He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. 1
He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
He sendeth out his word, and melteth them:
he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow
Psalm 147:15-18 King James Version
This morning there was one of those red alerts for our community on the Weather Network. It was for fog, which was accurate, although by the time we headed to Trenton for worship all that remained was the ghostly white coating on trees. A week or so ago we headed to Prince Edward County for a cross-country ski and the drive there was beautiful because the trees were adorned with ice fog all along the highway.
I commented on this hoarfrost and Ruth responded by saying that this is a term no one uses anymore. This is true, of course, except for the occasional oddball who enjoys an esoteric word or phrase. Apparently the term dates back to the 14th century, but I'm not quite that old.
Our brief exchange got me thinking about hoarfrost in the bible, Isn't there a reference in the King James Version, the translation of the 17th century? Yup, although just one, and just in this translation. Try to say "scattereth" or "melteth" five times fast!
You may never use the word hoarfrost but we can all appreciate the fleeting gift it represents, and with milder weather on the way, it may be another year before we witness it again. With climate change, could it be an endangered phenomenon?
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