Bible Strands
Psalms 148:8
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses all of creation, continuing a liturgical sequence that just commanded earth and sea creatures to praise the Lord. The voice functions as a worship leader directing every physical domain to join the chorus.
The words — דְבָרֽ/וֹ (devaro) literally means "His word," and אֵשׁ ('esh) translates as "fire." The original phrasing directly links atmospheric phenomena to the execution of divine instruction.
The thread — The motif of weather executing divine command runs in Psalms 147:15, where God’s word travels swiftly across the earth. It resurfaces in Revelation 16:8 and 16:21, where fire and massive hailstones operate as direct instruments of judgment.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to identify natural forces as obedient agents rather than random events. It demands that worshipers acknowledge divine sovereignty over the physical world and respond with the praise commanded in the immediate context.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
Cross-references
- Psalms 147:15 He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.
- Revelation 16:8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch the people with fire.
- Revelation 16:21 And great hailstones weighing almost a hundred pounds each rained down on them from above. And men cursed God for the plague of hail, because it was so horrendous.
- Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.
- Exodus 9:23 So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 10:13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and throughout that day and night the LORD sent an east wind across the land. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts.
- Exodus 10:19 And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind that carried off the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained anywhere in Egypt.
- Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,
- Leviticus 10:2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.
- Numbers 16:35 And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.