He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
Parallel translations
- WEB He spread a cloud for a covering, fire to give light in the night.
- BSB He spread a cloud as a covering and a fire to light up the night.
- NKJV He spread a cloud for a covering, And fire to give light in the night.
- NASB He spread out a cloud as a covering, And fire to illumine by night.
- NLT The Lord spread a cloud above them as a covering and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.
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 spread a cloud to cover them and fire to give light at night. It matters because He personally guided and sheltered His redeemed people.
Overview
The pillar of cloud and fire led Israel through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22). The cloud shaded them by day and the fire lit their way by night, signs of God's constant presence. This visible guidance and protection assured Israel that the Lord Himself journeyed with them, as He dwells with His people in Christ and the Spirit.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Neh 9:12Moreover 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.
- Ps 78:14In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
- Isa 4:5And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.
- Exod 14:24And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
- 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.
- 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:
- 1 Cor 10:1–2Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
- Num 9:15–22And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 105:39 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.