KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
To get what Exodus 40:38 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “For” | כִּי֩ | (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed | For |
| “the cloud” | עֲנַ֨ן | A cloud (as covering the sky), i.e., the nimbus or thunder-cloud | cloud |
| “of the Lord” | יְהוָ֤ה | (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God | Lord |
| “was” | (No Hebrew definition. English implied.) | ||
| “upon” | עַֽל | Above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications | upon |
| “the tabernacle” | הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ | A residence (including a shepherd's hut, the lair of animals, figuratively, the grave; also the Temple); specifically, the Tabernacle (properly, its wooden walls) | tabernacle |
| “by day,” | יוֹמָ֔ם | Daily | day |
| “and fire” | וְאֵ֕שׁ | Fire (literally or figuratively) | fire |
| “was” | תִּֽהְיֶ֥ה | To exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) | was |
| “on it by night,” | לַ֖יְלָה | Properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e., night; figuratively, adversity | night |
| “in the sight” | לְעֵינֵ֥י | An eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape) | sight |
| “of all” | כָל | Properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense) | all |
| “the house” | בֵּֽית | A house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.) | house |
| “of Israel,” | יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | He will rule as God; Jisraël, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity | Israel |
| “throughout all” | בְּכָל | Properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense) | throughout all |
| “their journeys.” | מַסְעֵיהֶֽם׃ | A departure (from striking the tents), i.e., march (not necessarily a single day's travel); by implication, a station (or point of departure) | journeys |
See Exodus 40:38 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:
37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
38 For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.