Bible Word Study
תְּלַג
tᵉlag · snow
תְּלַג
snow
Definition
The Aramaic noun תְּלַג (tᵉlag) means 'snow.' It appears only once in the biblical text, in Daniel 7:9, where it describes the hair of the 'Ancient of Days' as being 'like pure wool' and 'like snow' (כִּתְלַג חִוָּר). This singular usage is purely descriptive, emphasizing extreme whiteness and purity. It corresponds directly to the Hebrew word שֶׁלֶג (sheleg, H7950), which is used more frequently in the Hebrew scriptures.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the entire Bible, in the Aramaic portion of the book of Daniel. It is employed in a prophetic vision (Daniel 7:9) as a simile to describe the dazzling, pure white hair of the divine figure called the 'Ancient of Days.' The usage is poetic and visual, intended to convey an impression of brilliant purity and venerable age.
Etymology
תְּלַג is an Aramaic word. It is the direct linguistic counterpart to the Biblical Hebrew noun שֶׁלֶג (sheleg, H7950), which also means 'snow.' Both words share a common Semitic root. Its presence in Daniel reflects the sections of the book written in Aramaic, the common language of the Babylonian and Persian empires.
Semantic Range
Though used only once, תְּלַג contributes to a significant theological image. In Daniel 7:9, the 'snow'-white hair of the Ancient of Days is a key attribute in a throne-room vision establishing God's eternal sovereignty, wisdom, and judicial purity. This visual descriptor connects to other biblical imagery where whiteness symbolizes purity (Isaiah 1:18) and divine glory (Matthew 28:3, Revelation 1:14). Understanding this Aramaic term reinforces the consistency of this symbolic language across testaments. In the ancient Near East, snow was a rare and striking phenomenon in many regions, associated with the heights of mountains or winter in the north. Its brilliant whiteness made it a natural and powerful metaphor for purity, cleanness, and something unblemished. The description in Daniel would have immediately conveyed these qualities of the divine figure to its original audience. שֶׁלֶג (sheleg, H7950) — The direct Hebrew equivalent, used frequently in poetic and descriptive contexts (e.g., Psalm 51:7, Isaiah 1:18).
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]