Now 1Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the 2Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a aCushite woman);Miriam is presumed to be the leader of the attack on Moses’ authority because she is mentioned before Aaron and because of the severity of her punishment.Because the ancient borders of Cush and Midian sometimes overlapped Miriam may have considered Moses’ wife, Zipporah, a Cushite instead of a Midianite (Ex 2:21); however, it is also possible that Zipporah had died and this refers to a second wife. Marriage with a Canaanite was forbidden (Ex 34:11, 16), but not marriage with an Egyptian or Cushite. Joseph’s wife was an Egyptian (Gen 41:45).Ex 2:21 2 aand they said, “Has the LORD really spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken also through us?” And the LORD heard it.Num 16:3 3 (1Now the man Moses was avery humble , more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)Some scholars believe this comment was added to the text after Moses’ death.Matt 11:29 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting .” And the three of them came out. 5 aThe LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tabernacle, and He called Aaron and Miriam, and they came forward.Ex 19:9; 34:5 6 And He said,“Hear now My words:If there is a prophet among you,I the LORD will make Myself known to him in a avisionAnd I will speak to him in a bdream.Gen 46:2; 1 Sam 3:15Gen 31:11; 1 Kin 3:5, 15
9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Miriam and Aaron, and aHe departed.Gen 17:22; 18:33 10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, aMiriam was leprous, bas white as snow. And Aaron turned and looked at Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.Deut 24:9Ex 4:6; 2 Kin 5:27 11 Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I plead with you, ado not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned.2 Sam 19:19; 24:10 12 Oh, do not let her be like one dead, already half decomposed when he comes from his mother’s womb.” 13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “aHeal her please, O God, I plead with You!”Ps 30:2; 41:4; Is 30:26; Jer 17:14 14 But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but 1aspit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up boutside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may return.”I.e. rebuked her publicly.Deut 25:9; Job 17:6; 30:10; Is 50:6Num 5:1-4 15 So aMiriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought in again and declared ceremonially clean from her leprosy.Deut 24:9
16 Afterward the people moved on from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.