Interesting Biblical Psalm!

[Asfiqur]

Exodus: Chapter 13, Psalm 21
"And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night."

Well, Here is picture of an UFO taken in Puerto Maldonado, Peru - July 19, 1952. It was taken by a Customs Inspector, Sr. Domingo Troncoso. It looks like a pillar to me.

[Fetapro]

I think the pillars in the biblical text were vertical. This one is horizontal.

[Asfiqur]

How r u so sure that that Pillar was vertical??

[upperworld]

Moved topic

Interesting Psalm indeed. However Fetapro has a point, i don't remember architectural design class from college that well but if my memory serves me correct pillars almost exclusively reference something vertical. More like a rocket launch from the ground.

[Vance]

You can't say for sure that they would have never described it as a pillar just because it was horizontal.

How do you guide someone with a rocket launch, anyway?

[Asfiqur]

May be they said it a pillar because they had no other word for it. What it meant is 'something which is cigar shaped like a long horizontal pole'. Again we don't even know from which word the term 'Pillar' was translated. Its more likely that the term 'pillar ' was chosen to describe the shape.

Exodus:Chapter 40, Psalm 34
"Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle"

Exodus:Chapter 40, Psalm 36
"Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys"

Exodus:Chapter 40, Psalm 37
"But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day day it was taken up."

From these three psalms it is clear that it was not something with rocket like propulsion system. It could be taken up and bring down any moment. Bottom line is that these psalms describe a vehicle which is long, cigar shaped. In day time it looked like cloud(Gray, perhaps metallic) and in night time it looked like fire(Because of the lighting around the ship). And many modern UFO sightings report just such cigar(pillar) shaped UFOs.

[Asfiqur]

This one could be a 'pillar' of fire.



Photo taken in Monterrey, Mexico - April 14, 1998. Taken by Raul Gazra who was taking pictures of the colossal fire on the Sierra Madre Oriental. He said, "Suddenly an unexpected visitor appeared into the scenario. It was like an enormous neon tube illuminated with an intense white light".

Source: ufoevidence.com

[Fetapro]

The nation of Israel had spent 420 years in Egypt before they left. They were familiar with building Egyptian buildings. They would have seen pillars that were used in the construction of these buildings.
These pillars would have been vertical. The pictures of the ruins of the old temples in Egypt still have some of the pillars in place.
In describing the object that they saw they would have used the terminology that was familiar to them.
Therefore logic states that the pillars that they saw would have been vertical.

[Asfiqur]

The nation of Israel had spent 420 years in Egypt before they left. They were familiar with building Egyptian buildings. They would have seen pillars that were used in the construction of these buildings.
These pillars would have been vertical. The pictures of the ruins of the old temples in Egypt still have some of the pillars in place.
In describing the object that they saw they would have used the terminology that was familiar to them.
Therefore logic states that the pillars that they saw would have been vertical.

OK, very good. Then can you please tell me what this psalms actually trying to say??

[Ace Rimmer]

In the context of The Bible a pillar is like a column.

http://bible.cc/exodus/13-22.htm

[angeloneastralseed]

Basically, he led them during the day, then switched it to fire and lit up the night sky so they could travel 24/7.

[Fetapro]

I agree with angeloneastralseed:
It served as a road map or GPS to lead nation of Israel in whatever direction they were supposed to go..

[Asfiqur]

I don't agree. Because a GPS system wouldn't create deafening sound, lightning and cover the Mount Sinai with smoke.

[Fetapro]

I am suggesting that the pillar of fire was symbolic to a GPS. If I understand the text correctly then the pillar moved before the nation of Israel by day and led the way for them to go.

[Vance]

Can't we all agree that it was f***in' aliens?

[upperworld]

Can't we all agree that it was f***in' aliens?

You have a way with words Vance Yeah i'll drink to that...Aliens.