קֶ֫רַח (qe.rach)
qe.rach
ice
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew word qe.rach refers to the frozen state of water, encompassing both the delicate crystals of frost and the solid mass of ice. In the biblical text, it appears in six verses, primarily within poetic books like Job and Psalms, as well as in Jeremiah. It describes a tangible, physical reality that ancient readers would have recognized from their experience of cold climates.
This term carries significant weight in its literary context. In Job 38:29, for instance, it is part of a series of rhetorical questions where God asks who can understand the formation of ice or frost. The sources highlight its use to illustrate the power and order of creation, showing that even the harshest elements are subject to divine command. It serves as a concrete image of nature’s severity and beauty.
Translators typically render qe.rach simply as "ice" or "frost," depending on the specific context of the verse. The word does not usually carry metaphorical meaning beyond its literal sense, but its presence underscores the vastness of God’s creative work. By naming these natural phenomena, the biblical authors affirm that every detail of the physical world, from the gentle frost to the hard ice, is known and sustained by God.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When you read about ice or frost in Scripture, it is not just a weather report. It is a reminder that God cares for every detail of the physical world. In Job 38:29, God asks who brings forth the ice from its womb. This question highlights His power over nature's harshest elements. Even when winter feels harsh or unforgiving, you can trust that the same God who commands the frost is holding your life together.
This word appears in places of deep struggle, like Job’s suffering and Jeremiah’s warning to King Jehoiakim. In these moments, the cold represents severity and judgment. Yet, it also points to a reality where nothing escapes God’s notice. The Bible does not shy away from the difficulty of life. Instead, it places our hardships within the context of a Creator who is both mighty and intimately aware of our circumstances.
Whether you are facing a season of drought or the cold weight of loss, these verses offer a grounded hope. They remind us that we serve a God who speaks into the chaos. You do not have to understand every mystery of creation to trust in His care. The same power that freezes the waters is at work in your life, sustaining you through the coldest nights.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- ice2×
- the/ ice1×
- ice/ his1×
- and/ to the/ frost1×
- and/ frost1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- קָ֑רַח2×
- קַֽרְח֣/וֹ1×
- וְ/קֶ֣רַח1×
- וְ/לַ/קֶּ֥רַח1×
- הַ/קָּ֑רַח1×
Key Verses
-
Job 38:29
Whose womb did the ice come out of? Who has given birth to the gray frost of the sky?
God uses this word to challenge Job’s understanding of nature, showing that even the formation of ice is under His direct command.
-
Genesis 31:40
This was my situation: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes.
Jacob mentions the frost by night as part of his exhausting labor, grounding the word in the harsh reality of human toil.
-
Jeremiah 36:30
Therefore Yahweh says concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: “He will have no one to sit on David’s throne. His dead body will be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.
The king’s body is cast out to the frost, using the cold as a symbol of dishonor and divine judgment on his reign.