שֶׁלֶג snow
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2019 12:29 am
Now that we are expecting a snow storm here in Boston I recall that שֶׁלֶג $ELEG, 'snow', is actually a שֶׁלֶךְ, pieces of frozen water vapor cast down מוּשלך from the clouds. See Ps. 147:15-18
הַשֹּׁלֵחַ אִמְרָתוֹ אָרֶץ עַד מְהֵרָה יָרוּץ דְּבָרוֹ
הַנֹּתֵן שֶׁלֶג כַּצָּמֶר כְּפוֹר כָּאֵפֶר יְפַזֵּר
מַשְׁלִיךְ קַרְחוֹ כְפִתִּים לִפְנֵי קָרָתוֹ מִי יַעֲמֹד
יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ וְיַמְסֵם יַשֵּׁב רוּחוֹ יִזְּלוּ מָיִם
KJV: "He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow."
שלג is a member of the root family:
דלח, דלק, דלג
זלג
ילק, ילך
סלח, סלק
צלח, צלק
שלג, שלח, שלך, שלק
Spoken Hebrew uses שַׁלֶּכֶת (see Isaiah 6:13)
כָּאֵלָה וְכָאַלּוֹן אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׁלֶּכֶת
to describe the fall of the autumn leaves; exfoliation. It uses זְלִיגָה of the root זלג for 'trickling'.
Isaac Fried, Boston University
הַשֹּׁלֵחַ אִמְרָתוֹ אָרֶץ עַד מְהֵרָה יָרוּץ דְּבָרוֹ
הַנֹּתֵן שֶׁלֶג כַּצָּמֶר כְּפוֹר כָּאֵפֶר יְפַזֵּר
מַשְׁלִיךְ קַרְחוֹ כְפִתִּים לִפְנֵי קָרָתוֹ מִי יַעֲמֹד
יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ וְיַמְסֵם יַשֵּׁב רוּחוֹ יִזְּלוּ מָיִם
KJV: "He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow."
שלג is a member of the root family:
דלח, דלק, דלג
זלג
ילק, ילך
סלח, סלק
צלח, צלק
שלג, שלח, שלך, שלק
Spoken Hebrew uses שַׁלֶּכֶת (see Isaiah 6:13)
כָּאֵלָה וְכָאַלּוֹן אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׁלֶּכֶת
to describe the fall of the autumn leaves; exfoliation. It uses זְלִיגָה of the root זלג for 'trickling'.
Isaac Fried, Boston University