Exodus 13:21
in Exodus 13And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night:
KJV
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
⋯
This verse in Exodus 13
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Pillar of cloud - The Lord Himself did for the Israelites by preternatural means that which armies were obliged to do for themselves by natural agents. The Persians and Greeks used fire and smoke as signals in their marches, and in a well-known papyrus, the commander of an Egyptian expedition is called “A flame in the darkness at the head of his soldiers.” By this sign then of the pillar of cloud, the Lord showed Himself as their leader and general Exo 15:3, Exo 15:6.
This site's exposition
the Lord went before them by day in a pillar
on Exodus 13:21-22
Both pillar of a cloud and pillar of fire occur here for the first time in Scripture, and the same cloud and fire close the book at Exodus 40:36-38, where Israel moves only when the cloud lifts off the tabernacle. 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 says the fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, so the New Testament draws this line itself. Verse 22 adds that the pillar stayed by day and by night, and Gill follows it as far as the borders of Canaan, after which the ark went before the people at Joshua 3:6.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
At one time he appears all aglow in a bush. For you are cold with the perfidy of infidelity, and he wants to enkindle you with the heat of faith. At another time he glows like fire in a pillar extending toward heaven, that the …
Who can doubt that here too God appeared to the eyes of mortal men by a corporeal creature made subject to him and not by his own substance? But it is also not apparent whether it was the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit, or the Trinity itself, the one God. Nor, as far as I can judge, has this distinction been made in that place where it is written: "And the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud, and the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel.' "
The Medieval Church2 voices
The freeing of the children of Israel and their being brought out into the fatherland once promised them is also linked with the mystery of our redemption. By means of it we make our way to the light of the dwelling place on high with …
It was also fitting that a pillar of fire preceded the Israelites as they progressed through the desert during the night and a pillar of a cloud during the day. There is dread in fire but a gentle soothing quality in the sight of a cloud. "Day" is understood to point toward the life of the righteous and "night" that of the sinner. Hence Paul said to sinners who had been converted, "You were once darkness but are now light in the Lord."
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The Shechinah or appearance of the divine Majesty, which was a precious manifestation of the eternal Word, who in the fulness of time was to be made flesh, and dwell among us. Christ was with the church in the wilderness, 1 Cor. x, 9.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
In the first two stages it was enough that God directed Moses whither to march: he knew the country and the road well enough; but now that they had come to the edge of the wilderness (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And the Lord went before them,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The Lord went before them - That by the Lord here is meant the Lord Jesus, we have the authority of St. Paul to believe, 1Co 10:9: it was he whose Spirit they tempted in the wilderness, for it was he who led them through the desert to the promised rest. Pillar of a cloud - This pillar or column, which appeared as a cloud by day, and a fire by night, was the symbol of the Divine presence. This was the Shechinah or Divine dwelling place, and was the continual proof of the presence and protection of God. It was necessary that they should have a guide to direct them through the wilderness, even had they taken the most direct road; and how much more so when they took a circuitous route not usually traveled, and of which they knew nothing but just as the luminous pillar pointed out the way! Besides, it is very likely that even Moses himself did not know the route which God had determined on, nor the places of encampment, till the pillar that went before them became stationary, and thus pointed out, not only the road, but the different places of rest. Whether there was more than one pillar is not clearly determined by the text. If there was but one it certainly assumed three different appearances, for the performance of Three very important offices. 1. In the day-time, for the purpose of pointing out the way, a column or pillar of a cloud was all that was requisite. 2. At night, to prevent that confusion which must otherwise have taken place, the pillar of cloud became a pillar of fire, not to direct their journeyings, for they seldom traveled by night, but to give light to every part of the Israelitish camp. 3. In such a scorching, barren, thirsty desert, something farther was necessary than a light and a guide. […]
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיהוָ֡ה | vayahweh | and Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הֹלֵךְ֩ | holekh | [was] going | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| לִפְנֵיהֶ֨ם | lifneihem | <to> before them | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יוֹמָ֜ם | yomam | by day | H3119 → | 50 times |
| בְּעַמּ֤וּד | beamud | in a pillar of | H5982 → | 111 times |
| עָנָן֙ | ʾanan | cloud | H6051 → | 87 times |
| לַנְחֹתָ֣ם | lanchotam | to guide them | H5148 → | 39 times |
| הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ | haderekh | the journey | H1870 → | 707 times |
| וְלַ֛יְלָה | velaylah | and night | H3915 → | 233 times |
| בְּעַמּ֥וּד | beamud | in a pillar of | H5982 → | 111 times |
| אֵ֖שׁ | ʾesh | fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| לְהָאִ֣יר | lehair | to give light | H215 → | 43 times |
| לָהֶ֑ם | lahem | to them | ||
| לָלֶ֖כֶת | lalekhet | to go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| יוֹמָ֥ם | yomam | by day | H3119 → | 50 times |
| וָלָֽיְלָה׃ | valayelah | and night | H3915 → | 233 times |
וַֽיהוָ֡הand Yahweh
vayahwehH3068 →6520 times
הֹלֵךְ֩[was] going
holekhH1980 →1546 times
לִפְנֵיהֶ֨ם<to> before them
lifneihemH6440 →2123 times
יוֹמָ֜םby day
yomamH3119 →50 times
בְּעַמּ֤וּדin a pillar of
beamudH5982 →111 times
עָנָן֙cloud
ʾananH6051 →87 times
לַנְחֹתָ֣םto guide them
lanchotamH5148 →39 times
הַדֶּ֔רֶךְthe journey
haderekhH1870 →707 times
וְלַ֛יְלָהand night
velaylahH3915 →233 times
בְּעַמּ֥וּדin a pillar of
beamudH5982 →111 times
אֵ֖שׁfire
ʾeshH784 →378 times
לְהָאִ֣ירto give light
lehairH215 →43 times
לָהֶ֑םto them
lahem
לָלֶ֖כֶתto go
lalekhetH1980 →1546 times
יוֹמָ֥םby day
yomamH3119 →50 times
וָלָֽיְלָה׃and night
valayelahH3915 →233 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Nehemiah 9:19You in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud never turned away from guiding them on their path; and by the night the pillar of…
it leads to
- Nehemiah 9:12
You led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they should travel.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 106:45
And He remembered His covenant with them, and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.
- Nehemiah 9:27
So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You…
- Nehemiah 9:12
Through
Deuteronomy 1:33who went before you on the journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to…
it leads to
- Psalms 78:14
He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Numbers 10:33
So they set out on a three-day journey from the mountain of the LORD, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a…
- Psalms 78:14
Through
Psalms 99:7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept His decrees and the statutes He gave them.
it leads to
- Exodus 33:9
As Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance, and the LORD would speak with Moses.
- Numbers 12:5
and the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them had stepped forward,
- Exodus 33:9
Through
Nehemiah 9:12You led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they should travel.
it leads to
- Exodus 13:21–22
And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel…
- Exodus 13:21–22
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
About Exodus
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, THE TRINITY 2.14.24; Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles, 1 Peter 2:9; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 21; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Peter Chrysologus, SERMON 170.