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).