Numbers 12:8-16

8 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?)
9 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.)

Numbers 12:8-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBER 12

In this chapter we have an account of Aaron and Miriam speaking against Moses, and for what reason, whose amiable character is given, Nu 12:1-3; and of the Lord's calling them to him, and rebuking them for it, giving an excellent testimony to Moses, and then departing in anger, Nu 12:4-9; and of Miriam's being smitten with leprosy, and Aaron's entreating Moses on his and her account, who prayed to the Lord to heal her, Nu 12:10-13; and of her being ordered to be shut out of the camp seven days, during which time the Israelites stayed at Hazeroth, and then removed to the wilderness of Paran, Nu 12:14-16.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.