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12 While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron chastised Moses for marrying a foreign woman—a Cushite (and it was true that he did indeed marry such an African).

Miriam and Aaron: Has the Eternal One spoken only through Moses? No, the Eternal has also spoken through us.

Now, the Eternal One heard this. For his part, Moses was a uniquely humble fellow, more humble than anyone in the entire world. All of a sudden, the Eternal called the three siblings together.

Eternal One: Come here, you three—Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Join Me at the congregation tent.

They did. The Eternal One descended in a cloud-column, stood at the tent opening, and summoned just Aaron and Miriam. They came forward.

Eternal One: Listen to Me. When there are prophets in your midst, I, the Eternal One, will show Myself to them in visions, and will sound My voice in their dreams. It’s different with My servant, Moses. I have entrusted him above anyone else in My whole house, and with him I communicate face-to-face. We speak directly and without riddles. He can even see the very form of the Eternal. So why aren’t you nervous about criticizing My servant, Moses?

Moses is described as uniquely close to the Lord. He is singled out as God’s servant, a distinction reserved for a few in the Old Testament, with David being the most notable. His importance is underscored by God’s unique communication with Moses. It is direct, plain, and without trances, visions, or dreams. Literally, the communication is right in God’s face. The idea here is that it is not veiled but intimate; there is a closeness between God and Moses no other person shares. But in the same way that Jesus will be understood only by those who know Him and are known by Him, God’s communication to Moses is different. It is not a riddle that is hard to understand or easy to confuse. God is seen and heard clearly by His servant and friend, Moses.

The Eternal left, quite angry with Miriam and Aaron. 10 When the cloud lifted from the congregation tent, you could see that Miriam had been stricken with a disfiguring skin condition. Her skin looked white, like snow. Aaron looked at her, saw this, 11 and immediately turned to Moses.

Aaron: Please, Moses, my lord, don’t punish us for this offense that we so stupidly committed. 12 Don’t leave her in this partial death—like a stillborn baby whose flesh is already half-rotted away!

Moses (pleading to the Lord): 13 O, God, I ask You to please heal her!

Eternal One (to Moses): 14 If her father had been angry with her and made it obvious by, say, spitting in her face, wouldn’t she have to bear her shame for a week? Just so, you must ostracize her from the camp for seven days. After that, she can rejoin the community.

15 So Miriam was shut out of the community for seven days, which also meant that the whole group didn’t travel until Miriam was brought back in, 16 and they set out again. They journeyed from Hazeroth into the Paran Wilderness and set up camp there.

12 And Marie spake and Aaron against Moses, for his wife (was) a woman of Ethiopia, (And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, for his wife was an Ethiopian woman,)

and they said, Whether God spake his will only by Moses? whether he spake not also to us in like manner? And when the Lord had heard this, he was wroth greatly (he was greatly angered);

for Moses was the mildest man, over all men that dwelled in earth. (for Moses was the humblest man, more humble than any other man who lived upon the face of the earth.)

And suddenly the Lord spake to Moses and to Aaron and to Marie, (and said,) Go out ye three alone to the tabernacle of the bond of peace. And when they were gone in, (And suddenly the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, and said, Ye three go out alone to the Tabernacle of the Covenant. And when they had gone out to it,)

the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and he stood in the entering of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Marie. And when they had gone forth, (the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and he stood at the entrance to the Tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And when they had come forth,)

he said to them, Hear ye my words; if any among you is a prophet of the Lord, I shall appear to him in revelation, either I shall speak to him by a dream.

And he said, And my servant Moses is not such, the which is most faithful in all mine house; (Then he said, But my servant Moses is not such a prophet, for he alone is most faithful in all my household;)

for I speak to him mouth to mouth, and he seeth God openly, and not by dark speeches, either dark likenesses, and figures. Why therefore dreaded ye not to backbite my servant Moses? (and I speak with him face to face, and he seeth God openly, and not only through riddles. Yea, he hath even seen my form, or my figure! So why do ye not fear to backbite my servant Moses?)

And the Lord was wroth against them, and he went away.

10 And the cloud went away, that was on the tabernacle, and lo! Marie appeared shining with leprosy (and lo! Miriam had become leprous), white as snow. And when Aaron beheld her, and saw her besprinkled with leprosy,

11 he said to Moses, My lord, I beseech thee, put thou not this sin upon us, which we did follily (for we acted foolishly),

12 (and) that this woman be not made as dead, and as a dead born thing that is cast out of the mother’s womb; lo! now the half of her flesh is devoured, or over-covered, with leprosy (lo! now half of her flesh hath been devoured by the leprosy!).

13 And Moses cried to the Lord, and said, Lord, I beseech thee, heal thou her.

14 To whom the Lord answered, If her father had spit into her face, whether she ought not to be full-filled with shame, namely seven days? Therefore be she separated out of the tents by seven days, and afterward she shall be called again (And so let her be set apart from the tents for seven days, and then she shall be called back again).

15 And so Marie was excluded, or put, out of the tents by seven days; and the people was not moved from that place, till Marie was called again. (And so Miriam was sent away from the tents for seven days; and the people did not move from that place, until Miriam was called back again.)

16 And the people went forth from Hazeroth, when the tents were set in the desert of Paran. (And then the people went forth from Hazeroth, and pitched their tents in the wilderness of Paran.)

Dissension of Aaron and Miriam

12 Then (A)Miriam and Aaron [a]spoke (B)against Moses because of the [b]Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for (C)he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through (D)Moses? (E)Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord (F)heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)

(G)Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. (H)Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. Then He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him (I)in a vision;
I speak to him (J)in a dream.
Not so with (K)My servant Moses;
(L)He is faithful in all (M)My house.
I speak with him (N)face to face,
Even (O)plainly,[c] and not in [d]dark sayings;
And he sees (P)the form of the Lord.
Why then (Q)were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”

So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, (R)suddenly Miriam became (S)leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please (T)do not lay [e]this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please (U)do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!”

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please (V)heal her, O God, I pray!”

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but (W)spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be (X)shut[f] out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again. 15 (Y)So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. 16 And afterward the people moved from (Z)Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 12:1 criticized
  2. Numbers 12:1 Cushite
  3. Numbers 12:8 appearing
  4. Numbers 12:8 riddles
  5. Numbers 12:11 the penalty for this
  6. Numbers 12:14 exiled