Moses by teaching torah, aaron by his service as the high priest, and miriam by teaching the women. Im trying to think of a moviemovie scene and all i can remember is a kid that is saying our lord in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Since about ad 100, another name for these five books has been the pentateuch. Aaron, flourished 14th century bce, the traditional founder and head of the israelite priesthood, who, with his brother moses, led the israelites out of egypt. Negative as well as positive traditions about miriam testify to her prominence, power, and prestige in early israel. Despite her personal charisma and power, her story has to a large extent been subsumed into the story of her brother moses.
The survival of the leader of the exodus, moses, depended on the courage and ingenuity of his sister miriam. May 10, 2019 miriam first appears in the bible in exodus 2. Aaron was moses spokesperson, because moses could not speak eloquently. She plays an important role in several episodes of moses life and in the exodus of israel from egypt. The book of exodus begins more than four hundred years after joseph, his brothers, and the pharaoh he once served have all died. According to scholars, the song of miriam is one of the most ancient of poetic compositions in the hebrew bible. Exodus 15 the song of moses and miriam then bible gateway. The second half of the book tells of the covenant that was established between god and israel at sinai and promulgates laws for the ordering of israels life since exodus continues the sacred story of the divine promise to israel begun in genesis. The bible doesnt portray its heroes and heroines as paragons of virtue. It is in the recording of this incident that moses, the author of the book of exodus, identified his older sister as a prophetess, the first recorded in the bible. For three days they walked through the desert, but found no water. Miriam became the leader of the hebrew women when they and their families escaped from egypt.
Throughout this essay we will gain a recognition of miriam s qualities and the effect she had on the destiny of the jewish nation. Posts about miriam in the bible written by atozmom. For further reading about miriam in the bible and study, you may enjoy this book about miriam and other women prophets. This tune could be one of the oldest songs ever recorded maybe the oldest. Like so many women in the bible, her character is underdeveloped, at least compared to her brothers. But, something happened to change miriamthe protective sister, the prophetess who led the women and supported her brotherinto his rival. The book of exodus shows a greater proportion of miracles direct, supernatural acts of god than any other part of the bible except the gospels. When she saw that he was being rescued, young miriam bravely approached pharaohs daughter and persuaded her to have the baby nursed by his own mother, jochebed.
I liked this book by miriam chaikin more than i thought. According to one account, the midwives names, shiphrah and puah ex. She was the steady supporter of her brother, but in the book of numbers, chapter 12, she and aaron begin to question moses leadership and his wife. The song of miriam, recorded in one lone verse, speaks volumes. Exodus records more miracles of god than any other book in the old testament. It was written to record the events of israels deliverance from slavery in egypt. But one mother hid her baby boy from the egyptian soldiers. In first book of the pentateuch, the book of genesis, the israelites had come to live in egypt in the land of goshen during a famine due to the fact that an israelite, joseph, had become a high official in the. We see miriam s role as leader develop throughout the story of the exodus, but it isnt until the book of micah that we receive confirmation that she was indeed one of the first three leaders of the nation of israel. Miriam, a prophetess and the sister of aaron not to mention moses, cf.
Moses led the people out of egypt, with aaron at his side. The exodus in american history and culture reception history. Every attentive reader of this bible book must come to this conclusion and no doubt this is one of the important lessons that god wants to teach us here. It was moses who demanded the release of the israelites from the pharaoh of egypt. Exodus is the second book of the pentateuch the five books of moses, and its where we find the stories of the ten plagues, the first passover, the parting of the red sea, and the ten commandments the book gets its name from the nation of israels mass. Moses had seen and used great power as the adopted son of the pharaohs daughter, but now only wanted what the lord god wanted. Who is miriam in the book of exodus black history in the bible. Amram and jochebed were the father and mother of miriam, aaron and moses.
Miriam is only mentioned by name in 14 verses in the bible, but she is one of the most important people found in the pages of scripture. The book of exodus is the second book of the bible and describes the exodus, which includes the israelites deliverance from slavery in egypt through the hand of yahweh, the revelations at biblical mount sinai, and the subsequent divine indwelling of god with israel exodus is traditionally ascribed to moses, but modern scholars see its initial composition as a product of the babylonian. The book of exodus has been exceedingly influential in american history and culture. He is my god, and i will praise him, my fathers god, and i will exalt him. Two genealogies listing moses, aaron, and miriam as the sole children of amram support the identification num 26. Sit back and enjoy the song of moses and miriam in the book of exodus. Jun 25, 2016 the bible series episode 02 the exodus, pharaoh, moses, red sea, ten commandments duration. Miriam is most wellknown to us as mosess big sister. Mesu andrews, one of my favorite christian fiction authors, has a terrific book about miriam. Miriam, moses, and aaron were all born to jochebed while living in egypt, africa.
There god institutes his system of laws, gives instruction in worship and establishes his people as the nation of israel. After checking out some of her other books and not liking them as much, i was a little wary of what she would put into this story. Exodus is a latin word derived from greek exodos, the name given to the book by those who translated it into greek. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. Despite her personal charisma and power, her story has to a large extent been subsumed into the story of. Miriam boldly approached pharaohs daughter, who found the baby, and offered her own mothermoses mother tooas a nurse for moses. The bible series episode 02 the exodus, pharaoh, moses, red sea, ten commandments duration. She participates with moses and aaron to lead the israelite community during the exodus and the wanderings. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. It tells the story of the israelites suffering as egyptian slaves, their deliverance known as the exodus, and their early days in the journey to the promised land of canaan. Pharaoh planned to stop them by hurting all the israelite baby boys. Miriam is the sister who watches over her baby brother moses among the bulrushes on the banks of the nile. He wants to make them his representatives to all the nations and come to personally live in their midst. Free bible version and commentary on the book of exodus in.
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. The song of moses and miriam is a way of giving thanks and exalting god for what he did for israel when they were in a hopeless situation with the egyptians. The newtestament refers to exodus as the book of moses. Miriam, along with her two brothers, provided the jewish people with the ingredients necessary for redemption. Exodus is the second book of the pentateuch the five books of moses, and its where we find the stories of the ten plagues, the first passover, the parting of the red sea, and the ten commandments. Who is miriam in the book of exodus black history in the. Exodus 15, new international version niv the bible app. Moses and the israelites sing a song of praise and worship to the lord after the final defeat of the egyptians.
The narrative of moses infancy in exodus depicts an unnamed sister. Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of aaron exd 15. 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. And miriam the prophetess, the sister of aaron, took a timbrel in her hand. The song of moses and miriam then moses and the israelites sang this song to the lord. Jul 27, 2017 the song of moses and miriam is a way of giving thanks and exalting god for what he did for israel when they were in a hopeless situation with the egyptians. The book of exodus tells us about moses and miriam, brother and sister, who raise a hymn of praise to god on the shores of the red sea, together with the community that god has freed from egypt. But it walks through the basic plotline in exodus, leviticus, and numbers very well. The second book of the pentateuch is called exodus, from the greek word for departure, because its central event was understood by the septuagints translators to be the departure of the israelites from egypt. The really big book of bible story coloring pages god protects baby moses. In numbers 12 the spirit of rebellion that dominated the people also seemed to take control of miriam and aaron, the sister and brother of moses the man of god, who had both been used by god. Miriam s chorus is a prime example, as she takes the first two lines of moses hymn and turns it into a chorus which captures the spirit, message, and theology of the hymn.
Often, the reader sees the good in the heroes as well as the bad. 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. While she is often overlooked, miriam was the only person right by moses side from birth to death. Luke refers to the oldtestament as moses and the prophets. The book of exodus consists mainly of two genres, narrative history and laws. Moses and his brother, aaron, are the heroes of the book of exodus in the bible. Miriam was the daughter of amram, the leader of the israelites in ancient egypt, and of jochebed and the sister of aaron and moses. The story of the exodus is told in the books of exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy, the last four of the first five books of the bible also called the torah or pentateuch.
It is followed in verses 20 and 21 by a much shorter song sung by miriam and the other women. They sing their joy because in those waters god saved them from an enemy who sought to destroy them. The new leadership in egyptfeeling threatened by jacobs descendants, who have increased greatly in sizeembarks on a campaign to subdue the israelites, forcing them into slavery and eventually decreeing that all hebrew boys must be killed at birth. Miryam is described in the hebrew bible as the daughter of amram and jochebed, and the sister of moses and aaron. She was the leader of the women, and she was a pacesetter. Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of aharon, took her drum in her hand, and all the women went forth after her with drums and with dances. Her claim appears to be allowed both in the present passage, and in numbers 12. Chapters 118 narrate the history of the egyptian bondage, the exodus from egypt, and the journey to mount sinai under the leadership of moses. It has memorable charactersmoses, aaron, miriam, zipporah moses wife, and the. Amy butler even if our hebrew passage today were not in an entirely different book in our bibles, wed know a new chapter in the story was beginning by the writers choice of words. What are the latest ideas about miriam in the bible.
As the big sister of the family miriam knew all the secrets. Miriam s role as a leader of the hebrew women was obviously more extensive than is shown in the biblical text. Nov 17, 2018 the book of exodus is the story of god rescuing the children of israel from egypt and forging a special relationship with them. In the talmud and midrash jewish commentative and interpretive writings, he is seen as the. God rescues and delivers his people as he guides them into the unfamiliar desert. Jun 21, 2011 what is the malayalam word for kalonji. According to the hebrew bible, miriam was the older sister of moses and aaron. The figure of aaron as it is now found in the pentateuch, the first five books of the bible, is built up from several sources of traditions.
After clicking register, you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. But then a new pharaoh comes to power, and he starts enslaving the israelites. Moses was the youngest of the three yet became the leader of the pack exodus 2. There are so many nameless women in the bible, and yet the two midwives in the exodus story who stood up to pharaoh and saved the israelite babies get two names each in ancient rabbinic literature. Miriam called to them, sing to hashem, for he is utterly transcendent, having hurled the horse and its rider into the sea. Miriams role as a leader of the hebrew women was obviously more extensive than is shown in the biblical text. Sinai, where god invites them into a covenant relationship. The israelites are right where we left them in genesis, hanging out in egypt and multiplying. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. We have been doing a series on sunday night basically called unlikely heroes, looking at biblical personalities who are used in a mighty way by god unexpectedly. Rulers in the ancient world led through force of arms and military might. Her role in saving her baby brother and in celebrating the crossing of the sea highlights her concern for her people.
She was a prophetess and first appears in the book of exodus. Then miriam the prophetess, aarons sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels. But notice how shallow miriam s chorus would be if you did not know moses hymn or the exodus story. Moses would mean the first 5 books of the bible, which includes exodus. The key personalities include moses, miriam, pharaoh, pharaohs daughter, aaron, and joshua. A lot goes down in exodus, so lets break it down into five sections. The book of exodus is the story of god rescuing the children of israel from egypt and forging a special relationship with them. Miriam is referenced in the old testament of the bible as a prophetess and originally emerges in the book of exodus. She is the first woman whom the bible honours with the title of.
The book gets its name from the nation of israels mass emigration from egypt, but thats only the first part of the story. Israel has now gone forth, and, with the sea behind and the desert before, begins her career as a nation. When miriam first appears in the bible, she is but a child, and not even named. Miriam answered that is, she led in these words the chorus or refrain. Its hebrew title, shemoth names, is from the book s opening phrase, these are the names. Miriam s mother, yocheved, has been hiding miriam s infant brother, moses. In old testament times prophets served as the messengers of god and as the leaders of his people. Here closes the first division of the book of exodus. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. Exodus and miriam the prophetess, the sister of aaron, took a timbrel in her hand. Women often get to know about things that men dont.