Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

11:7 Bdellium is a pale yellow resin found in desert areas.

11:11-15 Moses can bear the complaining no more and protests to God about the burden of leading Israel by himself.

11:16-23 The Lord promises to meet Moses' need for assistance and the people's desire for an alternative to the manna. But God's apparent concession to the popular appetite will in fact prove to be a judgment, because they were in effect saying, Why did we come out of Egypt? (v. 20).

11:24-30 Moses' request for assistance is met as the Lord endows seventy elders with the gift of prophecy. Unlike Moses with his unique gift of prophecy (12:6-7), these elders prophesied only for a short time (they did not continue doing it), but this was enough to give them credibility as assistants to Moses. Their prophesying would have involved some kind of speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit, showing their similarity to the prophet Moses (cf. notes on 1 Sam. 10:5; 1 Chron. 25:1-8). It is unclear whether or not Eldad and Medad were attached to the group of 70. In any case, they prophesied in a different place (in the camp), whereas the 70 had prophesied around the tent (Num. 11:24). This made their prophesying much more obvious to the other Israelites, which was a concern to Joshua (vv. 27-28). However, Moses' prayer--Would that all the Lord's people were prophets! (v. 29)--anticipates Joel's vision of the "day of the Lord," when "your sons and daughters shall prophesy" (Joel 2:28; cf. Acts 2:17). When this passage (like most of the OT) speaks of the work of the Spirit (Num. 11:17, 25-26), it is focusing primarily on the empowering of the Spirit for service to the people of God, more than an internal, personal experience.

11:31-34 Quail (small partridges) migrate north across the Sinai Peninsula in the spring and return in the fall, so although the Israelites had eaten some in the previous year (Ex. 16:13), these were not a regular dish. The migration of the second year was such that the Israelites were able to catch enormous quantities of quail: they were piled two cubits (3 feet or 0.9 m) high on the ground (Num. 11:31); thus anyone could collect at least ten homers (v. 32), roughly 60 bushels (480 dry gallons or 2,200 liters)! This greed was punished by a very great plague (v. 33). The form of the plague is unexplained, but it led to many deaths and the place being named Kibroth-hattaavah, "graves of craving" (v. 34).

12:1-2 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses. This represents a further challenge to Moses' supreme authority, which has many points in common with the previous two challenges (cf. 11:1, 4-6, and 11:10). Cushite woman. Nothing is known about "the Cushite woman" beyond this brief mention. She may be the same person as Zipporah (Ex. 2:16-22), though she is usually described as a Midianite. Some texts, however, suggest Midian and Cushan are the same (see Hab. 3:7). Since Cush normally refers to ancient Ethiopia, most interpreters think that "the Cushite woman" probably was Moses' second wife, and that she came from Ethiopia. This leads some commentators to suggest that racial or ethnic prejudice may have been involved, the objection being to someone of African descent. In any case it becomes clear that Miriam and Aaron's objection to "the Cushite woman" was a pretense, and that the real issue was their challenge to Moses' supreme authority.

12:3-4 very meek. The Hebrew term here translated "meek" (Hb. ‘anaw) is more often translated "humble, poor." The focus is more on Moses' attitude than on his demeanor. Some have argued that Moses could not have written in this way about himself, thereby challenging Moses' authorship of Numbers. It is clear, however, that the inclusion of this description of Moses' character is both accurate and necessary for understanding the account. On the face of the earth indicates that Moses was highly respected, certainly by Pharaoh and the people of Egypt, but also when he encountered other peoples during the 40 years in the wilderness (e.g., the defeat of the Amorites, 21:21-35; and Balaam and the dread of the Moabites, chs. 22-24). Here Moses relies on divine vindication rather than defending himself. Vindication comes quickly, as all three (Miriam, Aaron, and Moses) are summoned by God, who then points out Moses' unique qualities, as seen in the 11-line poem in 12:6-8. Christian readers may see in this description of Moses' unique mediating role a foreshadowing of Christ, the prophet greater than Moses (cf. Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22; 7:37).

12:6-8 This sets Moses apart from the ordinary prophets, who receive their revelations in vision and dream (which thus involves much more imagery). By contrast, God speaks to Moses mouth to mouth (v. 8; that is, as one person facing another and conversing; cf. Ex. 33:11), which implies verbal communication, often extensive, as well as extended dialogue between God and Moses. He is faithful in all my house (Num. 12:7). In other words, he is like the trusted manager of a man's household, such as was Eliezer or Joseph (Gen. 24:2; 39:4). He is someone with whom the owner speaks directly and explicitly, not in riddles (Num. 12:8). the form of the Lord (v. 8). "Form" (Hb. temunah) is sometimes translated "likeness" (e.g., Ex. 20:4). At Sinai, Israel did not see God's likeness but only heard his voice (Deut. 4:12, 15). It is not entirely clear how seeing God's form or likeness differs from seeing his face (cf. Ex. 33:18-23), but it apparently involved a less intensive kind of vision. The point here is that Moses was allowed to see what most ordinary believers must wait for their death to see (Ps. 17:15). Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? To oppose Moses, whom God had put in this position, was also to oppose God himself.

12:9-12 Moses' unique access to God should have been evident all along to Miriam and Aaron; their obtuseness prompts the anger of God. leprous, like snow. Biblical "leprosy" covers a variety of skin conditions, characterized by sores and peeling skin (see note on Lev. 13:1-59). The flakiness of Miriam's skin, not necessarily its whiteness, causes her affliction to be compared to snow and the skin of a stillborn child (Num. 12:12).

12:13-16 As final proof of Moses' status, his prayer for his sister's healing is immediately answered. But like other healed "lepers," she must be shut outside the camp seven days before being readmitted (see Lev. 14:1-9; Num. 5:2). This punishment is justified by comparison with family custom, where a child must be disciplined for shaming her father (12:14; see Deut. 25:9 for the shame of spitting).