A foot of snow fell in Jerusalem over the weekend.  This is a “once every 5o years experience” in Jerusalem.  Here’s a few fun pictures.

Men at the Western Wall

Jerusalem sits at 2577 feet above sea level.  High enough for an occasional snow, but it is certainly not common.  Contrast this with Mount Hermon all the way to the north at 9,232 feet.  Most are surprised to hear that there is even a ski hill there!

Snow is mentioned 23 times in the Bible; and predominantly in three ways.  Snow is first mentioned as the cold stuff that falls on the ground.  “He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes” (Psalm 147:16) and “He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ (Job 37:6)  Often times in this sense, snow is thought of as something extraordinary from the hand of God.

Second, snow is thought of in the sense of cleansing.  Isaiah says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  Snow is considered something so pure as to show contrast to disease or sin.

And third, snow is attributed to the purity of Christ.  “The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.” Revelation 1:14.

I imagine that it was pretty exciting to be in Jerusalem for this big snowfall.  I heard it shut the city down.  No snowplows in that city!