Do you know the story of Miriam in the Bible? Do you know who this woman was and the important things that happened to her while the people of Israel were in the desert? If you want to know more about this character, keep reading this article.
Miriam is a very important character in the Lord Almighty’s rescue process for the nation of Israel. The Bible presents her as a woman sent by God to lead her people to freedom, together with her brothers. Aaron and Moses (Micah 6:4). These three sons of Amram, the grandson of Leviwere different in character and personality and, therefore, uniquely marked the history of the Jewish people.
Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron, daughter of Amram and Jochebed. Miriam’s story is recorded in the Bible in the books of Exodus and Numbers. She suffered from leprosy for having offended God and Moses, but she realized her mistake and repented.
What does the name Miriam mean?
The name Miriam derives from the original Hebrew “מִרְיָם” or its transliteration “Miryam” which some suggest its meaning in Hebrew is something like “obstinacy”.
Others understand that the Hebrew name derives from the Egyptian word mariewhich means “beloved”.
It is interesting to know that the name “Mary” is the Hellenized form of the Hebrew Miriam.
Related: Who was Mary in the Bible? the mother of jesus
Story of Miriam in the Bible
Miriam first appears in Exodus chapter 2, although she is not mentioned by name. However, it is widely accepted that she is the sister of Moses who watched over him when her parents could no longer hide him at home.
At that time, the Pharaoh of Egypt had ordered that the Hebrew children be thrown into the river to die, since the Hebrew people were growing extraordinarily strong (Exodus 1:20).
When Moses was born, his parents hid him for three months and then placed him in the river in a waterproof reed basket. If Miriam is the “sister of the child” mentioned (Exodus 2:7), then it was she who accompanied from afar what would happen to Moses.
When Miriam realized that Pharaoh’s daughter was taking the child away, she approached her and asked if she wanted him to call a Hebrew woman to raise the child. When Pharaoh’s daughter accepted, she sought out her own mother, Jochebed.
Was Miriam a prophetess?
The term “prophetess” was used to refer to Miriam when she led the women of Israel with music, dance, and a poem of praise to God.
This was the occasion of the celebration of the crossing of the Red Sea and the liberation of the people of Israel from the slavery of Egypt (Exodus 15:20-21). This was the first reference to her name in the Bible and in fact she is called “Mary”.
The song that Miriam sang was a variation of the song of Moses at the Red Sea. The biblical text reports that Miriam said: “Sing to the Lord, who has crowned himself with triumph by throwing horses and riders into the sea.”
What was Miriam’s sin?
Miriam and Aaron rebelled against their brother Moses, because of his marriage to a Cushite woman, that is, a woman who descended from Cush, the eldest son of Ham, son of Noah..
However, the involvement with Moses’ wife did not refer only to ethnic prejudices, but actually hid something much deeper and more dangerous.
They were confronting the authority of Moses because of their envy for him. This is made clear in the sentence: «Has not the Lord spoken with another than Moses? Has he not spoken to us also? » (Numbers 12:2)
This sin Miriam and Aaron’s jealousy were strongly rebuked by God, because they murmured against God’s chosen authority. So, she was stricken with leprosy and became “white as snow” (Numbers 12:10).
Then Moses prayed to God for his recovery, and God answered Moses’ prayer. However, Miriam was shamed by staying outside the Israelites’ camp for seven days. During this period, the people of Israel did not continue her pilgrimage (Numbers 12: 14-16).
How was Miriam’s death?
The Bible says Miriam died when the children of Israel were at Kadesh Barnea, and was buried there (Numbers 20:1).
It is not known how many years he lived, but it is assumed that he died at a very old age, since at the time of his death the 40 years of wandering in the desert were drawing to a close, and most of the Israelites who left Egypt with more than 20 years had already died (Numbers 20:1, 22-29; Numbers 33:38).
The Bible makes no reference to Miriam’s husband or children, although a rabbinic tradition indicates that Miriam was the wife of Caleb and the mother of Hur.
How many Miriam are in the Bible?
When talking about who Miriam was, it is also interesting to know that there is another person with this name mentioned in the Bible, a descendant of Ezra and quoted in 1 Chronicles 4:17.
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