1God rebuketh the sedition of Miriam and Aaron. 10Miriam's leprosy; Moses prayeth for her. 14God commandeth her to be shut out of the camp seven days. 16The people encamp in the wilderness of Paran.
1AND 1Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because 2of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
1 Miriam is placed before Aaron here, because it appears that she has been the first source of this murmuring; wherefore she was also especially punished, verse 10.
2 Her proper name, as many perceive, was Zipporah, Exod. 2:21. But she was called a Cushite from the people of whom she descended; understand not the Cushites issued from Ham, Gen. 10:6, but of the Midianites; it seems the Holy Scripture comprehends under the name of Cushites not only the Moors, or Ethiopians, but also the Egyptians, the Arabians, the Midianites and the people inhabiting southward. See Gen. 2 on verse 13 and Gen. 10 on verse 6. Other, Moorish woman.
2And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also 3by us? And the LORD heard it.
3 Miriam is called a prophetess, Exod. 15:20, and God has promised to be with Aaron’s mouth, that he would be a mouth to his brother Moses, Exod. 4:15, 16.
3(Now the man Moses was 4very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
4 Or, patient, slow to anger, tenderly affected, that is, he bore this injustice patiently, wherewith his sister and brother had provoked him; as also otherwise he was of a very mild and patient disposition to bear with all men, for the injuries done to his person.
4And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, 5Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.
5 Namely, out of your own tents.
5And the LORD 6came down in the 7pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
6 See Num. 11 on verse 17.
7 See Num. 11 on verse 25.
6And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a 8vision, and will speak unto him in a 9dream.
8 See of the prophetical vision, Gen. 15 on verse 1 and Gen. 46 on verse 2.
9 See of God’s appearance in a dream Gen. 20 on verse 3 and Gen. 28 on verse 12.
7My servant Moses is not so, whoais faithful in all mine house.
a Heb. 3:2.
8With him will I speak 10mouth tob mouth, even 11apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
10 That is, in presence, familiarly, without mediation, very clearly, and by an articulate voice. Compare Jer. 32:4; 2 John verse 12. In similar sense it is said: to speak with one face to face. See Exod. 33:11 and Deut. 5:4 with the annotations.
b Exod. 33:11; Deut. 34:10.
11 Namely, not in view of the Divine Essence (Which is invisible, Exod. 33:20, 23; John 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:16), but by some extraordinary token of His glory. And although He likewise appeared to the other prophets in various ways, nevertheless those, wherein He appeared to Moses, were clearer than any other, in which regard Moses is here preferred before all other prophets. Compare Exod. 33:11, 20, 22, 23; Deut. 34:10. By others thus: and by face, and not by dark words, or likeness of the LORD doth he see.
9And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.
10And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became 12leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
12 This was not a common and everywhere known leprosy, but a special malignant kind thereof, which reigned much in Egypt, and clave to the Israelites for their sins, of which you may read at large, Leviticus 13, and those who were smitten with it became, as it were, altogether bloodless and pale as a dead body, all the blood being corrupted and tainted, see likewise of the phrase here used, Exod. 4:6 and 2 Kings 5:27.
11And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.
12Let her not be as one 13dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.
13 Understand this of an untimely fruit of the womb, whose flesh comes forth half consumed. Hebr. of whom, in the coming forth out of his mother’s body, the half of his flesh is nigh consumed.
13And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
14¶And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but 14spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that letc her be 15received in again.
14 Hebr. spitting had spat. The meaning is: Like a daughter, whose father on account of some extraordinary miscarriage of hers had spat in her face, deserved to be debarred from his presence for seven days at least; likewise much more about a daughter, whose face is soiled by Me as her heavenly Father with leprosy by reason of a great sin, is worthy to be separated by Me for seven days out of the camp in which I dwell, as an example unto others.
c Lev. 13:46.
15 Hebr. gathered together again, namely, into the camp, from which she was to be separated by reason of her leprosy, Lev. 13:46 and Num. 5:2, and afterwards received again, being made whole, Lev. 14:8, and so in the next verse. Compare the annotation at 2 Kings 5 on verse 3.
15And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people 16journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.
16 Hereby may be gathered the reason why the Israelites stayed at Hazeroth, as is mentioned in Num. 11:35.
16And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of 17Paran.
17 Namely, in Rithmah, which was in the wilderness of Paran. See Num. 33:18 and of Paran, see Gen. 14 on verse 6.