(לג) וַיָּ֣קֶם אֶת־הֶחָצֵ֗ר סָבִיב֙ לַמִּשְׁכָּ֣ן וְלַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ וַיִּתֵּ֕ן אֶת־מָסַ֖ךְ שַׁ֣עַר הֶחָצֵ֑ר וַיְכַ֥ל מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶת־הַמְּלָאכָֽה׃ {פ} (לד) וַיְכַ֥ס הֶעָנָ֖ן אֶת־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וּכְב֣וֹד יְהֹוָ֔ה מָלֵ֖א אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃ (לה) וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה לָבוֹא֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד כִּֽי־שָׁכַ֥ן עָלָ֖יו הֶעָנָ֑ן וּכְב֣וֹד יְהֹוָ֔ה מָלֵ֖א אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃ (לו) וּבְהֵעָל֤וֹת הֶֽעָנָן֙ מֵעַ֣ל הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן יִסְע֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בְּכֹ֖ל מַסְעֵיהֶֽם׃ (לז) וְאִם־לֹ֥א יֵעָלֶ֖ה הֶעָנָ֑ן וְלֹ֣א יִסְע֔וּ עַד־י֖וֹם הֵעָלֹתֽוֹ׃ (לח) כִּי֩ עֲנַ֨ן יְהֹוָ֤ה עַֽל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ יוֹמָ֔ם וְאֵ֕שׁ תִּהְיֶ֥ה לַ֖יְלָה בּ֑וֹ לְעֵינֵ֥י כׇל־בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּכׇל־מַסְעֵיהֶֽם׃
(י) וַיְהִ֕י בְּצֵ֥את הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים מִן־הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ וְהֶעָנָ֥ן מָלֵ֖א אֶת־בֵּ֥ית יְהֹוָֽה׃ (יא) וְלֹא־יָכְל֧וּ הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים לַֽעֲמֹ֥ד לְשָׁרֵ֖ת מִפְּנֵ֣י הֶעָנָ֑ן כִּֽי־מָלֵ֥א כְבוֹד־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־בֵּ֥ית יְהֹוָֽה׃ {פ}
(10) When the priests came out of the sanctuary—for the cloud had filled the House of the LORD (11) and the priests were not able to remain and perform the service because of the cloud, for the Presence of the LORD filled the House of the LORD—
(21) יהוה went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, to guide them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, that they might travel day and night. (22) The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
R.Alter (The Five Books of Moses): "...in biblical idiom the commander of an army is said to "go out and come in" before it, that is, lead it in battle."
R. Alter (to Exodus 13:21): "...these miraculous guides through the wilderness nicely counterpoints the plagues that preceded. Several of the plagues involved destruction descending from the sky. Here a great mass of cloud descends from the sky to lead Israel. The penultimate plague plunged Egypt into terrifying darkness, and now a column of divine fire serves as a huge beacon to show Israel the way through the dark of the wilderness."
Ibn Ezra (short version; to 16:7): "Thus [reference to prior verses regarding the Manna] and (even) more - you will see another sign which is the "Kavod ha-Shem." The appearance of the Kavod is like a consuming fire in a cloud. This will be a sign to you that He heard your complaints. Therefore His Kavod appeared to you."
(1) לנחתם הדרך TO GUIDE THEM IN THE WAY — It (the ל of לנחתם) is punctuated with Patach, because it (the word) is like לְהַנְחוֹתָם (being a contracted form of this); similar is, (Deuteronomy 1:33) “לַרְאֹתְכֶם the way in which ye shall go”...
Thus, too, here: לנחתם means as much as להנחותם to make them be guided i. e. by means of an agent.
And who was this agent? The pillar of cloud — and the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory (Himself) led it before them. Nevertheless He Himself did not act as their immediate guide, but He provided the pillar of cloud that they might be guided by means of it, for, as a matter of fact, as the Scriptural account shows, it was by means of the pillar of cloud that they set forth on their journeys. The pillar of cloud was not for giving light to them but to show them the way.
(15) When Moses had ascended the mountain, the cloud covered the mountain. (16) The Presence of יהוה abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud hid it for six days. On the seventh day [God] called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. (17) Now the Presence of יהוה appeared in the sight of the Israelites as a consuming fire on the top of the mountain.
R. Alter (to Ex.40:35-38): The cloud and the glory appear to be virtual synonyms, or at the very least, overlapping terms. The Lord's glory, kavod, is clearly a palpably concrete manifestation of the deity, for all the metaphysical attributes that later theology would attach to it. It may have been imagined as a kind of mantle of light enveloping God, with the cloud giving off a luminosity by day parallel to the fire by night. (Thus the English word "glory," which suggests a nimbus or halo, as an appropriate equivalent.) ....
[at the conclusion of chapter 40] Now, the cloud and the fire have been given a constructed, cultic focal point - the Tabernacle that henceforth will be God's dwelling place in the midst of the people....
Sarna (JPS Commentary; to Ex. 13:21-22): "... God's indwelling Presence in the world is symbolized, however inadequately, by the mysterious, intangible, incorporeal elements of fire and cloud - actually a diaphanous, luminescent mist visible both by day and by night.
In these verses it functions to escort and guide the people through the untamed wilderness.
In other texts its movements signal the journeying and encamping of the people, and it also provides a protective screen for the imperiled Israelites.
It should be noted that although God is portrayed as speaking "from the midst of the cloud," as in Exodus 24:16, this should always be understood as figurative language. There is never a question of His actually residing inside the cloud or being identified with it, as is clear from Exodus 19:20, when God "came down" upon Mt. Sinai after it had been enveloped in cloud (v.16).