Psalms 147 · Verse 17

Psalms 147:17

He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
Psalms 147:17, King James Version

Psalms 147:17 in other translations

BSBHe casts forth His hail like pebbles. Who can withstand His icy blast?
WEBHe hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can stand before his cold?
ASVHe casteth forth his ice like morsels: Who can stand before his cold?
YLTCasting forth His ice like morsels, Before His cold who doth stand?
DARBYHe casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
BBEHe sends down ice like raindrops: water is made hard by his cold.
WebsterHe casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

What does Psalms 147:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 147:15-18

15-18. God's Word, as a swift messenger, executes His purpose, for with Him to command is to perform (Ge 1:3; Psa 33:9), and He brings about the wonders of providence as easily as men cast crumbs.

Read the full comment on Psalms 147:15-18 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 He casteth forth his ice - קרחו korcho, (probably hailstones), like crumbs. Who can stand before his cold? - At particular times the cold in the east is so very intense as to kill man and beast. Jacobus de Vitriaco, one of the writers in the Gesta Dei per Francos, says, that in an expedition in which he was engaged against Mount Tabor, on the 24th of December, the cold was so intense that many of the poor people, and the beasts of burden, died by it. And Albertus Aquensis, another of these writers, speaking of the cold in Judea, says, that thirty of the people who attended Baldwin 1: in the mountainous districts near the Dead Sea, were killed by it; and that in that expedition they had to contend with horrible hail and ice, with unheard-of snow and rain. From thls we find that the winters are often very severe in Judea; and in such cases as the above, we may well call out, "Who can stand against his cold!"

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 147:12-20

The church, like Jerusalem of old, built up and preserved by the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, is exhorted to praise him for all the benefits and blessings vouchsafed to her; and these are represented by his favours in the course of nature. The thawing word may represent the gospel of Christ, and the thawing wind the Spirit of Christ; for the Spirit is compared to the wind, Joh 3:8. Converting grace softens…

Read the full comment on Psalms 147:12-20 →

Psalms 147:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

מַשְׁלִ֣יךְmash.Likh[the one who] throwsH7993
קַֽרְח֣וֹkar.Choice hisH7140
כְפִתִּ֑יםkhe.fi.Timlike crumbsH6595
לִפְנֵ֥יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
קָ֝רָת֗וֹka.ra.Tocoldness hisH7135
מִ֣יmiwho?H4310
יַעֲמֹֽד\׃ya.'a.Modwill he standH5975

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 147:17

  • Job 38:29-30

    Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

  • Job 38:22-23

    Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

  • Psalms 78:47-48

    He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

  • Job 37:9-10

    Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north. By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened.

  • Exodus 9:23-25

    And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.

  • Joshua 10:11

    And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth–horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
casteth.
78:47,48; Ex 9:23-25; Jos 10:11; Job 38:22,23
who can stand.
Job 38:29,30

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 147:16

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

  • Psalms 147:17

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

  • Psalms 147:18

    He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

Read all of Psalms 147

Psalms 147:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		El echa su hielo como pedazos: delante de su frío ¿quién estará?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Il jette sa glace comme par morceaux: qui peut subsister devant son froid?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Der sein Eis wirft wie Brocken: wer kann bestehen vor seinem Frost?