Numbers 12:9-15 meaning

When the cloud of the LORD departed from His meeting with Moses, Miriam, and Aaron, it became obvious that Miriam had a skin disease, probably leprosy. Aaron asked Moses to intercede and petition the LORD to heal her. Instead of healing here immediately, the LORD told Moses that she had to go through the process specified in the Law. She was to be placed outside the camp for seven days and then be allowed to enter the camp. The people stayed where they were until the seven days were completed.

The LORD’s wording in verses 6–8 made it obvious that the anger of the Lord burned against them (v. 9). And then suddenly He departed. The LORD’s departure meant that the cloud that represented the LORD’s presence left them.

It happened that when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow (v. 10). Lifting the cloud revealed a shocking sight—Miriam, Moses’s sister, was covered with a skin disease that looked like leprosy. The word for leprous (Hebrew “tsara’at”) can refer to various kinds of skin disease in general and leprosy in particular.

Leprosy was used by the LORD to punish sin (for example, Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26;21). According to the Law, those having such a skin disease (including leprosy) were to be separated from the Israelite camp (Leviticus 13:2ff, 14:3–7). The LORD demonstrated His divine sovereignty when He healed Moses of leprosy (Exodus 4:6), and Jesus healed a leper (Matthew 8:3), showing His divine sovereignty as well.

After the cloud of the LORD’s presence lifted, Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. Obviously shocked at what he saw, Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned (v. 11). Aaron admitted his wrongdoing and asked for mercy. This shows his connection with Miriam in the plot. Though not afflicted with leprosy, he confessed that both he and his sister had sinned against the LORD and thus petitioned Moses to intercede for them.

Aaron used graphic imagery to persuade Moses to intercede for him and Miriam. He asked his brother to not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb! (v. 12). This disturbing image resembled the appearance of a stillborn baby. It must have been horrific for Aaron to see his sister looking like this.

Responding to Aaron’s impassioned plea, Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray! (v. 13). He addressed God as God (Heb. “El”) the Creator, not the LORD (Heb. “Yahweh”) the Covenant-Maker. Moses was appealing to the God Who created the earth and everything in it, and it was He Who could restore Miriam’s physical condition.

Moses asked for the immediate healing of his sister, but the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days?” (v. 14). Spitting in one’s face was a sign of contempt (Deuteronomy 25:9), and being spat upon by her father would have been a disgrace. She would have had to be out of the camp for seven days for this.

Miriam’s offense was much worse than this. Nevertheless, the punishment was the same—Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again. This is in agreement with the law specified in Leviticus 13–14. In spite of the seriousness of her offense, the LORD showed grace to her by imposing a punishment designed for a lesser offense.

The sentence was carried out when Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days (v. 15). As a result, the people did not move on until Miriam was received again, meaning they stayed at Hazeroth an extra seven days.

It is interesting that Aaron was not judged but Miriam was. Perhaps Aaron’s sin was in failing to intervene or oppose the claim of his sister.

Moses was hesitant to lead Israel, apparently at least in part because he took the responsibility so seriously (Numbers 11:11-12). But when his authority was challenged, he took no exception (Numbers 11:28). And now when he is personally affronted, he refuses to take it personally. He does the same for his sister as he did for Israel when God told Moses He intended to eliminate the people and start a new nation with him as the patriarch—Moses interceded in prayer (Exodus 32:10-14). In each case, God answered Moses’s prayer, and restored the offending party, Miriam in this section, and the entire Nation in Exodus 32.

All this supports the assertion that Moses was the most humble man in all the earth (Numbers 12:3).

Biblical Text

⁹So the anger of the Lord burned against them and He departed. ¹⁰But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. ¹¹Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. ¹²Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!” ¹³Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!” ¹⁴But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.” ¹⁵So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

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Additional Resources

Book Theme

The book of Numbers is the fourth of the five books of Moses that comprise the Torah, which means “Law.” It gets its English name from the Greek Old Testament called the Septuagint (or LXX). The LXX named this book, “Arithmoi,” meaning “Numbers.” Its Hebrew name means “in the desert” or “in the wilderness.” Both names are appropriate. The Hebrew name is appropriate because Numbers covers the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness (or “desert”) from Sinai to the plains of Moab. The Greek name is also appropriate because of the many lists, and the numbers within those lists.

At the beginning of the book, the Israelites had been camped at Mount Sinai for about a year. The book of Exodus covered their escape from Egypt and their journey to Sinai. The LORD commanded Moses to organize the people in preparation to leave Sinai and go to the Promised Land. The book covers around 38 years of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, and describes many of Israel’s failures, including mutinies against Moses and outright disobedience to the word of the LORD. In Numbers, the LORD declares that the generation that left Egypt would die in the wilderness due to their disobedience. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, were allowed to enter the Promised Land, due to their faithfulness. Even Moses died without entering the Land due to disobedience.

The book of Numbers can be outlined in many ways. The most general outline involves the generation that leaves Egypt and the one after it, as seen below:
• Events Involving the Exodus Generation (Num. 1 – 25)
• Events Involving the Second Generation (Num. 26 – 36)

Another outline sees the book having three major divisions based on the major encampments of the Israelites:
• Israel at Sinai (Num. 1:1 – 10:10)
• Israel at Kadesh Barnea (Num. 10:11 – 19:22)
• Israel on the Plains of Moab (Num. 20:1 – 36:13)

Still another outline (the one followed here) is as follows:
• The Exodus Generation in the Wilderness (chaps. 1 – 25)
◦ The Israelites Prepare to Leave Mount Sinai (1:1 – 10:10)
◦ The Israelites Depart to Kadesh Barnea (10:11 – 14:45)
◦ The Israelites Journey to the Plains of Moab (15:1 – 22:1)
◦ The Israelites Are Confronted by Balaam the Prophet (22:2 – 25:18)
• The Second Generation Prepares to Enter the Promised Land (26:1 – 36:13)
◦ The Rules Concerning Inheritance (Num. 26:1 – 27:11)
◦ The Provision for Moses’ Successor (Num. 27:12 – 23)
◦ The Laws Concerning Offerings (Num. 28:1 – 29:40)
◦ The Laws Concerning Vows (Num. 30:1 –16)
◦ The LORD’s Judgment Against the Midianites (Num. 31:1 – 54)
◦ The Inheritance of the Eastern Tribes (Num. 32:1 – 42)
◦ The Review of the Journey to Canaan (Num. 33:1 – 56)
◦ The LORD’s Instructions Before Conquering Canaan (Num. 33:50 – 36:13)

There are two themes that flow from the book of Numbers. The first concerns the LORD’s infinite grace in light of the people’s many failures and transgressions. There is hardly a book in the Bible where the LORD had to exercise His grace to His people more often than this one. The book of Numbers contains a record of Israel’s failure after failure and the LORD’s gracious forgiveness after forgiveness. Even when He judged them, there was grace.

Second, and related to the first, the book stresses the importance of obedience. God chose the Israelites unconditionally; they were the LORD’s chosen people regardless of their behavior. However, He demanded obedience to show His people that their obedience results in blessing. God set forth a way of life for His people in the covenant He and the people entered into at Sinai (Exodus 19:5-8). The Ten Commandments made it clear that God would make the law, and that the pinnacle requirement of His law was for the people to respect and serve one another. The strong were to serve the weak. This was in stark contrast to the surrounding cultures, which centered around the strong exploiting the weak (Leviticus 18). God’s judgment brought discipline upon Israel in order to shepherd them toward living in harmony and service to one another.

Chapter Context

Following the complaint of the people about not having meat to eat in chapter 11, Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses marrying a Cushite woman. They also challenged Moses’s authority over the Israelites.

The LORD became angry at Miriam and Aaron for this and struck Miriam with a horrible skin disease, possibly leprosy. Because of this, she had to be outside the camp for seven days. At the urging of Aaron, Moses interceded for his sister Miriam, and the LORD, being gracious, punished her, but not as severely as she deserved.

Numbers 12 can be outlined as follows:

Miriam’s and Aaron’s Complaint Against Moses (Numbers 12:1 – 3)
The LORD’s Response (Numbers 12:4 – 15)
- The LORD Defended Moses (Numbers 12:4 – 8)
- The LORD Judged Miriam (Numbers 12:9 – 15)
The People Moved From Hazeroth to Paran (Numbers 12:16)

Numbers 12:9-15 meaning

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Additional Resources

Book Theme

Chapter Context

Maps and Charts

Videos

The Bible Project - Numbers Summary

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