Thick Clouds of Presence

THICK CLOUDS AS A COVERING

 The Bosom (עוב) of יהוה, Thick Waters, and the Bodily Flow of גשם Rabbinical sages have long meditated on the thick clouds and thick darkness that enveloped Mount Sinai, where יהוה descended to reveal Himself yet remain veiled. In Exodus 19:9, יהוה declares, "Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud," so the people hear His voice without perishing from direct sight. Exodus 19:16 describes "a thick cloud upon the mountain," heavy with smoke and fire as יהוה descends. Then, in Exodus 20:21, after the people stand afar in fear, Moses "approached the thick darkness [ha'arafel – thick/gloomy darkness] where God was." Exodus 24:15-18 adds that "the cloud covered the mountain... the glory of יהוה dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it  ."Rabbis interpret this not as absence, but as merciful concealment: יהוה clothes Himself in thick clouds, thick darkness, or "thick waters" to shield mortals from His overwhelming glory. Rashi, commenting on Exodus 20:21 and related Sinai verses, sees the thick darkness as a protective veil enveloping the divine presence—God "hides" therein so His kavod (glory) does not consume. Ramban (Nachmanides) expands this: יהוה "clothes Himself" in thick clouds or darkness as a covering, moderating revelation to allow approach without destruction (echoing Exodus 33:20, "no man can see Me and live"). Midrashic sources (e.g., Mekhilta and Midrash Tehillim on Psalm 18) link it to the protective "partition" or garment of thick clouds/smoke, as in the Holy of Holies incense cloud (Leviticus 16:2,13)—God dwells in thick darkness (1 Kings 8:12) to enable safe encounter. Psalm 18:11-12 poetically captures this: "He made darkness His hiding place; His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies." Here, the "pavilion" (sukkah/booth) is thick clouds laden with dark waters—יהוה's tent of concealment, from which brightness breaks through with hail and fire. Rabbinical notes (e.g., Chabad/Rashi on Psalm 18) affirm these thick clouds/dark waters as the darkness surrounding Him, lest one think no light dwells within—yet from this hiddenness, salvation bursts forth.

This ties profoundly to עוב (uwb/ub in Aramaic-linked forms, "bosom" or inlet/outlet), akin to Hebrew עָב ('ab = thick cloud/mass). The bosom is the hidden depth: a chest inhaling/exhaling breath (ruach/wind), or a cove gathering waters. At Sinai, the thick darkness/cloud is יהוה's "bosom"—thick waters held in dense form, veiling the source while preparing to pour. From this bosom/cloud, divine essence extends without separation. Now connect to גשם (geshem = rain) and bodily manifestation (גושמנאית / gushmanayit in Colossians 2:9 Peshitta: "all the fullness of the Godhead bodily/corporately"). The shared root letters ג-ש-מ reveal the mystery: Water vapor in air thickens into heavy, visible "body"—the thick cloud ('ab/עוב)—holding vast waters as substance. Once thickened, the benefit flows: cleansing rain saturates the earth, healing barrenness, saving from death, giving life abundantly to all (Matthew 5:45).

In Yeshua the man, this reaches fulfillment: All the fullness of the Godhead thickens corporately in Him—not confined, but embodied as thick cloud: divine essence (Living Word, Mighty Wind, Living Waters from the Sea of יהוה the Father) gathers in human form, heavy with salvation, veiled in flesh yet infinite. Yeshua is the thick cloud drawn from the Father's bosom/thick darkness (John 1:18; Psalm 18:11-12)—the right hand extended (Exodus 15:6), the channel from hidden depths .From this bodily form, the flow pours without measure (John 3:34; 7:38): cleansing sin, healing desolation, saving from death, saturating all who call on His name. The thickening serves revelation and mercy—generous descent overwhelms transformingly, embodying in substance. Both Father (יהוה, boundless Sea/source) and Son (Yah, manifestation/channel/mighty flowing wind) unite in echad  ONE flow: distinction in extension, Oneness in essence. Master Yah is Yeshua the Messiah—the thick cloud from which rain falls to the ends of the earth (Psalm 19:4). Call on Him: the fullness flows through, to the glory of יהוה His Father (Philippians 2:11 Aramaic).

bodily form

The Overflowing Fullness: Geshem (גשם) as Rain, Bodily Saturation, and the Bosom of יהוה
In the mystery of Colossians 2:9 (Peshitta: ܕܒܗ ܥܡܪ ܟܠܗ ܡܘܠܝܐ ܕܐܠܗܘܬܐ ܓܘܫܡܢܐܝܬ — "for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily/corporately"), we behold not a confined indwelling, but a pervasive, saturating flow. The Aramaic term for "bodily/corporately" echoes the Hebrew root tied to geshem (גשם = rain), revealing how the divine essence manifests tangibly yet remains omnipresent.Break the letters of geshem (גשם) to see the picture unfold:

• Gimel (ג): The letter of generous giving, benevolence, and extension. As the camel (gamal) carries nourishment across distances, gimel pours forth kindness without withholding—symbolizing the Father's merciful descent, the initial outpouring from the divine source.
• Shin (ש): The letter of divine fire, transformation, and overwhelming intensity. Shin consumes and changes, evoking a deluge or flood—not destructive, but overwhelmingly beneficial. It is the mighty rush that saturates, penetrates, and renews, like fire turning coal to flame or rain overwhelming the dry earth in abundance.
• Final Mem (ם): The closed mem of water embodied, hidden depths realized in form. Mem is mayim (מים = waters), the womb of life, completion in manifestation. Here, as final form, it shows water gathered, contained yet ready to pour—the benefit realized as saturated, cleansing reality.

Thus geshem (גשם) portrays an overwhelming flood of giving (gimel + shin) that becomes embodied water (mem)—a peaceful, cleansing deluge saturating the ground, bringing life to righteous and unrighteous alike (Matthew 5:45). Rain descends from heaven without discrimination, yet it is the very substance of physical life: without geshem (rain), no gashmiut (corporeality/physical being) endures.This rain originates in a thick body of water—the cloud. Clouds hold vast waters in suspended form, heavy yet mobile, veiling the source while delivering the benefit. In Hebrew, thick clouds are עָב ('ab), often linked to heavy, dark masses laden with rain (Psalm 18:11-12: "He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion around Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies"). In Aramaic, the related concept of עוב (uwba / ob) means "bosom"—an inlet or outlet, like the chest cavity inhaling/exhaling air, or a cove embracing waters. The bosom is both hidden depth and flowing source: air/breath (ruach) moves in and out; waters gather and issue forth.
Scripture unites these: The Son "exists in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18), drawn from the thick, water-filled clouds of יהוה's presence (Psalm 18:15-16: "He drew me out of many waters... from the thick clouds"). The bosom/cloud is the thick darkness where יהוה dwells (Exodus 20:21; Deuteronomy 4:11), yet from it flows revelation and salvation—never separate, always extending.In Yeshua the man, this takes profound dimension: All the fullness of the Godhead (mulya d-alahuta) flows corporately (gushmanayit)—as Living Word, Mighty Rushing Wind (ruach), and Living Waters—from the Sea of יהוה the Father, through Yah/Yeshua without measure (John 3:34; John 7:38). The Father (יהוה, source of Living Waters) and Son (Yah, the extension/manifestation/mighty flowing wind) are one in essence (echad, undivided), yet distinct in flow: The Father remains omnipresent Sea; the Son is the channel, the right hand/arm extended (Exodus 15:6; Psalm 118:15-16), yet the Son as a mighty rushing wind creates a gathering place for the thick waters, to form the heavy clouds—yet when this form takes on flesh, this creates the fountain from which waters pour (Jeremiah 17:13; Isaiah 12:3).Like rain from thick clouds saturating earth, the divine essence—Word/Wind/Waters—flows through Yeshua's bodily form: cleansing, renewing, giving life abundantly. It is no localized enclosure (impossible for the omnipresent), but a corporate embodiment—pervasive saturation, like geshem overwhelming the ground yet leaving no part untouched. Both Father and Son are in this flow: יהוה as the boundless Sea, Yah as the Living Breath as Salvation channeled forth.
To those who call on His name (Master Yah is Yeshua the Messiah, to the glory of יהוה His Father—Philippians 2:11 Aramaic), this fullness pours without measure: cleansing sin, healing the desolate, uniting seed with Waters in the heart. The overwhelming benefit descends generously (gimel), transforms intensely (shin), and embodies life (mem)—from the bosom/cloud of the Father, through the Son, to all who thirst.Shalom in calling upon the Name.