Numbers 12

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 And they said, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? *Mic. 6:4Has he not spoken through us also?" And *ch. 11:1;2 Kgs. 19:4;Isa. 37:4;Ezek. 35:12,13;[Mal. 3:16]the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." And the three of them came out. 5 And *ch. 11:25;16:19the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him *Gen. 46:2;Ezek. 1:1;Dan. 8:2;10:8,16;Luke 1:11,22;Acts 10:11;22:17,18in a vision; I speak with him *Gen. 20:6;31:10,11;1 Kgs. 3:5;Job 33:15;Matt. 1:20;27:19in a dream. 7 Not so with *Ps. 105:26my servant Moses. *Heb. 3:2,5He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak *ch. 7:89;[Ex. 33:11;Deut. 34:10;1 Cor. 13:12] mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in *Ps. 49:4;78:2;Prov. 1:6riddles, and he beholds *[Ex. 33:20,23]the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.

10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, *Deut. 24:9Miriam was *See Lev. 13:10leprous,*12:10 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, *[2 Sam. 19:19;24:10;Prov. 30:32]do not punish us*12:11 Hebrew do not lay sin upon us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb." 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, "O God, please heal her—please." 14 But the Lord said to Moses, "If her father had but *Deut. 25:9;Job 30:10spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be *See Lev. 13:46shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again." 15 So Miriam *[2 Kgs. 15:5;2 Chr. 26:20,21;Luke 17:12]was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 After that the people set out from *ch. 11:35;[ch. 33:18] Hazeroth, and camped in *See ch. 10:12the wilderness of Paran.