Ruskin quotes from the Book of Proverbs, for him the most important of the Old Testament Wisdom Books: 'By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew' (Proverbs 3.20). The clouds are an important part of the creation, or God's architecture, for Ruskin, who regards the 'firmament' as a sign of mediation between God and man. (See Ruskin and religion and Shechinah and Wheeler, Ruskin's God, pp.33-37, 159-62.)