As the big sister of the family Miriam knew all the secrets. She was recognized as a prophet of Israel and led the women in worship to remember what God had done. Miriam, sadly, went from unifying the people to sowing discord. The historian Josephus deems Hur the husband of Miriam (Antiquities 3.54; see Exod 17:10–12). I was in a shop getting some pictures framed whilst wearing my clerical collar and the man at the desk said: ‘you’ll know the answer to this as you're a Vicar’. Answer: Miriam in the Bible is Moses’ older sister. The next time we see Miriam in the Bible, she is a leader along with her brothers, taking the Israelites across the Red Sea into freedom. Miriam. She is the only daughter of Amram and Jochebed. She has neither husband nor children. This is the only time the Bible mentions this wife. Although her jealously later in life led to disaster, Miriam's quick wit as a young girl helped change the course of Israel's history by protecting its greatest spiritual leader. It was also Moses who served as Israel's first political leader, the one to whom the nation looked for governance. Miriam was the first woman in the Bible to be given the title prophetess. At the time Moses is born, there’s a degree to kill all baby boys. Miriam's major mistake, for which she is punished and secluded outside the camp for seven days, is Lashon Hara (negative speech) about Moses: Miriam spoke with Aaron about Moses regarding the Kushite woman whom he married. Moses, Hebrew-born and Egyptian-educated leader of the Hebrews in their flight from Egypt; Miriam, his shrewd and protective sister who led the women in the flight from Egypt; Aaron, brother of Moses and second-in-command on the initial segment of the flight; Pharaoh, who refused to let the Hebrews go from Egypt, and suffered the consequences Miriam as Prophet (Numbers 12) I know of no female prophet in the Bible who only spoke to women. The gifts the two had, the privileges they each enjoyed as spiritual leaders, somehow were not enough. In the first place, Miriam rebelled against the bride of Moses whose first wife, Zipporah, was a Midianite or Gentile ( Exodus 2:21 ). 12:1-2: Mic. One of the Bible’s strongest female leaders with the highest post ever held by a woman in the Bible, yet even at the advanced age of 92 this prophetess fell for the lowest of sins: gossip and slander. Was this the case? She was one of the triad leaders of Israel during the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 15:24). And Miriam answered them, 'Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. Image: Miriam - Anselm Feuerbach (1829–1880) Credit: Wikipedia Today I continue my series of studies on the women prophets in the Old Testament. Tradition says she is the unnamed sister who kept watch over Moses and arranged for their mother to nurse the child for Pharaoh’s daughter. Miriam burned to be viewed by all as someone who was on a par with Moses, not subordinate to him. She was born four years before Aaron and seven years before Moses. Miriam and Aaron truly were leaders whom God was using. Miriam is the older sister of Moses; she’s also the sister of Aaron, but we don’t know which one is older. Miriam (מִרְיָם Mīrəyām) was described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron.She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus.. A study of Miriam can lead us into a deeper understanding of leadership, roles , and the amazing “Team Moses.” by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, 1:228). A cursory survey of the texts where the women prophets… Miriam is no exception. Early 1900s drawing of Miriam and Moses1 The first woman in the Bible to be given the appellation prophetess was Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. Miriam, the Jealous Sister. In Exodus 15:20, Miriam’s first response to God’s miraculous deliverance of his people from many years of bondage (slavery,) was to dance. Although the Bible shows Miriam did not hold a position equal to that of Moses, she seems to have been viewed as a near equal to Aaron in importance. Miriam is identified as a prophet and as a leader in the Bible, but some say her ministry was only to women. She stopped praising God and started grumbling about her brother. Miriam as Praise and Worship Dance Leader The first woman called a prophetess in the Bible, was a dancer,and singer named Miriam. Moses was the youngest of the three yet became the leader of the pack (Exodus 2:3-4; Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59). And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. A leader of God's people at a crucial moment in history, she led the celebration after crossing the Red Sea and spoke God's word to his … 6:4). [4] Throughout the Bible we see that there was a recognised place for female prophets in their communities, with at least one female prophet mentioned in each period of Israel’s history. Her name means: "Bitterness" Her character: Even as a young girl, she showed fortitude and wisdom. The Lord struck Miriam with leprosy. Women in the Bible: Miriam. The Bible doesn’t portray its heroes and heroines as paragons of virtue. Miriam was a leader among the Hebrew women, and she was gifted musically. Miriam’s leadership was guided not by stressing her individuality but by forming a network of human relations.8 It was Miriam who enabled dialogue with the people. Jewish traditions, however, cannot tolerate her status as single. At the end of this post I provide a list of previous posts dealing with the women prophets in the Hebrew Bible. 3. Amram and Jochebed were the father and mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Through her unique brand of feminine leadership, Miriam was able to bridge the gap between the grumbling masses and their “distant” leader. God was angry that Miriam and Aaron were so willing to speak against the servant He had chosen. In her criticism, Miriam was questioning the Lord’s wisdom in choosing Moses as the leader. When we have grievances against those in authority Moses was the man who led Israel out of Egypt. When her mother puts Moses in a basket and places it among the reeds of the Nile, Miriam watches from a distance to see what will happen to him. She found the management and marriage of Moses most irksome. Notice that Miriam was one of God’s special gifts to the people of Israel. Unlike most women in the Bible, Miriam is never called wife or mother. There is much more. Miriam (c. 13th century B.C.) When the children of Israel miraculously crossed the Red Sea, Miriam was one of the first to pick up an instrument and lead in worship (Exodus 15:20). Deborah, Huldah, and Anna were recognised and respected as prophets, and they spoke to men. Miriam – The daughter of Aaron and a prophetess. She was a great leader and influenced Barak, the commanding army general during that time (Judges 4-5) . Jealousy led Miriam to reject both the position of Moses as the leader of the host, and his partner in the wife he took unto himself. Miriam the prophetess and Aaron the high priest wanted equal billing with Moses. ... through us?’” (Numbers 12:2). Miriam, the daughter of Amram and Yocheved, and older sister of her two famous brothers, Aaron and Moses, was born in Egypt just when the Jewish people were reduced to slavery, oppression and hard labor.This was in the year 2362 (after Creation), eighty-six years before the liberation. She took the place of leadership that the LORD gave her, and used it to direct the woman to praise the Lord. 12:10-12). 3 Ibid. She became a leader among the women of Israel during the exodus. Miriam was a prophet and led a nation in worship (Exodus 15:20). The Torah refers to her as "Miriam the Prophetess" and the Talmud names her as one of the seven major female prophets of Israel. What does the Bible say? where Miriam excelled. She was the older sister to Aaron and Moses. Exodus 15:20 says, “Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced” (NLT). Miriam would have been in her 90s at this point. Women often get to know about things that men don't. Exodus 15:20 Exodus 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. Exodus 2.4-6, Exodus 15.20-21, Numbers 12.1, Micah 6.4, Numbers 20:1 Gloria by Micah Hayns This blog series all began because of Miriam. Perhaps Miriam felt threatened by Moses’ new wife in her role as the leader of Israel’s women (Eugene Merrill, The Bible Knowledge Commentary [Victor Books], ed. In fact, the Bible tells us that in Micah 6:4: Miriam was a prophet and leader during the time of the patriarchs (Numb. Miriam as the Leader of Israel in the Wilderness Miriam is portrayed as an integral member of the Moses-Aaron-Miriam leadership triumvirate. Miriam was also a prophet, worship leader, and a co-leader with Moses and Aaron (Micah 6:4). In the midrash’s allegoric interpretation of the cupbearer’s dream (Gen. 40), Moses, Aaron, and Miriam are the three branches of the vine from which the people of Israel emerged and blossomed. His punishment falls first on Miriam who becomes leprous to the point of death, and Aaron begs Moses to forgive them (Num. Miriam was the firstborn child of Amram and Jochobed, born in Egypt about 90 years before the Exodus. Moses’s mom hides him as long as she can, then she puts him in a basket and places him in the Nile River. 2. Deborah was chosen by God to lead as a prophet, judge, and even led the men into battle ( Judges 4-5 ). The authority of God’s chosen leader must be respected, for to rebel against such a leader is to rebel against God himself. Moses: leader-lawgiver-legend. Deborah – A prophetess judge who headed the army of ancient Israel. Miriam as a Child . 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.Miriam's mother, Yocheved, has been hiding Miriam's infant brother, Moses, for three months. Reformer Some of the prophetesses were good, but others were not. He is nowhere called a king, but the Bible testifies that he functioned, under God, as Israel's human governor and judge both in its internal needs and in its dealings with other nations as it proceeded to the Promised Land. Often, the reader sees the good in the heroes as well as the bad. But this wasn’t her only ministry role. Church leaders… Miriam is the elder sister of Aaron and Moses. As a young girl she watched over the basket with Moses in it, assuring that an Egyptian princess would retrieve him, fulfilling the plan by which her mother saved him. The title appears in Exodus when Miriam leads the women of the Israelites in a victory chant after the destruction of pharaohs army in the Red Sea: Micah 6:4 names Miriam as a leader of the nation, along with Moses and Aaron. Exodus Leader. (Numbers 12:1) It seems outrageous that someone like Miriam should engage in gossip. What ate at Miriam was that others did not perceive her as being as important as Moses was. She was a godly influence in their lives. Miriam is a fascinating woman who is often only remembered because of her sin of challenging the role of her brother as leader. 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