The saints are clouds; God leads them from earth’s end
And he led up clouds from the farthest part of the earth. This wording formerly also fell in the Psalm, and we were saying how God “led up clouds from the farthest part of the earth”—which things it is necessary to take up again: for those who know, unto clarification and reminder of what was said; for those who have forgotten or not encountered it, unto clarity of this, whether it is being revealed and becoming manifest or being understood however.
And we were saying that the saints are clouds. For “your truth unto the clouds” cannot be referred to the soulless clouds; but God’s truth reaches unto the clouds who hear God’s command and know where to send rain and from whom to withhold it. For as clouds to whom God commands not to rain or to rain, it is written: “I will command the clouds not to rain upon it.”
Then concerning these clouds: if there is no rain, God does not command the clouds not to rain upon the vineyard or the land, but altogether no cloud appears, as it is written in the third of the Kingdoms. Where in the time of drought a cloud did not appear, when according to the word of Elijah’s prophecy the rain was about to come to be, there appeared a trace of a cloud “as a man’s footprint,” and it became a cloud producing the rain.
As, therefore, the clouds exist and are commanded not to rain when the soul of the rain is unworthy, it is said: “I will command the clouds not to rain upon it.” Therefore each of the saints is a cloud. Moses was a cloud, and as a cloud he said: “Give ear, O heaven, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. Let my utterance be awaited as rain.” If I were not a cloud, I would never have spoken: “As rain my utterance, and let my words descend as dew.”
As a cloud he says: “As rain upon grass, and as snow upon herb, because I have proclaimed the name of the Lord.” Thus as a cloud Isaiah also says: “Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken.” And because he himself was a cloud, he spoke of the clouds—those who prophesy with him—saying as he prophesies: “I will command the clouds not to rain upon it.”
Greek
Καὶ ἀνάγαγεν νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. τοῦτο τὸ ῥητὸν πρώην καὶ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ ἐνέπεσεν, καὶ ἐλέγομεν, πῶς ὁ θεὸς «ἀνήγαγεν νεφέλας νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. ἅπερ χρεία ἐστὶν ἐπαναλαβεῖν, τοῖς μὲν εἰδόσιν εἰς ἐπιτράνωσιν καὶ ὑπόμνησιν τῶν εἰρημένων, τοῖς δὲ ἐπιλαθομένοις ἢ μὴ παρατετυχηκόσιν εἰς σαφήνειαν τούτου, εἴτε ἀποκαλυπτομένου καὶ φανεροῦ γενομένου εἴτε ὁπώσποτε νοουμένου.
ἐλέγομεν δὲ τοὺς ἀγίους εἶναι νεφέλας. τὸ γὰρ «ἡ ἀλήθειά σου τῶν νεφελῶν« οὐ δύναται ἀναφέρεσθαι ἐπὶ τὰς ἀψύχους νεφέλας· ἀλλὰ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν ἐστιν, αἵτινες ἀκούουσιν ἐντολῆς θεοῦ καὶ οἴδασιν, ποῦ ἐκπέμπωσιν ὑετὸν καὶ ἀπὸ τίνων κωλύσωσιν· ὡς οὐσῶν γὰρ νεφελῶν, αἶς ἐντέλλεται ὁ θεὸς μὴ βρέχειν ἢ βρέχειν, γέγραπται «ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι ἐπ αὐτὸν ὑετόν. ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τούτων τῶν νεφελῶν, ἐὰν μὴ ὑετὸς οὐκ ἐντέλλεται ὁ θεὸς ταῖς νεφέλαις τοῦ μὴ βρέχειν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα ἢ τὴν χώραν ὑετόν, ἀλλ' ὅλως οὐ φαίνεται νεφέλη, ὡς ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν γέγραπται.
ὅπου παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἀβροχίας νεφέλη οὐκ ἐφαίνετο, ἡνίκα δὲ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς προφητείας τοῦ Ἠλίου ἔμελλεν ὁ ὑετὸς γίνεσθαι, ἴχνος ἐφάνη νεφέλης «ὡς ἴχνος ἀνδρὸς« καὶ ἐγένετο νεφέλη ποιοῦσα τὸν ὑετόν. ὡς δὲ ὑπαρχουσῶν μὲν τῶν νεφελῶν, κελευομένων δὲ μὴ ὕειν ὅταν ἀναξία ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ ὑετοῦ τυγχάνῃ, λέγεται τὸ «ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὑετόν. οὐκοῦν ἕκαστος τῶν ἁγίων νεφέλη ἐστίν. Μωσῆς νεφέλη ἦν καὶ ὡς νεφέλη ἔλεγεν· «πρόσεχε, οὐρανέ, καὶ λαλήσω· καὶ ἀκουέτω γῆ ῥήματα στόματός μου. προσδοκάσθω ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου. εἰ μὴ ἡν νεφέλη, οὐδέποτ' ἂν εἶπε. ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου, καὶ καταβήτω ὡς δρόσος τὰ ῥήματά μου.
ὡς νεφέλη λέγει· «ὡσεὶ ὅμβρος ἐπ' ἄγρωστιν, καὶ ὡσεὶ νιφετὸς ἐπὶ χόρτον· ὅτι ὄνομα κυρίου έξλακεσα. οὕτως ὡς νεφέλη καὶ Ἡσαΐας λέγει· «ἄκουε, οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίξου, γῆ, ὅτι κύριος ἐλάλησεν. καὶ ἐπειδήπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡν νεφέλη, νεφέλη, ὄλεγεν νεφέλας τοὺς συμπροφητεύοντας αὐτῷ, φησὶν προφητεύων· «ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι εἰς αὐτὸν ὑετόν.