Meaning of CLOUD (COLUMN OF)

It was a supernatural cloud in the shape of a column; He went before the Israelites in the desert, to show them the way by which God commanded them to march (Ex. 13:21, 22; Neh. 9:19).

When the night would have made it impossible to distinguish it, it would shine like a column of fire. If God wanted to reveal himself to the Israelites, he did so from the pillar of cloud (Num. 12:5; Deut. 31:15).

When he wanted to destroy the Egyptian army, it was from the cloud that he looked at them, and that he caused disorder to spread in their camp (Ex. 14:24). The glorious presence of the Lord was frequently manifested in the cloud (the "Shekinah"). “The glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud” (Ex. 16:10).

“A cloud covered the tabernacle of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Ex. 40:34). "I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat" (Lev. 16:2). From this cloud fire could arise that destroyed the rebels (Lev. 10:2; Num. 16:35; cf. Ex. 19:16, 18). The sovereign God, who dresses in clouds, is also a consuming fire (Ps. 18:9-15; Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29).

After a long time after the cloud had stopped marching before the people, already established in the land of Canaan, the cloud of glory is seen making its home in the newly built Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).

If Israel was so different from other peoples, it was because God himself resided among them. Unfortunately, the sins of the nation reached such a point that divine glory was withdrawn from them (Ez. 9:3; 10:18-19; 11:22-23), with the Temple destroyed along with the city of Jerusalem (Ez. 9:1-7). However, the same prophet announces that the Lord will forever return his glory and his presence to his people, converted and restored (Ez. 37: 24-28; 43: 1-9).

In the NT the "Shekinah" appears again, on the Mount of Transfiguration, where a luminous cloud enveloped him, and within which he let his voice be heard (Mt. 17: 5). When the Lord left this earth, a heavenly cloud welcomed Him (Acts 1:9). And when he returns, "they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Lk. 21:27).