The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus 13:21 watches a miracle change its posture. By day the "glory of the Shekinah of the Lord" went before Israel in a column of cloud to lead them. At night the same column slipped around to their back.
Why the move? The Targum gives a double purpose. Behind them, the cloud darkened on their pursuers, obscuring the camp of Israel from Egyptian eyes. In front of them, it became a column of fire to light the road forward. One cloud, two faces: darkness to the enemy, light to the wanderer.
The Aramaic word Shekinah—God's indwelling presence—is a favorite of the Targumist, used to protect divine transcendence. God Himself does not march at the head of a column; His Shekinah does. But the effect is the same. Israel can see fire, Egypt cannot see Israel, and the night desert becomes navigable.
"That they might go forward by day and by night." The cloud does not stop. It is not just illumination; it is permission. Freed slaves, unused to distance, need constant motion to feel that they are really leaving. The Shekinah walks ahead of them so they will keep walking too.
Takeaway: the Targum teaches that divine presence is not static. It takes different shapes depending on who is watching and what they need to see.