htm

Whiter than Snow. 11S.
... 281 Whiter Than Snow. 11s. Desire for Purity. ... Cho."Whiter than snow, yes, whiter
than snow; Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/lorenz/the otterbein hymnal/281 whiter than snow 11s.htm

See, Amid the Winter's Snow
... No. 5 See, amid the winter's snow. CHRISTMAS See, amid the winter's snow.
Rev. E. Caswall Traditional Melody. Allegretto 1. See, amid ...
/.../various/the st gregory hymnal and catholic choir book/no 5 see amid the.htm

The Northern Coasts of Galilee. Amanah. The Mountain of Snow.
... Amanah. The mountain of snow. This ... Amanah.". "The mountain of snow," among
the paraphrasts and Talmudists, is the same with Hermon. ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 66 the northern coasts.htm

How Brother Giles was Miraculously Assisted in a Great Necessity ...
... GILES, COMPANION OF ST FRANCIS CHAPTER VI HOW BROTHER GILES WAS MIRACULOUSLY ASSISTED
IN A GREAT NECESSITY WHEN, BY REASON OF A HEAVY FALL OF SNOW, HE WAS ...
/.../the little flowers of st francis of assisi/chapter vi how brother giles.htm

"In the Uttermost Parts of the Sea"
... One unbroken plain of ice spread around them; the ships were all fast moored to
it; the snow lay about in heaps, and had even shaped itself into cubiform houses ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/in the uttermost parts of.htm

Providence
... of one day's story. I was engaged to preach last Wednesday at Halifax,
where there was a heavy snow storm. Preparations had been ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/providence.htm

Chapter xxiv.
... So it might most truly have been said, snow cannot be warm; for when it
begins to be warm, we no longer call it snow, but water. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/our lords sermon on the mount/chapter xxiv.htm

Snow (25 Occurrences)
... Common in Palestine in winter (Psalm 147:16). The snow on the tops of the Lebanon
range is almost always within view throughout the whole year. ...
/s/snow.htm - 21k

Snow-white (1 Occurrence)
Snow-white. Snow-waters, Snow-white. Snowy . Noah Webster's Dictionary
(a.) White as snow; very white. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/s/snow-white.htm - 6k

Snow-water (1 Occurrence)
Snow-water. Snowing, Snow-water. Snow-waters . Multi-Version
Concordance Snow-water (1 Occurrence). Job 9:30 If I washed ...
/s/snow-water.htm - 6k

Snow-waters (1 Occurrence)
Snow-waters. Snow-water, Snow-waters. Snow-white . Multi-Version Concordance
Snow-waters (1 Occurrence). Job 24:19 Drouth and heat ...
/s/snow-waters.htm - 6k

Slide (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To move along the surface of any body by slipping, or without walking or
rolling; to slip; to glide; as, snow slides down the mountain's side. ...
/s/slide.htm - 9k

Cold (25 Occurrences)
... On the seacoast and plain the snow never falls; and the temperature reaches
freezing-point, perhaps once in thirty years. In Jerusalem at 2,500 ft. ...
/c/cold.htm - 18k

Salmon (7 Occurrences)
... In Psalm 68:14 the change from war to peace is likened to snow on the dark
mountain, as some interpret the expression. Others suppose ...
/s/salmon.htm - 11k

Snowy (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) White like snow. 2. (a.) Abounding with snow;
covered with snow. 3. (a.) Fig.: Pure; unblemished; unstained; spotless. ...
/s/snowy.htm - 7k

Wool (34 Occurrences)
... The wool thus obtained is nearly snow white. ... Revelation 1:14 His head and his hair
were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire. ...
/w/wool.htm - 21k

White (756 Occurrences)
... to the eye all the rays of the spectrum combined; not tinted with any of the proper
colors or their mixtures; having the color of pure snow; snowy; -- the ...
/w/white.htm - 9k

What does it mean that the Word of God will not return void? | GotQuestions.org

What is the significance of Mount Hermon in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

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Snow: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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