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Summarized Bible Commentary

Numbers 12:1-16

Contents: Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron and the consequences.

Characters: God, Moses, Aaron, Miriam.

Conclusion: We have reason to be exceedingly cautious of saying or doing anything against the servants of God, for God will plead their cause if they are true servants and will reckon with the critic.

Key Word: Criticism, (speaking against), Numbers 12:1.

Strong Verses: Numbers 12:3; Numbers 12:8.

Striking Facts: There are seasons when it is decidedly out of place to criticize the leaders of the people. This affront was ill-natured and ill-timed, when the people were disposed to mutiny and had given Moses much vexation with their murmurings.

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See also Numbers 12:1-16 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    CHAPTER XII _Miriam and Aaron raise a sedition against Moses, because of the_ _Ethiopian woman he had married_, 1, _and through jealousy of his increasing power and authority_, 2. _The character o...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    Miriam, as a prophetess (compare Exodus 15:20) no less than as the sister of Moses and Aaron, took the first rank among the women of Israel; and Aaron may be regarded as the ecclesiastical head of the...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    3. THE REBELLION OF MIRIAM AND AARON CHAPTER 12 _ 1. Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses (Numbers 12:1)_ 2. The interference of the Lord (Numbers 12:4) 3. Miriam leprous (Numbers 12:10) 4. Aar

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    NUMBERS 12:1 (JE). MIRIAM'S AND AARON'S JEALOUSY OF MOSES, AND YAHWEH'S VINDICATION OF HIM. The challenge of Moses-' prerogative to be Yahweh's sole spokesman is strangely combined with a complaint re...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    MIRIAM. Named first to show she was first in the rebellion. See Numbers 12:10. Compare Genesis 3:3. ETHIOPIAN. Zipporah. Hebrew. _Cushite._ Arabia was in the land of Cush: or Zipporah (Exodus 2:21) ma...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    AND MIRIAM AND AARON SPAKE AGAINST MOSES— Miriam is mentioned before Aaron, probably because she was the beginner of this sedition, and drew Aaron into it. It is uncertain what occasioned them to quar...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    F. FOOLISH CONDUCT OF MIRIAM AND AARON AND RESOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM (NUMBERS 12) TEXT Numbers 12:1. And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for h...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND MIRIAM AND AARON SPAKE AGAINST MOSES BECAUSE OF THE ETHIOPIAN WOMAN WHOM HE HAD MARRIED: FOR HE HAD MARRIED AN ETHIOPIAN WOMAN._ An Ethiopian woman, х_ HAA'ISHAAH_ (H802) _ HA-KUSHIYT_ (H3569)]...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    12:1 Ethiopian (d-11) Or 'Cushite.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE ETHIOPIAN WOMAN] Heb. 'the Cushite woman.' This can hardly be Zipporah, who was a Midianite (Exodus 2:16; Exodus 2:21). Moses, it appears, had married again. Marriage with the Canaanites was forbi...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE JEALOUSY OF MIRIAM AND AARON In this scene Miriam is the chief actor: the punishment falls on her alone. Aaron seems to have been led away by her (cp. Exodus 32:22). The controversy arose in conne...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOK OF NUMBERS IN THE DESERT NUMBERS _MARION ADAMS_ CHAPTER 12 MIRIAM AND AARON ARE JEALOUS OF MOSES – NUMBERS 12:1-16 V1 Moses’ wife was a woman from Cush (a place in

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    XII. (1) AND MIRIAM AND AARON SPAKE AGAINST MOSES. — Miriam appears to have been the leader in this insurrection against the authority of Moses. Her name occurs before that of Aaron, either as the nea...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ תְּדַבֵּ֨ר מִרְיָ֤ם וְ אַהֲרֹן֙ בְּ מֹשֶׁ֔

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE JEALOUSY OF MIRIAM AND AARON Numbers 12:1 IT may be confidently said that no representative writer of the post-exilic age would have invented or even cared to revive the episode of this chapter....

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    GOD PROTECTS MOSES AGAINST CRITICISM Numbers 12:1 This Ethiopian wife may have been Zipporah, or some other woman whom Moses married after his first wife's death. That Moses, the great lawgiver and l...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    A third manifestation of discontent and rebellion arose among individuals and leaders. The marriage of Moses to a Cushite woman was the occasion of the revelation of an element of jealousy in the hear...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married (a) an Ethiopian woman. (a) Zipporah, Moses' wife, was a Midianite, and because Midian...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Ethiopian. Sephora, the wife of Moses, was of Madian, which bordered upon the land of Chus, or Ethiopia; and therefore she is called an Ethiopian: where note, that the Ethiopia here spoken of, is not...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    CONTENTS This Chapter contains the relation of the further exercises of Moses. Miriam and Aaron join in speaking against Moses. GOD himself takes up the business, and Miriam is smitten with a leprosy...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    The previous portion of the Book of Numbers, viewed as a history, has evidently a prefatory character, however important and divinely wise. It is in a great measure preparatory for that which we have...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _THE LISTENING GOD_ ‘And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses … And the Lord heard it.’ Numbers 12:1 We have the _ ostensible_ cause of this ‘speaking against Moses’ in the first verse, the _ real_...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    1._And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses. _This relation is especially worthy of observation for many reasons. If Aaron and Miriam had always quietly and cordially supported the honor of their brot...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    After that (for what form will not rebellion assume?) Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses. It is the prophetess and the priest (one who has the word from God and access to God, the twofold character...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND MIRIAM AND AARON SPOKE AGAINST MOSES,.... Miriam is first mentioned, because she was first in the transgression, and so was only punished; Aaron was drawn into the sin by her, and he acknowledged...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. Ver. 1. _And Miriam and Aaron spake._] She is set first, because ch...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _And Miriam_ Miriam seems to be first named, because she was the first mover of the sedition; wherefore she is more eminently punished. _The Ethiopian_ Either, 1st, Zipporah, who is here called an Eth...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 God rebuketh the sedition of Miriam and Aaron. 10 Miriams leprosie is healed at the prayer of Moses. 14 God commandeth her to be shut out of the hoste. [MIRIAM LEPROUS.] 1 AND Miriam and Aaron s...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE SIN OF MIRIAM AND AARON...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses, they also became infected with the virus of discontent, BECAUSE OF THE ETHIOPIAN WOMAN WHOM HE HAD MARRIED; FOR HE HAD MARRIED AN ETHIOPIAN WOMAN, a Cushite,...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    MIRIAM AND AARON BECOME CRITICS (vs.1-16) Soon after God's dealing so seriously with Israel's complaints, both Miriam and Aaron are infected with a similar spirit of murmuring. It was plainly Miriam...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    ETHIOPIAN: Or, Cushite MARRIED: _ Heb._ taken...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-9 The patience of Moses was tried in his own family, as well as by the people. The pretence was, that he had married a foreign wife; but probably their pride was hurt, and their envy stirred up, by...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    NUMBERS CHAPTER 12 Miriam and Aaron murmur against Moses, NUMBERS 12:1. God commandeth him, Aaron, and Miriam to come to the tabernacle, which they did, NUMBERS 12:4,5. God rebuketh Aaron and Miriam,...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    The brief section of our book to which we now approach may be viewed in two distinct aspects; in the first place, it is typical or dispensational; and, in the second, moral or practical. In the union...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Numbers 12:1 Miriam H4813 Aaron H175 spoke H1696 (H8762) Moses H4872 because H182 Ethiopian H3571 woman...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Numbers 12:1. _The Ethiopian woman;_ that is, the Cushite, the daughter of Jethro. Miriam and Aaron seem to have been offended because Moses had honourably received her as his wife. But Josephus affir...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses._ MIRIAM AND AARON’S SEDITION 1. The noblest disinterestedness will not preserve us from the shafts of envy. The poet has said, in regard to another virtue, “Be...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    NUMBERS—NOTE ON NUMBERS 12:1 Moses’ brother Aaron, the high priest, and his sister Miriam, a prophetess (Exodus 15:20), challenge his unique position. Their initial remarks, concerning Moses’ Cushite...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES Numbers 12:1. _The Ethiopian woman_, &c. Heb.: “The woman, the Cushite.” This could not have been Zipporah, who was a Midianite, not a Cushite. And even if it be suppose...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION THE SEDITION AND PUNISHMENT OF MIRIAM (Numbers 12:1.). NUMBERS 12:1 AND MIRIAM AND AARON SPAKE AGAINST MOSES. While the people w

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now in chapter twelve, Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron began to murmur against Moses. He had taken an Ethiopian wife, which means that she was probably black-skinned. And they began to find faul...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Exodus 2:16; Exodus 2:21; Exodus 34:16; Galatians 4:16; Genesis 24:3;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Miriam — Miriam seems to be first named, because she was the first mover of the sedition; wherefore she is more eminently punished. The Ethiopian — Either, Zipporah, who is here called an Ethiopian, i...

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