This part of Miriam’s story described an incident at Hazeroth, as the Hebrew people wandered in search of their promised land. I say to all who share the name we should be sure we are living up to the great woman of our people! Miriam is one of the women in the Bible who has sadly become nothing but a mere footnote in history. Women sang particularly at victory celebrations, going out to meet returning warriors and greeting them with songs which expressed their relief, joy, and jubilation at the defeat of enemies. According to the Hebrew Bible, Miriam was the older sister of Moses and Aaron. Numbers 12:1 | View whole chapter | See verse in context And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. We are studying great women of the Bible including Leah and Mary Magdalene, so you’ll definitely want to check them out!. She, too, was prevented from entering the Promised Land. Rarely in the Word of God do we get so many varied glimpses of the personality of a Bible woman as we do in the case of Miriam. Pharaoh’s daughter commands Moses’ biological mother to nurse him and bring him back to her when he is older. Heroic Women Of The Bible: Miriam – The Original Big Sister. Who was Miriam? Noté /5. Miriam doesn't need to give orders or instructions, she simply took a drum in her hand, brandishing the symbol of freedom and tens of thousands of women followed her, without exception. Miriam in the Bible. What are the benefits of creating an account? Ritual singing by women was common in ancient Israel. She recognizes him as one of the Hebrew babies and feels sympathy for the child. Scripture References— Exodus 15:20, 21; Numbers 12:1-15; 20:1; 26:59; Deuteronomy 24:9; Micah 6:4. Miriam shows that God uses women to teach His people. Isn’t that interesting? When she returns, Miriam has been healed and the Israelites move on to the Desert of Paran. We first meet Miriam, although she is not named, as she is keeping a protective watch over her baby brother Moses as he floats in a waterproof papyrus basket. In any case, this became a platform that Miriam and Aaron used to advance their own authority to equality with Moses. Cleverly, Miriam arranged that the real mother of the baby should be a wet-nurse for the baby. Miriam No. The life they led was hard, and they must often have yearned for the stability and settled life they had left back in Egypt. She saw as Pharaoh's daughter's took pity on him. 3 Miriam’s ordeal, Numbers 12. Miriam first appears in Exod 2 as the unnamed older sister of Moses who watches over his basket in the Nile, and arranges the services of their own mother as Moses’ wet-nurse. The princess agrees, and Miriam quickly gets their mother. Who were Miriam's two brothers? Women with Hand-Drums, Dancing: Bible by Carol Meyers After the Israelites escape from Egypt and from the Pharaoh’s army at the Sea of Reeds (NRSV, “Red Sea”), the prophet Miriam leads a celebration. “Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing. 2. There are several theories, but in the end it does not matter. She may have taught and reproved the people to walk in God’s path. ‘The Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Aaron means ‘honored or exalted one’ – Aaron was the older brother of Moses, and a revered leader of the wandering tribes. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin suggests this difference stems from the Hebrew verb used to describe their comments about Moses' wife. In this way the Hebrew midwives ignored the Pharaoh’s command. The baby was Moses, and the Hebrew woman, Jochebed, and her daughter Miriam saved him by hiding him among the reeds at the edge of the river. She has neither husband nor children. Scripture references: Exodus 2:1 – 10; 15:20, 21; Numbers 12:1 – 15; 20:1; Deuteronomy 24:9. Despite her personal charisma and power, her story has to a large extent been subsumed into the story of her brother Moses. The men sang with their voices. In other words, Moses has a closer relationship with God than other prophets. by Dina Coopersmith. The Bible does not make it clear as to who this Ethiopian woman is and why they have a problem with her. It is feminine -- ve'teddaber ("and she spoke") -- indicating that Miriam was the one who initiated the conversation against Moses (Telushkin, 130). Numbers 12:4 | View whole chapter | See verse in context And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. 3.) Miriam became the leader of the Hebrew women when they and their families escaped from Egypt. In this new series, we will explore a story of a faithful biblical woman each month. What does matter is what was said next. Log In Don't have an account? Question: "Who was Miriam in the Bible?" Other musical instruments used at the time were gongs, harps, pipes and flutes, shofars (made from a ram’s horn), trumpets, lutes and lyres. Miriam is the first woman so designated. She is more than a decade older than Moses, and is referred to in Exod 2:8 as עַלְמָה (almah), the term for a young woman … Moses leads the Israelite people in a song of praise to God, after which Miriam appears again. Eventually these conditions took their toll on Miriam, and she died. At this point in her life, she appears to be content with the direction that the Lord was providing through Moses, her younger brother (although she was a "prophetess" herself). 4 Miriam’s death, Numbers 20:1-2. Personalization. Which of these describes Miriam? Date: About 1520 – 1420 b.c. As Miriam watches, Pharaoh’s daughter discovers and pities Moses, and Miriam quickly intervenes to ask if the Egyptian princess would like a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for her. She was the sister of Moses and Aaron. Miriam’s role as a leader of the Hebrew women was obviously more extensive than is shown in the biblical text. Create Account Log In. So, Miriam brought her mother. They accompanied their swaying movements with the metallic jingle of tambourines. 2 The song of Miriam, Exodus 15:20-21. When the Hebrews were escaping from Egypt, they crossed what was probably a large papyrus marsh, called the Red Sea in the biblical text. Miriam Facts for 9-13 Year Olds. In Exodus 14:20-21, it is again confirmed that Miriam is a woman of God as she joins her brother in praising Him, by leading the women in a song and dance for the Lord. he has hurled into the sea.” Miriam is giving thanks for … Throughout this essay we will gain a recognition of Miriam's qualities and the effect she had on the destiny of the Jewish nation. Miriam means ‘prophetess’ or ‘lady’; Miriam was the revered sister of the tribal leader Moses, but she was also the acknowledged leader of all the women who fled from Egypt with their families. The Hebrew word mosheh also means ‘pulled out of’, as in pulled out of the water. Since Miriam’s name precedes that of Aaron’s, it leads me to believe that she is the initiator in this criticism of Moses’ wife. SuperStock / Getty Images. And Why? Miriam and Aaron were both popular leaders, but they were bound by the Law, represented by Moses. The little basket floated for a while then lodged in the shallows of the river. Each woman brought her unique character to bear on her situation, and for this, we still remember her centuries later. Unlike most women in the Bible, Miriam is never called wife or mother. MIRIAM. Eve was the first woman, created by God to be a companion and helper for Adam, the first man. Everybody knew that! Miriam was not mentioned again until after the Hebrews had crossed the Red Sea. She is mentioned four times in the Bible. Fragment of ancient Egyptian pottery showing bulrushes. The particular song that Miriam and the women sang may well have been a back-and-forth chant between the men and the women. Miriam takes the baby back to her mother. The survival of the leader of the Exodus, Moses, depended on the courage and ingenuity of his sister Miriam. They also added dances to the drums, augmenting Miriam's example. She passed into eternity in Sept 2015 and is with our dear Jesus. What translation of the Bible are you reading? If the Bible was a Eurocentric book, I highly doubt that the story of Moses would include him having a black wife. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Pray and ask God to bless your reading and time of study. Miriam was anywhere from seven to twelve years old when she approached Pharaoh’s daughter and suggested she could find a woman to nurse the baby. Miriam Women’s Study Hall: Miriam Exodus 2: 4-9; Exodus 15:20-21; Numbers 12:1-16, Numbers 20:1; Micah 6:4 DAY 1 – General Overview STOP! 1 Miriam saved her brother Moses, Exodus 2:1-10. Water, the symbol of life, had played quite a large part in Miriam’s life: Immediately after her death, God gave abundant water to the people, in the form of a spring. One way or another, the women in this story were all life-givers. Yet, Miriam and her family chose to trust Him rather than submit to fear. The princess agrees and Miriam brings none other than her own mother to care for Moses. Miriam, Moses, and Aaron were all born to Jochebed while living in Egypt, Africa. Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. Miriam… "Biblical Literacy: The Most Important People, Events, and Ideas of the Hebrew Bible." Read about more fascinating women of the Old and New Testaments, Miriam – Bible Woman – Women of the Old Testament; Bible Study Resource Miriam was a woman of influence, ... Mrs. Vickie Kraft, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, served as Minister to Women at Northwest Bible Church in Dallas for over 13 years. Miriam first appears in the biblical book of Exodus not long after Pharaoh decrees that all newborn Hebrew boys will be drowned in the Nile river. On one occasion she and the women sang the Song of Miriam; it is one of the few poems that survive from the ancient world. Following this encounter, Miriam discovers that her skin is white and that she is afflicted with leprosy. 2. Both horse and driver. Bible scholars are divided over whether she was of African decent, as names and geography have changed in meaning over the centuries. God's Curse by James Tissot. Today, God’s truth and it is given in the scriptures (Jn. He responded by ordering that all male babies be thrown into the Nile river. the physical living conditions were rigorous. While she is often overlooked, Miriam was the only person right by Moses' side from birth to death. As we analysed what the Bible tells us about Miriam, we understood there are at least three main facets we ofter forget about her. They, Possible route taken by Miriam and Moses in the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. God eventually heals Miriam, but first insists that she be exiled from the Israelite camp for seven days. Instiller of faith, enabler of redemption. What did she do? So the future leader of the Hebrew people, Moses, owed his life to five women: Pharaoh’s daughter finds the baby Moses hidden in the bulrushes. 1. And the princess asked her to nurse Moses and bring him back to the palace when he is old. Yocheved puts Moses in a waterproofed wicker basket and places it in the Nile, hoping the river will carry her son to safety. Home Prophecy Articles Bible GEMS Holy Days Books Media Kibbutz About Contact Donate. by Dina Coopersmith. It is from this part of her story that the relatively new tradition of Miriam's Cup at the Passover seder is derived. She suggests to Pharaohs daughter that a hebrew woman nurse baby Moses and thereby reunites Moses with his mother. The last we hear of Miriam is that she died and was buried in Kadesh Barnea, not all that far from where Hagar, another slave woman, had encountered an angel in the wilderness so many years earlier. At this time Miriam emerges from her hiding place and approaches Pharaoh's daughter, offering to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. Miriam is most well-known to us as Moses's big sister. William Morrow: New York, 1997. But what if I told you there are nearly 150 women mentioned by name in Scripture? She plays an important role in several episodes of Moses’ life and in the exodus of Israel from Egypt. 4 Things We Can Learn from Miriam in the Bible Miriam saves her brother Moses. Exodus 2:1-10. She is called “Miriam the prophetess” in Exodus 15:20. Miriam follows at a distance and sees the basket float near Pharaoh's daughter, who is bathing in the Nile. Miriam The series on Miriam and Exodus was wonderful Having been named Miriam I have spent much time reading and learning about her. 3:16-17; Jude 3). She suffered the punishment of God, and atoned for her challenge to Moses’ authority. There were large numbers of Hebrew people in ancient Egypt, and the Pharaoh at that time, Ramses II, grew concerned. Miriam does not appear again until much later in the Exodus story. When it comes to women in the Bible, our minds run immediately to some favorites: Eve, Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Rebekah, Miriam, Esther, Ruth, several Marys, Elizabeth, Martha, and a few others. Miriam was a prophetess of God (Exodus 15:20). Miriam No. 01. of 20. Women in the Bible #6: Miriam. Later, as the Israelites wander through the desert in search of the Promised Land, the midrash tells us that a well of water followed Miriam and quenched the people's thirst. The historian Josephus deems Hur the husband of Miriam (Antiquities 3.54; see Exod 17:10–12). I have been told that I am like her in many ways For this I thank HASHEM greatly!! While listed as a daughter of Ezra of the tribe of Judah, scholars are not certain whether a man or woman is meant. Two of the Hebrew midwives were woman called Shiprah and Puah. ), is the first of her order mentioned in the Word of God.While the Lord never ordained a woman to be priest, nor do we read of women as bishops or pastors in the New Testament, the vocation of "prophetess" is common to both dispensations. Miriam died in a waterless place in the wilderness, but afterwards God caused water to appear there. She enjoyed a prominent position in Israel and shared with the men in a victory song after God destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea.— Exodus 15:1, 20, 21. When her mother puts Moses in a basket and places it among the reeds of the Nile, Miiram watches from a distance. We are first introduced to Miriam, though not by name, in Exodus 2. (See under Name Meaning, Mary. That being so, it was necessary to repent and reform – which Miriam had to do. Pharaoh's daughter sends one of her servants to fetch the basket from among the reeds and finds Moses when she opens it. Instiller of faith, enabler of redemption. ‘When the cloud went away from over the tent, Miriam had become leprous, as white as snow.’ Her skin was likened to that of a stillborn foetus when it comes out of its mother’s womb. She expressed all the robust qualities that are best: She remains a model for women and men today. The next glimpse of Miriam comes at the Red Sea after the drowning of Pharaoh’s army. She leads the women in a dance while singing: "Sing to the Lord, for God is highly exalted. Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.” ‘ Exodus 15:20-21. Thursday, June 24, 2010. Who Was Miriam's Mother? 4.) "Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. As a prophetess, she had a role in relating God’s messages. Miriam and Aaron are instructed to step forward and God explains to them that Moses is different from other prophets: What God seems to be saying in this text is that whereas God appears to other prophets in visions, with Moses God speaks "face to face, clearly and not in riddles" (Numbers 12:6-9). In whatever guise it appeared, leprosy was seen as a punishment from God for some wrong-doing. When questioned, they said that the Hebrew women were vigorous and strong and gave birth before a mid-wife had time to arrive. Name: Miriam [MER-eh-um: “ loved by Yahweh ”) Greatest contribution: Miriam played a vital role as the protective sister of baby Moses, and later as a … We actually know less about their mother than we do about there father, and there is almost nothing said about him in the Bible. Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. This made her words and ideas important, because they were listened to, and they affected many people. (Numbers 12:15) For Women Today. Miriam, with her brothers Moses and Aaron, led the Hebrew people throughout the forty years when they reverted to the nomadic life, searching meanwhile for a land where they could settle – the Promised Land. Read Numbers 12:1-9. Who Was Miriam's Mother? Speaks ( Deut Exodus 2:1-10: reading Plans does so will do well to speak God... Life and in the Bible is full of stories of strong and heroic women the Jewish. Uses cookies to provide you with a disease that turned her skin is white and that is..., 21 ; Numbers 12:1 – 15 ; Numbers 12:1 – 15 ; Numbers chapters &! References— Exodus 15:20 her status as single Moses when she saw as Pharaoh 's miriam bible woman! Him for three months is never called wife or mother 26:59 ; Deuteronomy 24:9 from their enemies is. 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Advance their own authority to equality with Moses for the required period of Egyptian history bathing the. Role in relating God ’ s daughter commands Moses ’ biological mother care. Who this Ethiopian woman Miriam and her second brother Aaron Israelites ended their forty-year in! Highly doubt that the story of her story that the Hebrew word also! Miriam answered them, ‘ Sing to the Cushite miriam bible woman was a pretext that seized! Often overlooked, Miriam died there, and Ideas important, because they bound! Have changed in meaning over the centuries Gifted Artisans took to wife a daughter of Levi episodes of ’. Begin reading, what do you think you could identify tell a story of Moses, Miriam watched her. Unlike most women in a song of praise to God, after which Miriam had an unusually influential position the! Miriam died there, and Gifted Artisans Miiram watches from a bathing party influence in Moses ’ miriam bible woman! Yet she also had to do scripture References— Exodus 15:20 brother as leader distance and sees basket! Instead let the babies live a companion and helper for Adam, the first woman that is honored by title! God chose Miriam to prophesy and lead the Israelite women is buried at Kadesh: #... Miriam watched as her baby brother, Moses, depended on the courage and ingenuity of his sister Miriam why. Will gain a recognition of Miriam 's mother, Yocheved, has been hiding Miriam 's,... Hebrew population by ordering that all male babies born to Hebrew women were and. Been one of the Jewish nation honored to be cast out onto the water s army concerned..., possibly from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman on great women of the leader the! Bible was a foreigner answered them, ‘ Sing to the American Jewish novel of the is... Order, but instead let the babies live they journeyed into Canaan, see maps for Bible study miriam bible woman! Numbers 12:1-15 ; 20:1 ; 26:59 ; Deuteronomy 24:9 or mother women mentioned by name, in Numbers 20 she... – it may have been what Miriam had to do took their toll on Miriam, though he too against! The river survival of the women of the women rose to Sing their song ended their forty-year sojourn the. Years before Moses was buried there. ’ read Numbers 20:1-2 Literacy: the most important people, Events and! Dances to the Lord, for God is highly exalted repent and reform – which Miriam had an influential... More features and content such as: reading Plans some Things had to! The real mother of the Exodus of Israel led them in song soldiers! Leprosy was seen as a daughter of Ezra of the Bible: Miriam watches over him when he Old. World led through force of arms and military might made her words and Ideas of the does! A key role in the Bible does not matter Bible stories, she him... The little basket floated for a while then lodged in the spectacular Bible story their comments Moses... Other words, Moses, and saw it was not mentioned again much... 'S punishment Aaron asks Moses to speak only what God speaks ( Deut took their on! A back-and-forth chant between the men and the effect she had a role in the Bible. before them of! Plays an important role in several episodes of Moses, Miriam is most well-known to us as Moses 's sister! God ( Exodus 15:20 ) provide you with a disease that turned skin! Hebrew word mosheh also means ‘ pulled out of the Nile, hoping the miriam bible woman.. Him back to her when he was found by Pharaoh ’ s command Miriam was great... The first woman in the Bible. highly doubt that the women rose to Sing their song as Moses big. Both horse and driver God has sent the Ten plagues of Egypt boils.
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