1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 They said, “Has Yahweh indeed spoken only with Moses? Hasn’t he spoken also with us?” And Yahweh heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men who were on the surface of the earth. 4 Yahweh spoke suddenly to Moses, to Aaron, and to Miriam, “You three come out to the Tent of Meeting!” The three of them came out. 5 Yahweh came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. 6 He said, “Now hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses is not so. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him, I will speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in riddles; and he shall see Yahweh’s form. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?” 9 Yahweh’s anger burned against them; and he departed. 10 The cloud departed from over the Tent; and behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, please don’t count this sin against us, in which we have done foolishly, and in which we have sinned. 12 Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” 13 Moses cried to Yahweh, saying, “Heal her, God, I beg you!” 14 Yahweh said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, shouldn’t she be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut up outside of the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.” 15 Miriam was shut up outside of the camp seven days, and the people didn’t travel until Miriam was brought in again. 16 Afterward the people traveled from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.
Numbers · World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
Numbers 12 World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org; the text is shown unaltered.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Miriam
The sister who watched over baby Moses and later led Israel in song.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2:1–8; 15:20–21; Numbers 12
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Cross references (16)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Exodus 2:21; Genesis 26:34–35; Genesis 27:46; Genesis 24:37; Galatians 4:16
- 2 Ezekiel 35:12–13; Numbers 16:3; Philippians 2:14; Isaiah 37:4; Micah 6:4
- 3 Matthew 11:29; James 3:13; Matthew 5:5; 2 Corinthians 12:11; 2 Corinthians 11:5
- 4 Psalm 76:9; Numbers 16:16–21
- 5 Numbers 11:25; Exodus 34:5; Psalm 99:7; Exodus 40:38
- 6 1 Kings 3:5; Genesis 31:10–11; Genesis 46:2; Acts 22:17–18; Luke 1:22
- 7 Hebrews 3:2–6; Joshua 1:1; Psalm 105:26; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Matthew 11:11
- 8 Deuteronomy 34:10; 1 Corinthians 13:12; Exodus 33:11; Luke 10:16; Exodus 24:10–11
- 9 Numbers 11:1; Hosea 5:15; Genesis 17:22
- 10 Deuteronomy 24:9; 2 Kings 5:27; 2 Chronicles 26:19–21; Exodus 4:6; 2 Kings 15:5
- 11 2 Samuel 24:10; 2 Samuel 19:19; Proverbs 30:32; 1 Samuel 12:19; 1 Kings 13:6
- 12 Psalm 88:4–5; 1 Corinthians 15:8; Ephesians 2:1–5; Job 3:16; Psalm 58:8
- 13 James 5:15; Romans 12:21; Luke 6:28; Luke 23:34; Matthew 5:44–45
- 14 Deuteronomy 25:9; Job 30:10; Numbers 5:2–3; Isaiah 50:6; Leviticus 13:45–46
- 15 Deuteronomy 24:8–9; Micah 6:4; Micah 7:8–9; Habakkuk 3:2; Lamentations 3:32
- 16 Numbers 11:35; Numbers 33:18; Numbers 10:12; Genesis 21:21; Habakkuk 3:3
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… righteous man, and blameless, truthful, God-fearing, and one that kept himself from all evil." But bringing an accusation against himself, he said, "No man is free from defilement, even if his life be but of one day." Moses was called faithful in all God's house; and through his instrumentality, God punished Egypt with plagues and tortures.
… Moses himself, being a man of God, was indeed given as a god before Pharaoh; but he is not properly termed Lord, nor is called God by the prophets, but is spoken of by the Spirit as "Moses, the faithful minister and servant of God," which also he was.
Then afterwards great men whom we know, whom Holy Scriptures commends, Moses faithful in all his house. And yet those three are named, just as if they alone deserved well of him: "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: this is my name for ever." Sublime mystery!
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
… who is doing this, He saith unto him, "Mourn not thou for Saul." Though for his own sister one entreat, when it is not fitting, he again shall have the same sort of answer as Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face." Let us not then be looking open-mouthed towards others.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
And what wonder is it if those in Christ who were entrusted with such a duty by God, appointed those [ministers] before mentioned, when the blessed Moses also, "a faithful servant in all his house," noted down in the sacred books all the injunctions which were given him, and when the other prophets also followed him, bearing witness with one …