H8517 H8517
snow (Aramaic noun, Biblical Aramaic equivalent of Hebrew sheleg)
The Aramaic word for snow, cognate with Hebrew sheleg and Syriac equivalents. It appears in Daniel 7:9 in the throne vision, where the Ancient of Days' clothing is described as white 'like snow.' This is standard Biblical Aramaic vocabulary for the frozen precipitation, used here symbolically to convey divine purity, brilliance, and transcendent glory. The whiteness of snow serves as the ultimate comparison for radiant purity in biblical imagery.
Senses
1. sense 1 — In Daniel 7:9, this provides the simile for the Ancient of Days' garments—white 'like snow.' The image conveys absolute purity and dazzling brightness, the kind of radiant whiteness that would blind human eyes. Snow's whiteness functioned in ancient imagery much as it does now, as the standard for ultimate purity and brilliance, making it fitting for describing divine appearance. 1×
AR["كَـ-الثَّلْجِ"]·ben["তুষারের-মতো"]·DE["[כתלג]"]·EN["like-snow"]·FR["neige"]·heb["כ-שלג"]·HI["हिम-के-समान"]·ID["seperti-salju"]·IT["[כתלג]"]·jav["kados-salju"]·KO["에같이-눈"]·PT["como-neve"]·RU["как-снег"]·ES["como-nieve"]·SW["kama-theluji"]·TR["kar-gibi"]·urd["برف-کی-مانند"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† תְּלַג n.[m.] snow (𝔗 Syriac; BH שֶׁלֶג);—abs.ת׳ Dn 7:9 (sim.).