From: Numbers 12:1-13
The Complaint of Miriam and Aaron Against Moses
[1] Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom
he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman; [2] and they said, "Has
the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us
also?" And the LORD heard it. [3] Now the man Moses was very meek, more than
all men that were on the face of the earth. [4] And suddenly the LORD said
to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of
meeting." And the three of them came out. [5] And the LORD came down in a
pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the tent, and called Aaron and
Miriam; and they both came forward. [6] And he said, "Hear my words: If
there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a
vision, I speak with him in a dream. [7] Not so with my servant Moses; he is
entrusted with all my house. [8] With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly,
and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were
you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
[9] And the anger of the Loan was kindled against them, and he departed;
[10] and when the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was
leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam, and behold, she
was leprous. [11] And Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, do not punish us
because we have done foolishly and have sinned. [12] Let her not be as one
dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's
womb."
Moses Intercedes
[13] And Moses cried to the LORD, "Heal her, 0 God, I beseech thee." [14]
But the LORD said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, should
she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut up outside the camp seven
days, and after that she may be brought in again." [15] So Miriam was shut
up outside the camp seven days; and the people did not set out on the march
till Miriam was brought in again. [16] After that the people set out from
Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.
Commentary:
12.1-16. Aaron and Miriam's complaints about Moses begin with the subject of
his marriage to a foreigner. (The Hebrew text says "Cushite", which means
"from Ethiopia", but if we look at Habakkuk 3:7, which links Cushan to the
Midianites, perhaps we can read this passage as referring to Zipporoah: cf.
Ex 2:16-21.) But their complaints are really aimed at something much
deeper--Moses' unique authority as intermediary between God and his people.
He is not the only prophet, they say; however, unlike Moses, they have not
the humility to see that prophecy is a charism, a gift to be exercised on
behalf of the people; rather, they see it as a privilege from which they can
gain advantage. This negative feature of Aaron, along with what Exodus 32
has to tell about him, seems to suggest that his place in folk memory is
less positive than might appear at first sight.
The passage really shows what a unique personality Moses was in history of
Israel. He was the one who most put his trust in the Lord (perhaps that is
the meaning of the Hebrew "anaw", here translated as "meek": v.3). Such was
his trust that he became the most long-suffering of men; and brought God to
his defense. The severity of Miriam's punishment and swiftness of her cure
at Moses' intercession, serve to show how great Moses is. What really makes
him great is the fact that God speaks directly to him and not through
visions or dreams as in the case of the prophets. So, Moses is greater than
the prophets. According to the Hebrew text, Moses saw the "form" of the Lord
(v. 8); the Greek translation (presumably because of the spiritual nature of
God and his transcendence) says that Moses saw "the glory of the Lord".
Similarly St John will say that no one has ever seen God" (Jn 1:18), in
order then to go on and stress that only Jesus Christ, the Son of God and
himself true God, could reveal to us all the truth about God.
However; God's spirituality and transcendence does not mean we cannot enter
into direct conversation with him through prayer. "Moses' prayer is
characteristic of contemplative prayer by which God's servant remains
faithful to his mission. Moses converses with God often and at length,
climbing the mountain to hear and entreat him and coming down to the people
to repeat the words of his God for their guidance. Moses 'is entrusted with
all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly, not in riddles' for
'Moses was very humble, more so than everyone else on the face of the earth'
(Num 12:3, 7-8)' " ("Catechism of Catholic Church", 2576).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.