The original beside the translation.

'Going out' is the counterpart of 'coming.' This noun is used for the going forth of a body from a place in which it had been settled to another place, whether that body be an animal or not: 'when they were gone out of the city' (Gen 44:4); 'if fire break out' (Exod 22:5).

And it was borrowed for the emergence of a matter that is no body at all: 'the word went forth out of the king's mouth' (Esth 7:8); 'for the deed of the queen shall go abroad' (Esth 1:17) — meaning the carrying-out of the command. 'For out of Zion shall go forth the law' (Isa 2:3). And likewise 'the sun was gone forth upon the earth' (Gen 19:23) — I mean the appearing of light.

And in accordance with this borrowing, every expression of 'going out' ascribed to Him, may He be exalted: 'behold, the Lord cometh forth out of His place' (Isa 26:21) — His command, now hidden from us, becomes manifest; I mean the coming-to-be of something that comes to be afterward and was not before, since everything that comes to be from Him, may He be exalted, is ascribed to His command.

'By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all their host by the breath of His mouth' (Ps 33:6) — a likening to the acts that issue from kings, whose instrument in executing their will is speech; yet He, may He be exalted, has no need of an instrument with which to act, but His act is by His will alone — and so no speech at all, in any respect, as will be explained.

And since 'going out' was borrowed for the appearing of one of His acts — as we explained, when He said 'behold, the Lord cometh forth out of His place' — likewise 'returning' was borrowed for the withdrawal of that act according to His will, when He said: 'I will go and return to My place' (Hos 5:15).

The meaning is the lifting of the Indwelling that had been among us, away from us, followed by the lapse of providence over us — as He said, by way of warning: 'and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured' (Deut 31:17).

For when providence is withdrawn, one is left untended, a target for whatever may chance to befall, so that his good and his ill come by happenstance. And how severe is this warning! It is this that is figured by His saying 'I will go and return to My place' (Hos 5:15).