Original Word: שֶׁלֶג
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: sheleg
Pronunciation: SHEH-leg
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh'-leg)
KJV: snow(-y)
NASB: snow, snowy
Word Origin: [from H7949 (שָׁלַג - snowing)]
1. snow (probably from its whiteness)
From shalag; snow (probably from its whiteness) -- snow(-y).
see HEBREW shalag
תְּלַג noun [masculine] snow (ŋ7 Syriac; Biblical Hebrew שֶׁלֶג); — absolute ׳ת Daniel 7:9 (simile).
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Snow falls infrequently in the lowlands of Israel and Judah, but the higher elevations of Lebanon, Mount Hermon, Ephraim, and Judah’s hill country receive periodic coverings. Its rarity in most Israelite experience made it a striking phenomenon. Snow provided seasonal moisture (Isaiah 55:10) and cooled drinking water harvested from mountain run-off (Proverbs 25:13). The meltwaters of Lebanon were famed for their perennial flow (Jeremiah 18:14). Because snowfall could trap travelers or livestock, it also became a shorthand for sudden hardship (Job 24:19; 2 Samuel 23:20).
Literal Occurrences and Historical Events
1. Miraculous judgment: Moses (Exodus 4:6), Miriam (Numbers 12:10), and Gehazi (2 Kings 5:27) each experienced skin "white as snow," a visible sign of divine displeasure or authentication.
2. Heroic deed: Benaiah "went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion" (2 Samuel 23:20; 1 Chronicles 11:22), showing that faithfulness does not wait for ideal conditions.
3. Climatic metaphor: Melting torrents in wadi beds are compared to unreliable friends (Job 6:16), and drought devours sinners as heat consumes snow (Job 24:19).
Symbol of Purity and Forgiveness
"Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7). David’s plea sets snow as the benchmark of moral cleanness. Isaiah extends the promise corporately: "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). The contrast between crimson guilt and dazzling snow underscores the totality of God’s cleansing when repentance and atonement meet.
Figure of Divine Judgment and Sovereignty
Snow answers God’s sovereign word: "For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’" (Job 37:6). It is stored in heavenly treasuries (Job 38:22), released at His command, and "spread...like wool" (Psalm 147:16). By regulating its fall and melt, the Lord displays both power and providence, watering the earth (Isaiah 55:10) or hindering harvests (Proverbs 26:1).
Imagery of Cold and Hardship
Snow represents adversity that reveals character. "Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him" (Proverbs 25:13); reliability refreshes weary laborers just as snow-cooled drink revives harvesters. The noble wife "is not afraid for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet" (Proverbs 31:21); foresight replaces fear when winter strikes.
Leprosy and Whiteness in Biblical Theology
The recurring description "white as snow" for leprous skin (Exodus 4:6; Numbers 12:10; 2 Kings 5:27) links physical corruption with counterfeit purity. What appears white actually signals defilement that only God can heal (cf. Naaman in 2 Kings 5). The motif anticipates a greater cleansing, culminating in the "great multitude...clothed in white robes" of Revelation.
Prophetic and Eschatological Echoes
Snow’s dazzling whiteness foreshadows visions of heavenly beings: Daniel’s "Ancient of Days" with clothing "white as snow" and the transfigured Christ "whose clothes became dazzling white." Thus snow functions typologically, pointing from temporal purity to eternal glory.
Pastoral and Homiletical Application
• Assurance of forgiveness: Snow’s unmatched whiteness offers a concrete image for preaching the completeness of Christ’s atonement (Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18).
• Call to preparedness: The virtuous woman’s provisioning (Proverbs 31:21) encourages wise stewardship before trials descend.
• Courage in adverse conditions: Benaiah’s snowy victory (2 Samuel 23:20) challenges believers to seize God-given tasks despite unfavorable climates—literal or cultural.
• Trust in God’s cycles: Snow that waters the earth (Isaiah 55:10) reminds hearers that God’s word will likewise "accomplish that for which I sent it," fostering confidence in the power of Scripture.
Summary
שֶׁלֶג (sheleg) weaves through Scripture as a tangible demonstration of God’s authority over creation, a vivid emblem of absolute purity available through divine grace, and a practical metaphor for faithfulness amid difficulty. Its nineteen appearances invite worship, repentance, and resilient obedience.
Numbers 12:10
HEB: מִרְיָ֖ם מְצֹרַ֣עַת כַּשָּׁ֑לֶג וַיִּ֧פֶן אַהֲרֹ֛ן
NAS: [was] leprous, as [white as] snow. As Aaron
KJV: [became] leprous, [white] as snow: and Aaron
INT: Miriam leprous snow turned Aaron
2 Samuel 23:20
HEB: הַבֹּ֖אר בְּי֥וֹם הַשָּֽׁלֶג׃
NAS: in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.
KJV: of a pit in time of snow:
INT: of a pit day A snowy
2 Kings 5:27
HEB: מִלְּפָנָ֖יו מְצֹרָ֥ע כַּשָּֽׁלֶג׃ ס
NAS: a leper [as white] as snow.
KJV: a leper [as white] as snow.
INT: his presence A leper snow
1 Chronicles 11:22
HEB: הַבּ֖וֹר בְּי֥וֹם הַשָּֽׁלֶג׃
NAS: inside a pit on a snowy day.
KJV: in a pit in a snowy day.
INT: A pit day A snowy
Job 6:16
HEB: עָ֝לֵ֗ימוֹ יִתְעַלֶּם־ שָֽׁלֶג׃
NAS: of ice [And] into which the snow melts.
KJV: by reason of the ice, [and] wherein the snow is hid:
INT: and melts the snow
Job 24:19
HEB: יִגְזְל֥וּ מֵֽימֵי־ שֶׁ֗לֶג שְׁא֣וֹל חָטָֽאוּ׃
NAS: consume the snow waters,
KJV: consume the snow waters:
INT: consume waters the snow Sheol have sinned
Job 37:6
HEB: כִּ֤י לַשֶּׁ֨לַג ׀ יֹאמַ֗ר הֱוֵ֫א
NAS: For to the snow He says, 'Fall
KJV: For he saith to the snow, Be thou
INT: For to the snow says Fall
Job 38:22
HEB: אֶל־ אֹצְר֣וֹת שָׁ֑לֶג וְאֹצְר֖וֹת בָּרָ֣ד
NAS: the storehouses of the snow, Or have you seen
KJV: into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen
INT: about the storehouses of the snow the storehouses of the hail
Psalm 51:7
HEB: וְאֶטְהָ֑ר תְּ֝כַבְּסֵ֗נִי וּמִשֶּׁ֥לֶג אַלְבִּֽין׃
NAS: me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
KJV: me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
INT: shall be clean wash snow shall be whiter
Psalm 147:16
HEB: הַנֹּתֵ֣ן שֶׁ֣לֶג כַּצָּ֑מֶר כְּ֝פ֗וֹר
NAS: He gives snow like wool; He scatters
KJV: He giveth snow like wool:
INT: gives snow wool the frost
Psalm 148:8
HEB: אֵ֣שׁ וּ֭בָרָד שֶׁ֣לֶג וְקִיט֑וֹר ר֥וּחַ
NAS: Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy
KJV: and hail; snow, and vapour;
INT: Fire and hail snow and clouds wind
Proverbs 25:13
HEB: כְּצִנַּת־ שֶׁ֨לֶג ׀ בְּי֬וֹם קָצִ֗יר
NAS: Like the cold of snow in the time
KJV: As the cold of snow in the time
INT: the cold of snow the time of harvest
Proverbs 26:1
HEB: כַּשֶּׁ֤לֶג ׀ בַּקַּ֗יִץ וְכַמָּטָ֥ר
NAS: Like snow in summer and like rain
KJV: As snow in summer, and as rain
INT: snow summer rain
Proverbs 31:21
HEB: תִירָ֣א לְבֵיתָ֣הּ מִשָּׁ֑לֶג כִּ֥י כָל־
NAS: She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
KJV: She is not afraid of the snow for her household:
INT: afraid her household of the snow for for all
Isaiah 1:18
HEB: חֲטָאֵיכֶ֤ם כַּשָּׁנִים֙ כַּשֶּׁ֣לֶג יַלְבִּ֔ינוּ אִם־
NAS: They will be as white as snow; Though
KJV: they shall be as white as snow; though they be red
INT: your sins scarlet snow white Though
Isaiah 55:10
HEB: יֵרֵד֩ הַגֶּ֨שֶׁם וְהַשֶּׁ֜לֶג מִן־ הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם
NAS: For as the rain and the snow come down
KJV: cometh down, and the snow from heaven,
INT: come as the rain and the snow from heaven
Jeremiah 18:14
HEB: מִצּ֛וּר שָׂדַ֖י שֶׁ֣לֶג לְבָנ֑וֹן אִם־
NAS: Does the snow of Lebanon forsake
KJV: Will [a man] leave the snow of Lebanon
INT: the rock country the snow of Lebanon ever
Lamentations 4:7
HEB: זַכּ֤וּ נְזִירֶ֙יהָ֙ מִשֶּׁ֔לֶג צַח֖וּ מֵחָלָ֑ב
NAS: than snow, They were whiter
KJV: were purer than snow, they were whiter
INT: were purer her consecrated snow were whiter milk
19 Occurrences
Strong's Hebrew 7950
19 Occurrences
haš·šā·leḡ — 2 Occ.
kaš·šā·leḡ — 3 Occ.
kaš·še·leḡ — 2 Occ.
laš·še·laḡ — 1 Occ.
miš·šā·leḡ — 1 Occ.
miš·še·leḡ — 1 Occ.
šā·leḡ — 2 Occ.
še·leḡ — 5 Occ.
ū·miš·še·leḡ — 1 Occ.
wə·haš·še·leḡ — 1 Occ.