Lexical Summary qarah: cold Original Word: קָרָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cold Feminine of qar; coolness -- cold. see HEBREW qar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom qarar Definition cold NASB Translation cold (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs קָרָה cold, see קרר קָרָה noun feminine id.; — absolute ׳בְּיוֺם ק Nahum 3:17 a day of coldness, cold day, so Proverbs 25:20; ׳ק alone, cold of night Job 24:7; in General, due to winds Job 37:9 (מִמְּזָרִים see זרה Pi`el; yet Voigt Bu, attractively, מִמְּזָוִים (compare Psalm 144:13) out of storehouses ["" חֶדֶר]); לִפְנֵי קָרָתוֺ מִי יַעֲמֹד Psalm 147:17, + plural Zechariah 14:6 (read וְקָרוֺת, see יָקָר). Topical Lexicon Definition and Scope קָרָה denotes the tangible experience of cold, chill, or frost. Appearing five times in the Old Testament, the term describes literal temperature, conveys human vulnerability, and serves as a metaphor for divine activity or fleeting security. Physical Cold and the Created Order In Job 37:9 קָרָה anchors Elihu’s testimony that “The tempest comes from its chamber, and the cold from the driving north winds”. Cold is here portrayed as one more atmospheric element under God’s immediate control, balancing heat and drought elsewhere in the book (Job 36:27-32). Psalm 147:17 continues the theme: “He hurls forth His hail like crumbs. Who can withstand His icy blast?”. Cold, hail, and frost are not random but directed by the Creator who “sends out His word and melts them” (Psalm 147:18). The seasons are therefore irreversible testimonies to the faithfulness of the covenant God (Genesis 8:22). Human Vulnerability and Social Injustice Job 24:7 records the plight of the oppressed: “They spend the night naked, without clothing, and have no covering against the cold”. קָרָה underscores deprivation, highlighting the failure of human society to mirror God’s compassionate order. Ministry application: practical love for the poor includes shielding them from literal cold (James 2:15-16). Cold as a Snapshot of Fleeting Security Nahum 3:17 employs קָרָה in a military satire: Assyria’s soldiers cluster “in the walls on a cold day; when the sun rises, they fly away”. Cold morning air gives a brief semblance of stability; heat exposes the locust-like mutability of Nineveh’s defenses. The image intensifies the prophetic warning that worldly power, without covenant allegiance, evaporates under divine scrutiny. Moral and Relational Imagery Proverbs 25:20 uses the discomfort of קָרָה to illustrate emotional insensitivity: “Like one who removes a garment on a cold day … is one who sings songs to a heavy heart”. The proverb rebukes shallow cheer that ignores genuine sorrow. Ministry implication: comfort must match condition (Romans 12:15). Comparison with Related Hebrew Terms While צִנָּה (coldness, frost) and קֶרַח (ice) emphasize substance, קָרָה spotlights sensation—the felt chill that affects human behavior. This nuance explains its placement in wisdom and prophetic literature where sensory reality underlines ethical or theological truths. Divine Sovereignty Over Adverse Conditions Each occurrence of קָרָה affirms that what humans deem adverse is still within the providence of God. Whether exposing injustice (Job 24:7), commanding the weather (Job 37:9), or humbling empires (Nahum 3:17), cold serves God’s redemptive purposes. The believer rests in the assurance that even “icy blast” comes from the same hand that ultimately “sends out His word and melts them” (Psalm 147:18). Pastoral and Homiletical Applications • Encourage physical acts of mercy—coats, shelter, heat—as reflections of the gospel. Christological Foreshadowing The chill endured by the poor in Job 24:7 foreshadows the greater poverty embraced by the Son of Man, who had “nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). Through His own exposure, He provides the eternal covering of righteousness, fulfilling Isaiah 32:2’s promise of “a shelter from the storm.” Eschatological Perspective Revelation’s vision of a renewed earth includes no mention of cold’s oppression. The Lamb’s people “will hunger no more, neither thirst anymore” (Revelation 7:16). The temporal discomfort signified by קָרָה will give way to everlasting warmth in the presence of God, completing the scriptural arc from Genesis 8:22 to the eternal city. Forms and Transliterations בַּקָּרָֽה׃ בקרה׃ קָ֝רָת֗וֹ קָ֭רָה קָרָ֔ה קָרָֽה׃ קרה קרה׃ קרתו bakkaRah baq·qā·rāh baqqārāh kaRah karaTo qā·rā·ṯōw qā·rāh qārāh qārāṯōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 24:7 HEB: וְאֵ֥ין כְּ֝ס֗וּת בַּקָּרָֽה׃ NAS: And have no covering against the cold. KJV: that [they have] no covering in the cold. INT: and have covering the cold Job 37:9 Psalm 147:17 Proverbs 25:20 Nahum 3:17 5 Occurrences |
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