Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
Parallel translations
- WEB Moreover, in a pillar of cloud you led them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way in which they should go.
- BSB 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.
- NKJV Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, And by night with a pillar of fire, To give them light on the road Which they should travel.
- NASB “And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day, And with a pillar of fire by night To light for them the way In which they were to go.
- NLT You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God guided Israel with a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. It matters because God personally led and lit the way for his people.
Overview
The guiding pillars showed God's constant, visible presence on the journey, never leaving his people to find their own way. God leads as well as redeems. This guiding presence points to Christ, the light of the world (John 8:12), and to the Spirit who leads believers along the way of life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Exod 13:21–22And 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:
- Neh 9:19Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
- Ps 143:8Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
- Ps 78:14In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
- Ps 105:39He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
- Exod 14:19–20And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
- Ps 107:7And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 9:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.