Bible Dictionaries
Cloud, Pillar of

Holman Bible Dictionary

The means by which God led Israel through the wilderness with His presence and still hid Himself so they could not see His face. By day Israel saw a pillar of cloud, while by night they saw a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21-22 ). The night before the Exodus, the cloud gave light to Israel but darkness to the Egyptians so they could not come near one another (Exodus 14:19-20 ). God came down to speak to Israel in the cloud during crisis times (Numbers 11:25; Numbers 12:5 ). Coming to the tabernacle in the cloud, God spoke to Moses face to face (Exodus 33:11; Numbers 14:14 ). Paul used the protection of the cloud theme to warn Christians that living under God's presence calls for holy living (1 Corinthians 10:1-14 ).