Psalms 147:16

He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. HE GIVETH SNOW LIKE WOOL: HE SCATTERETH THE HOAR-FROST LIKE ASHES. HE CASTETH FORTH HIS ICE LIKE MORSELS: WHO CAN STAND BEFORE HIS COLD? God giveth forth the widely extending and intensely chilling snow, hoar-frost, and ice, with as much ease as a man would scatter a few locks of "wool," or a handful of "ashes" (cf. ; ), or throw some "morsels" of bread to animals. The things to which the snow, hoar-frost, and ice are thus compared bear some resemblance to these. The snow, frost, and cold are also symbolical of the chill winter of Israel's adversity. She, by bitter experience, could testify, "who can stand before His cold?...

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, John 3:8. Converting grace softens the heart that was hard frozen, and melts it into tears of repentance, and makes good reflections to flow, which before were chilled and stopped up. The change which the thaw makes is very evident, yet how it is done no one can say. Such is the change wrought in the conversion of a soul, when God's word and Spirit are sent to melt it and restore it to itself...

Verse Psalms 147:16. _HE GIVETH SNOW LIKE WOOL_] Falling down in large flakes; and in this state nothing in nature has a nearer resemblance to fine white _wool_. _SCATTERETH THE HOAR FROST LIKE ASHES._] Spreading it over the whole face of nature....

HE GIVETH SNOW LIKE WOOL - He covers the earth with snow, so that it seems to have a clothing of wool. Compare the notes at Job 37:6 : “For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth.” HE SCATTERETH THE HOARFROST LIKE ASHES - As if ashes were strewed over the earth; or, as easily as one strews ashes....

EXPOSITION This psalm is generally assigned to the time of the dedication of the city wall (Nehemiah 12:27-16), when the gate-towers had been set up, and the gates and bars put in their places (see Psalms 147:13; and comp. Nehemiah 7:1). It is, more manifestly than any of the others, a Return joy-song (Psalms 147:2, Psalms 147:12). Its delicate appreciation of the grandeur and beauty of nature, and of God's closeness to nature (Psalms 147

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. And it is like wool for its usefulness to the earth; for as wool covers the sheep, and clothes made of it cover men, and keep them warm; so snow filling upon the earth covers it and keeps it warm, and secures the wheat and other fruits of the earth from the injuries of the cold: and this lies among the treasures of the Lord, and he brings it out from thence, and commands it to be on the...

This is one of the Hallelujah Psalms; it begins and ends with «Praise ye the LORD.» May our hearts be in tune, that we may praise the Lord while we read these words of praise! Psalms 147:1. _Praise ye the LORD:_ It is not enough for the Psalmist to do it himself. He wants help in it, so he says, «Praise ye the LORD.» Wake up, my brethren; bestir yourselves, my sisters; come, all of you, and unite in this holy exercise! «Praise ye the LORD.» Psalms 147:1. _For it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely._ When a thing is good, pleasant, and comely, you have certainly three excellent reasons for attending to it. It is not everything that is good; but here you have a happy combination of goodness, pleasantness, and com

PSALM 144-150 THE HALLELUJAH CHORUS The five Psalms with which this marvellous book closeth are all Psalms of praise. The word “praise” is found in the Hebrew thirty-seven times. Each one of these Psalms begins and ends with a hallelujah; there are ten hallelujahs. First is a hallelujah which celebrates Himself, He who is the God of Jacob. Precious vision of Him who delights to call Himself “the God of Jacob,” the God who loves the sinner and has redeemed His people. Who is He? The Creator of all, by whom and for whom all things were made (Psalms 146:6). The Lord of judgment and redemption; the Lord who looseth the prisoners, openeth the eyes of the blind, raiseth them that are bowed down--and He will reign for ever. Hallelujah. Psalms 147:1 is the hallelujah for what He has done for Hi

CXLVII. The LXX, perhaps rightly, divides the Ps. into two, Psalms 147:1 and Psalms 147:12. PSALMS 147:1. An invitation to praise Yahweh for His almighty power and His kindness to Israel. Observe how the two thoughts are intertwined. After Psalms 147:8 c the LXX has, and herbage for the service of men. In Psalms 147:10 the legs of a man is curious. Swift running is a characteristic of the Homeric heroes, but the emendation, armour of a man, is tempting....

Zion is summoned to praise Jehovah for the blessings of peace and prosperity. The Lord of Nature is He Who has endowed Israel with unique privileges....