Lexical Summary qor: cold Original Word: קֹר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cold From the same as qar; cold -- cold. see HEBREW qar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom qarar Definition cold NASB Translation cold (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs קֹר noun [masculine] cold; — absolute Genesis 8:22 (חֹם). Topical Lexicon Definition and Scope קֹר denotes physical cold, chill, or frost. While it appears only once in the Hebrew canon, the concept of cold is interwoven with other Hebrew terms (e.g., קֶרַח “ice,” שֶׁלֶג “snow”) to portray the full range of winter conditions that God employs for His purposes. Single Canonical Occurrence: Genesis 8:22 “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease.” (Berean Standard Bible) In the aftermath of the Flood, the Lord binds Himself to a rhythmic order of seasons that will remain until the conclusion of the present earth. Cold is paired with heat, highlighting a divinely ordained polarity that secures agricultural continuity and human flourishing. Context within the Noahic Covenant The promise in Genesis 8:22 is covenantal, spoken immediately after Noah’s sacrifice (Genesis 8:20-21). Cold therefore functions as a covenant sign: every chill wind, frost-covered field, or winter morning recalls God’s sworn faithfulness that judgment by flood will not recur and that nature’s cycles are under His sovereign governance. Cold and Heat as Perpetual Markers of Divine Order Although modern climatology describes weather cycles scientifically, Scripture presents them theologically. Job 37:9-10 notes that “From the breath of God ice is produced, and the broad waters are frozen.” Cold is neither random nor autonomous; it is a servant of the Creator. Psalm 147:17-18 intensifies the picture: “He hurls His hail like pebbles. Who can withstand His icy blast? He sends forth His word and melts them.” Thus קֹר belongs to a suite of meteorological instruments God employs to demonstrate both power and benevolence. Agricultural Significance in the Ancient Near East Winter chill in Canaan was essential for the germination of certain grains and for the pruning cycle of vines and fig trees. Farmers depended on predictable periods of cold to break seed dormancy. Genesis 8:22 affirms that even after the cataclysmic disruption of climate during the Flood, God would stabilize seasonal patterns so that cultivation could resume. The promise undergirds passages such as Exodus 34:21, which instructs Israel to rest “even during plowing and harvest,” assuming a reliable alternation of cold and heat. Literary and Poetic Resonances Cold frequently appears in Hebrew poetry to express: Though these texts employ different Hebrew terms, they deepen the theological palette into which קֹר is set in Genesis 8:22. Intercanonical Echoes: Old and New Testament New Testament writers allude to seasonal regularity when illustrating eschatological readiness. In Matthew 24:20, Jesus warns, “Pray that your flight will not occur in winter,” assuming recognizable climatic hardship. Paul likewise references “winter” travel plans (2 Timothy 4:21; Titus 3:12). These acknowledgments of winter’s constraints depend on the Genesis 8:22 guarantee that seasons endure. Ministry and Homiletical Implications 1. Faithfulness: Each winter testifies that God’s covenant still stands. Summary קֹר, though occurring only once, anchors the biblical theology of seasons. It embodies God’s unstoppable faithfulness, supports agricultural rhythms, enriches poetic imagery, and informs practical ministry. Every shiver in the wind is a silent reminder that “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Forms and Transliterations וְקֹ֨ר וקר veKor wə·qōr wəqōrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 8:22 HEB: זֶ֡רַע וְ֠קָצִיר וְקֹ֨ר וָחֹ֜ם וְקַ֧יִץ NAS: and harvest, And cold and heat, KJV: and harvest, and cold and heat, INT: Seedtime and harvest and cold and heat and summer |
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