Psalm 148:8
New International Version
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,

New Living Translation
fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him,

English Standard Version
fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Berean Standard Bible
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,

King James Bible
Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:

New King James Version
Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

New American Standard Bible
Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

NASB 1995
Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

NASB 1977
Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

Legacy Standard Bible
Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, doing His word;

Amplified Bible
Lightning and hail, snow and fog; Stormy wind, fulfilling His orders;

Christian Standard Bible
lightning and hail, snow and cloud, stormy wind that executes his command,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
lightning and hail, snow and cloud, powerful wind that executes His command,

American Standard Version
Fire and hail, snow and vapor; Stormy wind, fulfilling his word;

Contemporary English Version
Sea monsters and the deep sea, fire and hail, snow and frost, and every stormy wind, come praise the LORD!

English Revised Version
Fire and hail, snow and vapour; stormy wind, fulfilling his word:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
lightning and hail, snow and fog, strong winds that obey his commands,

Good News Translation
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, strong winds that obey his command.

International Standard Version
fire, hail, snow, fog, and wind storm that carry out his command,

Majority Standard Bible
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,

NET Bible
O fire and hail, snow and clouds, O stormy wind that carries out his orders,

New Heart English Bible
Lightning and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling his word;

Webster's Bible Translation
Fire, and hail; snow, and vapors; stormy wind fulfilling his word:

World English Bible
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy wind, fulfilling his word,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Fire and hail, snow and vapor, "" Whirlwind doing His word;

Young's Literal Translation
Fire and hail, snow and vapour, Whirlwind doing His word;

Smith's Literal Translation
Fire and hail, snow and vapor: the spirit of storm doing his word:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds which fulfil his word:

Catholic Public Domain Version
fire, hail, snow, ice, windstorms, which do his word,

New American Bible
Lightning and hail, snow and thick clouds, storm wind that fulfills his command;

New Revised Standard Version
fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Fire and hail, snow and ice, stormy wind fulfilling his word,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Fire and hail stones and snow and ice, wind and hurricanes, Servants of his word!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Fire and hail, snow and vapour, Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy wind; the things that perform his word.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Praise the LORD From the Heavens!
7Praise the LORD from the earth, all great sea creatures and ocean depths, 8lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word, 9mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,…

Cross References
Job 37:10-13
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. ...

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.

Job 38:22-24
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? / In which direction is the lightning dispersed, or the east wind scattered over the earth?

Psalm 135:7
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.

Proverbs 30:4
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know!

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.

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.

Job 36:27-33
For He draws up drops of water which distill the rain from the mist, / which the clouds pour out and shower abundantly on mankind. / Furthermore, who can understand how the clouds spread out, how the thunder roars from His pavilion? ...

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 9:23-24
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. / The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.

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!”

Revelation 7:1
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.

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.


Treasury of Scripture

Fire, and hail; snow, and vapors; stormy wind fulfilling his word:

fire

Psalm 147:15-18
He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly…

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

Exodus 9:23-25
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt…

stormy

Psalm 107:25-29
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof…

Exodus 10:13,19
And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts…

Exodus 14:21
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

Jump to Previous
Bidding Clouds Command Fire Frost Fulfilling Hail Ice Lightning Mists Rain Snow Storm-Wind Stormy Vapor Vapors Vapour Vapours Whirlwind Wind Winds Word
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Bidding Clouds Command Fire Frost Fulfilling Hail Ice Lightning Mists Rain Snow Storm-Wind Stormy Vapor Vapors Vapour Vapours Whirlwind Wind Winds Word
Psalm 148
1. The psalmist exhorts the celestial
7. The terrestrial
11. And the rational creatures to praise God














lightning and hail
In the Hebrew text, the word for "lightning" is "בָּרָק" (barak), and "hail" is "בָּרָד" (barad). These elements of nature are often seen as manifestations of God's power and majesty. Throughout the Bible, lightning and hail are used as instruments of divine judgment and revelation. For instance, in the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 9:23-24), hail was a tool of God's judgment against Pharaoh. The inclusion of these elements in this psalm underscores the idea that all of creation, even the most fearsome and uncontrollable aspects, are under God's sovereign command and serve to glorify Him.

snow and clouds
The Hebrew word for "snow" is "שֶׁלֶג" (sheleg), and "clouds" is "עָנָן" (anan). Snow, with its purity and whiteness, often symbolizes cleansing and forgiveness in Scripture (Isaiah 1:18). Clouds, on the other hand, are frequently associated with God's presence and guidance, as seen in the pillar of cloud that led the Israelites through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21). Together, snow and clouds represent both the purity and the mystery of God's creation, reminding us of His presence and His ability to cleanse and guide His people.

powerful wind
The phrase "powerful wind" translates the Hebrew "רוּחַ סְעָרָה" (ruach se'arah). "Ruach" can mean wind, breath, or spirit, and is often used to describe the Spirit of God. The "powerful wind" here is reminiscent of the "great and powerful wind" that tore the mountains and shattered the rocks before the Lord in 1 Kings 19:11. This imagery conveys the might and dynamic nature of God's Spirit, which moves with purpose and power throughout creation.

fulfilling His word
The Hebrew phrase "עֹשָׂה דְבָרוֹ" (osah devaro) means "fulfilling His word." This highlights the obedience of creation to the Creator's command. In the biblical narrative, God's word is powerful and effective, bringing about creation itself (Genesis 1) and sustaining it (Hebrews 1:3). The elements of nature, from the fiercest storm to the gentlest breeze, act in accordance with God's sovereign will, fulfilling His purposes. This serves as a reminder of the reliability and authority of God's word, encouraging believers to trust in His promises and His divine plan.

(8) Fire.--Lightning, as in Psalm 18:12; Psalm 105:32. where it is also found with "hail."

Vapours.--The same Hebrew word in Genesis 19:28 and Psalm 119:83 is rendered "smoke," and from the use of the cognate verb is certainly connected with "burning." Hence we probably have here the figure chiasmus (fire and hail, snow and smoke), the smoke answering to the fire, as the snow to the hail. On the other hand, from Psalm 18:8, Psa_144:5, it is plain that the driving mists of a storm were regarded as smoke. (Comp. "The smoky mountain tops."--TENNYSON.) . . .

Verse 8. - Fire and hail. By "fire," in this combination, we must understand "lightning," or rather the various electrical phenomena accompanying storms in the East, which are sometimes very strange and terrible. Snow and vapors; rather, vapor. The mist so often accompanying snowstorms is probably the "vapor" intended. Stormy wind fulfilling his word (comp. Psalm 107:25).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
lightning
אֵ֣שׁ (’êš)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 784: A fire

and hail,
וּ֭בָרָד (ū·ḇā·rāḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1259: Hail

snow
שֶׁ֣לֶג (še·leḡ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7950: Snow

and clouds,
וְקִיט֑וֹר (wə·qî·ṭō·wr)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7008: A fume, cloud

powerful
סְ֝עָרָ֗ה (sə·‘ā·rāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5591: A hurricane

wind
ר֥וּחַ (rū·aḥ)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

fulfilling
עֹשָׂ֥ה (‘ō·śāh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

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


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OT Poetry: Psalm 148:8 Lightning and hail snow and clouds (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 148:7
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