Psalm 147: verse 6 - Hard sayings and hardened hearts

Augsburger Wunderzeichenbuch, folio 19

Verse 6 of Psalm 147 continues the image of winter, with blizzards of hail to pound us.

 Text notes

6	V	Mittit crystállum suam sicut buccéllas: * ante fáciem frígoris ejus quis sustinébit?
		βάλλοντος κρύσταλλον αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ ψωμούς κατὰ πρόσωπον ψύχους αὐτοῦ τίς ὑποστήσεται

Word by word:

Mittit (he sends) crystállum (ice) suam (his) sicut (like/as) buccéllas (morsels/fragments): ante (before) fáciem (the face) frígoris (of cold) ejus (his) quis (who) sustinébit (will stand)? Who will stand before the face of his cold?

The literal meaning of the first half of the verse here surely refers to hail, as fragments of ice.  But the word buccella is almost always translated as morsels here, since it normally means fragments, or a small mouthful (typically of bread).  One  translation that captures this is 'He scatters his hail like crumbs.'

Key words

crystallus, i. f. a crystal; ice, hail.

buccella, ae, f a small mouthful, a morsel, fragment.

 frigus, oris, n.  cold, frost, esp. the cold of winter.

Selected English translations

DR	He sends his crystal like morsels: who shall stand before the face of his cold?
Brenton	Casting forth his ice like morsels: who shall stand before his cold?
MD	He casteth down his ice like morsels, before his cold who can endure?
RSV	He casts forth his ice like morsels; who can stand before his cold?
Cover	He casteth forth his ice like morsels. Who is able to abide his frost?

Melting the icy heart of the hardened sinner

In the previous verse, the imagery of winter given was of snow and frost.  Now we turn to the third form water takes when frozen, crystalline ice, and are reminded that even it too, must yield in the face of God.

St Augustine interprets this passage as meaning that God's grace can cause even the most hardened sinner to melt in repentance, citing the example of St Paul:

Behold, the Apostle Paul was a crystal, hard, resisting the truth, crying out against the Gospel, hardening himself, as it were, against the sun....Since then he was crystal, he appeared clear and white, but he was hard and very cold. How was he bright and white? An Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee. Behold the brightness of crystal. Now hear the hardness of crystal. As touching zeal, persecuting the Church of Christ. Among the stoners of the holy martyr Stephen, was he, hard, perhaps harder than all. For he kept the raiment of all who were stoning,  so that he stoned by the hands of all... And who shall free himself, if God abandon him? Who is it that frees? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Are we then to despair? God forbid.

Cassiodorus adds that the fragments could also refer to the good works that sinners do once converted:

The Lord also casts them out like pieces of bread when they are converted, and He makes them perform His mighty deeds, through which the hungry people can feast on heavenly bread. Frusta (pieces) is the word we use for parts of anything; it also denotes different gifts of teaching which the Lord has quite often taken from sinners and deigned to demonstrate through His saints.

Pounding us into repentance!

An alternative interpretation, though, is that the morsels of ice here are God sending us intolerable hard hits to pummel us into repentance.   

And those piece of hail, St Jerome, suggests, are the hard sayings of Scripture:

....since we cannot take the meat of the divine word in its totality, it is broken up so that we may partake of it in small pieces. 

 

Psalm 147 – Lauda Jerusalem 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Lauda, Jerúsalem, Dóminum: * lauda Deum tuum, Sion.	Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise your God, O Sion.
2  Quóniam confortávit seras portárum tuárum: * benedíxit fíliis tuis in te.	Because he has strengthened the bolts of your gates, he has blessed your children within you
3  Qui pósuit fines tuos pacem: * et ádipe fruménti sátiat te.	Who has placed peace in your borders: and fills you with the fat of corn.
4  Qui emíttit elóquium suum terræ: * velóciter currit sermo ejus.	Who sends forth his speech to the earth: his word runs swiftly.
5  Qui dat nivem sicut lanam: * nébulam sicut cínerem spargit.	Who gives snow like wool: scatters mists like ashes.
6  Mittit crystállum suam sicut buccéllas: * ante fáciem frígoris ejus quis sustinébit?	He sends his crystal like morsels: who shall stand before the face of his cold?
7  Emíttet verbum suum, et liquefáciet ea: * flabit spíritus ejus, et fluent aquæ.	He shall send out his word, and shall melt them: his wind shall blow, and the waters shall run.
8  Qui annúntiat verbum suum Jacob: * justítias, et judícia sua Israël.	Who declares his word to Jacob: his justices and his judgments to Israel
9  Non fecit táliter omni natióni: * et judícia sua non manifestávit eis.	He has not done in like manner to every nation: and his judgments he has not made manifest to them. Alleluia.