Numbers 12:6

6 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.

Numbers 12:6 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 12:6

And he said, hear now my words
The Targum of Jonathan reads, "I beseech you"; and Jarchi says, this particle always so signifies; but it is not so agreeable to the language of the divine Being:

if there be a prophet among you;
not as making a doubt of it, but rather allowing that there was, and that there were others besides Moses, as even they themselves, Aaron and Miriam, and the seventy elders, and perhaps others; or at least there had been, and would be again, as there were in later times:

[I] the Lord will make myself known to him;
that is, declare my mind and will concerning things present, or things to come:

in a vision;
when awake, either by day or by night, representing objects to the bodily sight; as the almond tree rod, and the boiling pot, to Jeremiah, ( Jeremiah 1:11-13 ) ; the visions of the chariots, ( Ezekiel 23:24 ) ( Ezekiel 26:7 Ezekiel 26:10 ) , and dry bones, ( Ezekiel 37:1-14 ) , to Ezekiel, and such as were shown to Amos, ( Amos 7:1-9:15 ) : or to the mind by night, as if really discerned by the senses; as the visions of the man riding on a red horse, ( Zechariah 1:8 ) , and of the four horns, ( Zechariah 1:18 ) , and four carpenters, ( Zechariah 1:20 ) , with several others shown to Zechariah:

[and] will speak unto him in a dream;
as he had done to Jacob, ( Genesis 31:11 ) , and as he did afterwards to Daniel, ( Daniel 7:1 ) , and many others.

Numbers 12:6 In-Context

4 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,)

5 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,)

6 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.

7 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;)

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?)