Miriam in the Bible

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Compiled by The BibleStudyTools Staff on 02/04/2019
Miriam in the Bible

Who was Miriam in the Bible?

Miriam is referenced in the Old Testament of the Bible as a prophetess and originally emerges in the Book of Exodus. Miriam was the daughter of Amram, the leader of the Israelites in ancient Egypt, and of Jochebed and the sister of Aaron and Moses. The narrative of Moses' infancy in Exodus depicts an unnamed sister of Moses observing him being placed in the Nile (Ex 2:4); she is frequently portrayed as being Miriam.

In the biblical narrative of the exodus, Miriam is characterized as a "prophetess" when she leads the Israelites in the Song of the Sea after Pharoah's army is destroyed at the Sea of Reeds. The Old Testament also describes Miriam and Aaron as criticizing of Moses’ "Cushite" wife in Numbers 12.

Concerning the death of Miriam, the Bible declares, "The entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Tzin in the first month, and the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there".

Discover the many Bible verses about Miriam in this collection of scripture quotes!

1 Chronicles 4:17

17 The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. One of Mered’s wives gave birth to Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
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1 Chronicles 6:3

3 The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
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Deuteronomy 24:9

9 Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt.
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Exodus 2:4

4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
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Micah 6:4

4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.
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Numbers 20:1

1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
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Numbers 26:59

59 the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam.
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Exodus 15:20-21

20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing.
21 Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”
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Numbers 12

1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.
2 “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the LORD heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out.
5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward,
6 he said, “Listen to my words: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous —it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,
11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.
12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “Please, God, heal her!”
14 The LORD replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.”
15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.
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