Exodus 40:34 (WEB)
Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Exodus 40:34–35 (KJV)
34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Key words
- עָנָןanan · Hebrew
- 'cloud' — the visible sign of God's presence throughout the Exodus.
- כָּבוֹדkavod · Hebrew
- 'glory' — the weighty, radiant presence of the LORD that fills the tabernacle.
- שָׁכַןshakan · Hebrew
- 'abode' (v. 35) — the cloud 'settled' or 'dwelt' upon the tent; the root behind Shekinah.
- ἐπισκιάζωepiskiazō · Greek (LXX)
- 'overshadow' — the Greek Old Testament's word for the cloud that 'overshadowed' the tabernacle (v. 35). Gabriel uses exactly this verb of Mary: 'the power of the Most High will overshadow you' (Luke 1:35).
Why it matters
When the tabernacle is finished, the cloud covers it and the glory of the LORD fills it, so that even Moses cannot enter. Pitre's key observation is that the Septuagint describes the cloud as 'overshadowing' the tent with the same verb Gabriel uses at the Annunciation. Luke is telling us that Mary is overshadowed as the sanctuary was: she becomes the new tabernacle, the dwelling place of God's glory.