Exodus 13:21

“YHWH went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give light to them, so that they could travel by day and by night.”
Exodus 13:21 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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A pillar of cloud by day and fire by night goes with Israel in the desertGod guides

With the Hebrew beneath

YHWHוַיהוָהwentהֹלֵךְbefore themלִפְנֵיהֶםby dayיוֹמָםin a pillarבְּעַמּוּדof cloudעָנָןto lead themלַנְחֹתָםalong the way,הַדֶּרֶךְandוְby nightלַיְלָהin a pillarבְּעַמּוּדof fireאֵשׁto give lightלְהָאִירto them,לָהֶםso that they could travelלָלֶכֶתby dayיוֹמָםandוָby night.לָיְלָה

Explicit type · 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Go to 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

Paul rereads the exodus from Egypt: the fathers under the cloud and through the sea. In 10:6 he says that those things were “types” (typoi) for the believers.

The biblical author himself makes the connection, in these words:

Ταῦτα δὲ τύποι ἡμῶν ἐγενήθησαν “these things became examples for us” (1 Corinthians 10:6)

עָנָןananH6051νεφέληνnephelēnG3507“cloud”

Exodus 13:21, word by word

YHWHיהוָהyhva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yhva” appears

wentהֹלֵךְholech

To move on foot from place to place; to set out.

Where else “holech” appears

before themפְנֵיfene

before

Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.

Where else “fene” appears

by dayיוֹמָםyomam

by day

By day, in the daytime.

Where else “yomam” appears

in a pillarעַמּוּדamud

pillar, column

Pillar, column; also a pillar of cloud or of fire.

Where else “amud” appears

of cloudעָנָןanan

cloud of presence

The cloud of YHWH's presence.

Where else “anan” appears

to lead themנְחֹתָnechota

lead, guide

Lead, guide along the way; bring someone to a place.

Where else “nechota” appears

along the wayדֶּרֶךְderech

road

The track or route by which one goes from one place to another.

Where else “derech” appears

by nightלַיְלָהlayla

night

Night.

Where else “layla” appears

of fireאֵשׁesh

fire

Fire that burns or cooks.

Where else “esh” appears

to give lightהָאִירhair

give light

To fill with light and drive away darkness; also to light a lamp.

Where else “hair” appears

so that they could travelלֶכֶתlechet

To head for a place, to leave where one is in order to reach another.

Where else “lechet” appears

The context

20They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.

21 · This verse (above)

22The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

Read all of Exodus 13

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