Psalm 147:18
New International Version
He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

New Living Translation
Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.

English Standard Version
He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

Berean Standard Bible
He sends forth His word and melts them; He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.

King James Bible
He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

New King James Version
He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.

New American Standard Bible
He sends His word and makes them melt; He makes His wind blow, and the waters flow.

NASB 1995
He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.

NASB 1977
He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.

Legacy Standard Bible
He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and so the waters flow,

Amplified Bible
He sends out His word and melts the ice; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.

Christian Standard Bible
He sends his word and melts them; he unleashes his winds, and the water flows.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He sends His word and melts them; He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.

American Standard Version
He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

Contemporary English Version
At his command the ice melts, the wind blows, and streams begin to flow.

English Revised Version
He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He sends out his word and melts his hailstones. He makes wind blow [and] water flow.

Good News Translation
Then he gives a command, and the ice melts; he sends the wind, and the water flows.

International Standard Version
He sends out his word and melts them. He makes his wind blow and the water flows.

Majority Standard Bible
He sends forth His word and melts them; He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.

NET Bible
He then orders it all to melt; he breathes on it, and the water flows.

New Heart English Bible
He sends out his word, and melts them. He causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

Webster's Bible Translation
He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

World English Bible
He sends out his word, and melts them. He causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He sends forth His word and melts them, "" He causes His wind to blow—the waters flow.

Young's Literal Translation
He sendeth forth His word and melteth them, He causeth His wind to blow -- the waters flow.

Smith's Literal Translation
He will send his word and melt them: his wind shall blow, the waters will flow.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He shall send out his word, and shall melt them: his wind shall blow, and the waters shall run.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He will send forth his word, and it will melt them. His Spirit will breathe out, and the waters will flow.

New American Bible
Yet when again he issues his command, it melts them; he raises his winds and the waters flow.

New Revised Standard Version
He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He sends out his word and melts them; he causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He sends his word and melts them; he makes the winds blow and the waters flow.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He sendeth forth His word, and melteth them; He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
He shall send out his word, and melt them: he shall blow with his wind, and the waters shall flow.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
It is Good to Sing Praises
17He casts forth His hail like pebbles. Who can withstand His icy blast? 18He sends forth His word and melts them; He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow. 19He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and judgments to Israel.…

Cross References
Job 37:10-12
By the breath of God the ice is formed and the watery expanses are frozen. / He loads the clouds with moisture; He scatters His lightning through them. / They swirl about, whirling at His direction, accomplishing all that He commands over the face of all the earth.

Isaiah 55:10-11
For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, / so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.

Job 38:22-23
Have you entered the storehouses of snow or observed the storehouses of hail, / which I hold in reserve for times of trouble, for the day of war and battle?

Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock that were with him in the ark. And God sent a wind over the earth, and the waters began to subside.

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,

Jonah 1:4
Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart.

Jeremiah 10:13
When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

Jeremiah 51:16
When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

Amos 4:13
For behold, He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind and reveals His thoughts to man, who turns the dawn to darkness and strides on the heights of the earth—the LORD, the God of Hosts, is His name.”

Nahum 1:3
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

Matthew 8:26-27
“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm. / The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Mark 4:39-41
Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. / “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” / Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Luke 8:24-25
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. / “Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

John 3:8
The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Acts 2:2
Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.


Treasury of Scripture

He sends out his word, and melts them: he causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

Psalm 147:15
He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

Job 6:16,17
Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid: …

Job 37:10,17
By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened…

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Psalm 147
1. The prophet exhorts to praise God for his care of the church
4. His power and wisdom
6. His mercy
7. His providence
12. To praise him for his blessings upon the kingdom
15. For his power over the elements
19. And for his ordinances in the church














He sends forth His word
This phrase emphasizes the power and authority of God's word. In the Hebrew context, the word "word" (דָּבָר, *dabar*) signifies not just spoken words but also commands and decrees that carry the weight of divine authority. Throughout Scripture, God's word is depicted as active and effective, accomplishing His purposes (Isaiah 55:11). Historically, the Israelites understood that God's word was instrumental in creation (Genesis 1) and in guiding their nation. This phrase reassures believers of God's sovereign control and His ability to intervene in the world through His spoken will.

and melts them
The imagery here is of ice or snow melting, which is a metaphor for the transformative power of God's word. The Hebrew root for "melts" (מוּג, *mug*) conveys the idea of dissolving or causing to flow. This transformation is not just physical but also spiritual, as God's word can soften hardened hearts and bring about change. In a historical context, the melting of snow would have been a significant event for an agrarian society, symbolizing the end of winter and the promise of new life. Spiritually, it represents the renewal and restoration that comes from God's intervention.

He unleashes His winds
The term "winds" (רוּחַ, *ruach*) in Hebrew can also mean "spirit" or "breath," indicating the dynamic and life-giving force of God. The unleashing of winds suggests a release of divine energy and movement. In the biblical narrative, wind is often associated with God's presence and action, such as in the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21) or the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:2). This phrase highlights God's active involvement in the world, orchestrating events according to His will.

and the waters flow
The flowing of waters is a powerful symbol of life, cleansing, and abundance. In the Hebrew Bible, water is often a sign of God's provision and blessing, as seen in the rivers of Eden (Genesis 2:10) and the promise of living water (John 4:14). The historical context of ancient Israel, a land often dependent on seasonal rains, underscores the significance of water as a divine gift. Spiritually, this phrase can be seen as a metaphor for the outpouring of God's grace and the refreshing presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

Verse 18. - He sendeth out his word, and melteth them (comp. ver. 15). God has only to "speak the word," and all trace of winter disappears - hoar-frost, hail, snow, melt away, and the atmosphere is once more soft and genial. He causeth his wind to blow. The change usually comes With a change of wind, which, as with ourselves, is commonly cold from the north and east, warm from the west and south. And the waters flow. A thaw sets in, and soon all the watercourses are full of rushing streams.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He sends forth
יִשְׁלַ֣ח (yiš·laḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

His word
דְּבָר֣וֹ (də·ḇā·rōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

and melts them;
וְיַמְסֵ֑ם (wə·yam·sêm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4529: To melt, dissolve, be liquefied

He unleashes
יַשֵּׁ֥ב (yaš·šêḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5380: To blow, to disperse

His winds,
ר֝וּח֗וֹ (rū·ḥōw)
Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

and the waters
מָֽיִם׃ (mā·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

flow.
יִזְּלוּ־ (yiz·zə·lū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5140: To flow, trickle, drop, distill


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OT Poetry: Psalm 147:18 He sends out his word and melts (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 147:17
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