19 Bible Verses About Snow, and the Two Opposite Things It Means

Christian Pure Team

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Summary

  • Snow is the colour of a forgiven life in Isaiah and Psalm 51, and the colour of leprosy in Exodus, Numbers and 2 Kings.
  • The hyssop David asks for in Psalm 51 is the plant used to sprinkle blood in cleansing rituals, including for a house with mould in it.
  • John borrows Daniel’s snow-white description word for word and attaches it to the figure in front of him.
  • Isaiah 55 includes snow because it is the slow half of the comparison: it sits and releases water for weeks.
  • Snow was rare — Hermon most winters, Jerusalem occasionally — which is what makes it a startling image rather than a familiar one.

Snow does two opposite jobs in Scripture, and it does both with the same whiteness. It is the colour of a forgiven life — though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow — and it is the colour of leprosy. Moses pulls his hand out of his cloak and it is leprous, white as snow. Miriam is struck the same way, and so is Gehazi. Nothing in the image changes; only where we find it…

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Bibliography (Click to show)

Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.

The indictment Isaiah 1:18 interrupts runs from Isaiah 1:10-17, including blood on the hands at verse 15.

Hyssop is used in the cleansing rites of Leviticus 14, for a healed leper and for a house with mould.

Moses’ three signs are at Exodus 4:1-9. Moses prays for Miriam at Numbers 12:13.

Gehazi’s pursuit of Naaman is at 2 Kings 5:20-26.

Daniel’s courtroom opens the books at Daniel 7:10.

The snow that stops all work is at Job 37:7; who can stand before his cold is Psalm 147:17.

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