Preface:    Miriam convinces Aaron to hold a very small scale rebellion against Moses. God disciplines her for it.

The Bible Summary of Numbers 12 (in 140 characters or less): Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses. The LORD was angry and Miriam became leprous. Moses prayed and after seven days she returned.

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Numbers. By the third draft, this should be the most extensive examination of Numbers 12, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 12:

Introduction

         vv.     1–

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Numbers 12 (by various commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Numbers 12 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Numbers 12

         Introduction         The Prequel of Numbers 12

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Principals of Numbers 12

         Introduction         The Places of Numbers 12

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         Timeline for Numbers 12

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Numbers 12

         Introduction         Outlines of Numbers 12 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Numbers 12 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Numbers 1–15)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions (for Numbers 12)

         Introduction 

         v. 

         v.       1              Egypt and Kush (a map)

         v. 

         v. 

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         v. 

         v. 

         v.       6              Three Previous Occurrences of Prophet in the Old Testament

         v. 

         v.       8              Numbers 12:6b–8 in Verse

         v. 

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         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

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         v. 

         v. 

         v.      16              Arabian Desert (Map)

         v. 

         v. 

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Numbers 12 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Numbers 12

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Numbers 12

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Numbers 12

         Summary 

         Addendum          Footnote for Numbers 12:1 (Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          The Edification Complex, toward God and toward man (original with R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Numbers 12

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Numbers 12

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Numbers 12

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Numbers 12

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An Introduction to Numbers 12

I ntroduction: Numbers 12 is one of the shortest chapters in Numbers at 16 verses. It is all about a mini-rebellion staged by Miriam and Aaron (Miriam was the instigator of this rebellion. She decided that she and brother Aaron were just as good as Moses, just as representative of God as he was, and should have more power or autonomy or more something. Needless to say, God did not see it this way.

Numbers 12 contains an incident that we might think is just there for historical filler. Aaron and Miriam both criticize Moses, God disciplines them, striking Miriam with leprosy, then she and Aaron ask God's forgiveness. The reason this is so aptly placed is that the Jews in Numbers 11 had the same options. They could have come to God and begged His forgiveness for their sins. Moses would have interceded and the march would have gone on to the land of milk and honey. However, in all of Numbers 11, in the several hours we spent there, not once do the gluttonous, complaining Jews go to God asking His forgiveness. There is a parallel here; Miriam herself will not ask forgiveness. The Exodus generation is corrupt from the foot soldier to those in the leadership positions, with but a handful of exceptions.

Timeline for Numbers

There is very little narrative in the book of Numbers; so this information may have been given to Moses in a few days or, at most, a few weeks; and Moses both wrote these things down and informed the people. Because of information previously studied in the introduction, we are not 100% certain if all of this material was given to Moses while in the newly erected Tabernacle. I would lean towards that being the case.

As I have done previously, since this chapters is what God is saying to Moses, I will begin and end the chapter with quotation marks. I will not insert a new set of quotation marks for each new paragraph.

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Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac (= Aramaic) and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The comparisons which I do are primarily between the English translations which are taken from the ancient tongues. For the most part, the variances are so minor that I rarely investigate them any further than that.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_Numbers.html and first published in 1862.

Occasionally, there is an obvious error in the English translation, and I correct those without additional mention or footnoting. For instance, the online version of the Targum of Onkelos which I use has gorund in Ex. 4:9; I simply corrected the text. This may occur once or twice in a chapter.

I attempt to include translations which are different in their vocabulary and phrasing. On many occasions, I may include a translation which is not substantially different than another listed translation.

Most of the translations can be found here.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so speak Miryam and Aaron in (against) Moses upon a cause of the woman, a Cushite, whom he took, for the woman, a Cushite, he took. And so they say, “Only, surely in (by) Moses has spoken Y^ehowah. Has not also in (by) us He spoken?” And so hears [them] Y^ehowah.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum (Onkelos)                  . Translation for Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. (1862).

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And Mary and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of his wife the Ethiopian,

And they said: Hath the Lord spoken by Moses only? Hath he not also spoken to us in like manner? And when the Lord heard this,...

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Miriam and Aaron spoke against Mosha because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.

They said, "Has Mar-Yah indeed spoken only with Mosha? Has he not spoken also with us?" And Mar-Yah heard it.

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard [it].

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of the Ethiopian woman whom Moses took; for he had taken an Ethiopian woman.

And they said, Has the Lord spoken to Moses only? Has He not also spoken to us? And the Lord heard it.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Now Miriam and Aaron said evil against Moses, because of the Cushite woman to whom he was married, for he had taken a Cushite woman as his wife. 

And they said, Have the words of the Lord been given to Moses only? have they not come to us? And the Lord took note of it.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses. They criticized him because he married an Ethiopian woman. They said to themselves, "Moses is not the only one the LORD has used to speak to the people. He has also spoken through us!" The LORD heard this.

God’s Word™                         Miriam and Aaron began to criticize Moses because he was married to a woman from Sudan.

They asked, "Did the LORD speak only through Moses? Didn't he also speak through us?" The LORD heard their complaint.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Moses had married a Cushite woman, and Miriam and Aaron criticized him for it.

They said, "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he also spoken through us?" The LORD heard what they said.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       Although Moses was the most humble person in all the world, Miriam and Aaron started complaining, "Moses had no right to marry that woman from Ethiopia! Who does he think he is? The LORD has spoken to us, not just to him." The final portion of this passage will be placed with the next passage for context.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

UnfoldingWord (Simplified)    Moses' older sister Miriam and his older brother Aaron were jealous of Moses and said, "Is Moses the only one to whom Yahweh has spoken messages to tell to us? Does Yahweh not speak messages through us two also?" They also criticized Moses because he had married a woman who was a descendant of the Cush people group. And Yahweh heard Miriam and Aaron complaining about Moses.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

Translation for Translators     .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Christian Standard Bible        .

Berean Study Bible                .

Conservapedia                       .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                          And Miriam and Aaron spoke^1a against Moses because of the Ethiopian^1b woman whom he had taken, on account of his having taken an Ethiopian woman.

And they said, Has Jehovah indeed spoken only by Moses? Has he not spoken also by us? And Jehovah heard.

^1a 12:1 spoke, dabar, to arrange words. The way you arrange words is the way you arrange your life. In other words, the words you learn, and how you use them in your speech, determine what happens in your life, Mt 12:37. Miriam, leading Aaron, arranged words against Moses, which arrangement was actually against Jehovah, which arrangement caused them great distress.

^1b 12:1 Ethiopian. A Cushite, descendant of Cush, a son of Ham, founder of Ethiopia (apparently meaning the whole continent of Africa), brother to Mizraim, founder of Egypt, Gen 10:6.

International Standard V        Aaron and Miriam Rebel

Miriam and Aaron rebelled against Moses on account of the Cushite woman that he had married. They asked, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”

But the Lord heard it.

Lexham English Bible            Aaron and Miriam Murmur Against Moses

And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he took (because he took a Cushite wife); and they said, “Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses? Has not Yahweh also spoken through us?” And Yahweh heard it.

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Word Literal Text   .

Urim-Thummim Version         .

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Miriam and Aaron challenge Moses

• Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married and they said, “Has Yahweh only spoken through Moses? Has he not also spoken through us?” And Yahweh heard. 20:1; 15:20 4:15

An extensive footnote for Numbers 12:1 has been placed in the Addendum.

New American Bible(2011)    .

The Catholic Bible                  .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989            .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Eth Cepher Bible                    AND Miryam and Aharon spoke against Mosheh because of the Kushiyth woman whom he had married: for he had married a Kushiyth woman. 

And they said, Has Yahuah indeed spoken only by Mosheh? Has he not spoken also by us? And Yahuah heard it.

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Kaplan Translation                 .

The Scriptures–2009              Now Miryam and Aharon spoke against Mosheh because of the Kushite woman whom he had taken, for he had taken a Kushite woman. 

And they said, “Has יהוה spoken only through Mosheh? Has He not also spoken through us?” And יהוה heard it.

Tree of Life Version                Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on account of the Cushite woman he married, because he had married a Cushite woman.

They asked, “Has Adonai spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He also spoken through us?” Adonai heard it.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            AND MARIAM AND AARON SPOKE AGAINST MOSES, BECAUSE OF THE ETHIOPIAN WOMAN WHOM MOSES TOOK; FOR HE HAD TAKEN AN ETHIOPIAN WOMAN.

AND THEY SAID, HAS JESUS SPOKEN TO MOSES ONLY? HAS HE NOT ALSO SPOKEN TO US? AND JESUS HEARD IT.

Awful Scroll Bible                   Miriam and Aaron was to speak to Moses, because of the Cushite woman that he is to have received out, for he is to have received out a Cushite woman. They were to say: Sustains To Become is to have spoken to Moses, even is he to have spoken to us, and Sustains To Become was to hear us.

Concordant Literal Version    From Kibroth Hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth. When they came to be in Hazeroth then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses concerning the case of the Cushite woman whom he took (for he had taken a Cushite woman).

They said:Is it but only through Moses that Yahweh speaks? Does He not also speak through us? And Yahweh heard. Numbers 11:35 is included for context.

exeGeses companion Bible   MIRYAM AND AHARON WORD AGAINST MOSHEH

And Miryam and Aharon word against Mosheh

concerning the Kushiy woman he took:

for he took a Kushiy woman.

And they say, Words Yah Veh only by Mosheh?

Words he not also by us?

- and Yah Veh hears it.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Miryam and Aharon spoke against Moshe because of the Kushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Kushite woman.

And they said, Hath Hashem indeed spoken only by Moshe? Hath He not spoken also by us? And Hashem heard it.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.                             § 15. Miriam and Aaron jealous of Moses.

Chapter 12.

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses, on account of the Cushite woman whom he had taken,—for <a Cushite woman> had he taken.

    And they said: Is it <onlyʹ and solelyʹ with Moses> that Yahweh hath spoken?

    <With us also> hath he not spoken?

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

International Standard V        .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 Miriam and Aaron Complain

Miriam and Aaron began speaking against Moses because of the dark-skinned woman he had married.

The woman that [Moses] had married was indeed dark-skinned.

They [then went on to] say, 'Is it to Moses exclusively that God speaks? Doesn't He also speak to us?'

God heard it. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Numbers through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

dark-skinned

Tzipporah was a dark-skinned Midianite (Ibn Ezra; Radak, Sherashim). Kushite in Hebrew, literally Ethiopian (cf. Targum Yonathan; Rashbam; Septuagint). It is from here that the tradition is derived that after he escaped from Egypt, Moses was a ruler in Ethiopia, and married an Ethiopian princess (Rashbam; Sefer HaYashar; Divrey Yamim DeMoshe; Yalkut Shimoni 168; Rashbam; Josephus, Antiquities 2:10:2). Or, 'a beautiful wife' (Targum; Saadia; Rashi; HaKethav VeHaKabbalah); or, 'a distinguished wife' (Rashi).

The woman...

Or, 'for he had divorced his beautiful wife' (Targum; Saadia; Rashi).

then went on to

(Rashbam).

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible(2011)    .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Updated ASV                         .

Updated ASV                         The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite[57] woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, “Has Jehovah indeed spoken only with Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And Jehovah heard it.

[57] LXX VG “Ethiopian”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            From the Monuments of longing desire, the people removed to Aseroth; and while they were at Aseroth, Mariam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of the Ethiopian woman whom Moses had taken; because he had taken to wife an Ethiopian woman, therefore they said, Hath the Lord spoken to Moses only? Hath he not spoken to us also? Numbers 11:35 is included for context.

Context Group Version          .

English Standard Version      .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        And Miriam speaks—Aaron also—against Moses concerning the circumstance of the Cushite woman whom he had taken, for he had taken a Cushite woman; and they say, “Has YHWH only spoken by Moses? Has he not also spoken by us?” And YHWH hears.

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, because he had married a Cushite woman.

And they said, Has Jehovah indeed spoken only with Moses? Has he not spoken also with us? And Jehovah heard it.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   . Title

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and Mir'yam spoke, and Aharon, with Mosheh, on account of the woman of Kush which he took, given that he took a woman of Kush, and they said, is it only with Mosheh YHWH will speak, is it also not with us YHWH will speak and hear,...

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young's Updated LT              .

The gist of this passage: 

Translation: And so Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses...

Miriam and Aaron both begin to speak against Moses. Miriam is named first, probably because she got her brother worked up over this.

Translation: ...because of the Cushite woman whom he took [in marriage],...

They were upset because Moses took a Cushite woman in marriage.

You may remember the mixed multitude who traveled with the Israelites. Some of them would have been Egyptians and some of them would have been Egyptian slaves from other lands. The Cushite woman was likely a slave taken by the Egyptians (and, it is also possible that she had been integrated into Egyptian culture).

Egypt and Kush (a map); from Short History; accessed April 17, 2025.

From Alen S: Kingdom of Kush was the second African civilization after Egypt built by an Egypt people who lived between the Nile River’s first and third cataracts. This region around the first cataract, called Nubia, had been conquered and colonized by Egypt in the fourth millenium BC. Because of this, Egyptian civilization diffused southward and a new African kingdom was built up in the floodplain around the Nile‘s third cataract: the Kush. Their capital city was Kerma and it served as the major trading center for goods traveling north from the southern regions of Africa.

Kush attained its greatest power and cultural energy between 1700 and 1500 BC during the Intermediate period in Egypt. The domination of Egypt by the Hyksos allowed Kush to come out from under the hegemony of Egypt and flower as a culture This period ended, however, when the Egyptians kings (pharaohs) founded a New Kingdom, having thrown the Hyksos out of Egypt, reconquered Kush and brought it under Egyptian colonial rule.

You may recall that Moses had been married, but that his wife had deserted him. He had a much better relationship with her father than with her. They had two sons and it is not even clear whether they are with him at this time.

Translation: ...for he took a Cushite woman [in marriage].

This seems to be a repetition what was just said. It seems to simply affirm that the accusation made by Miriam and Aaron was true.

Numbers 12:1 And so Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he took [in marriage], for he took a Cushite woman [in marriage]. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Although Miriam and Aaron have a different public approach, we are told that the only reason why they are speaking up now against Moses is, he married this Cushite woman.

First of all, this is not the same woman as Moses' Midianite wife of his youth, Zipporah. Miriam and Aaron are not going to suddenly object to this marriage forty years after the fact. If it was bad, they don't have to say a thing, because that would be obvious. This is a second marriage for Moses which had just taken place. There are two million people in this camp and a large number of them are single, Jewish women.

Cush is the Hebrew word for Ethiopia, south of Egypt. This is a woman who is a part of the much maligned mixed-multitude whom Moses married. We do not know where his first wife is. When he was under God's direction to lead the Jews out of Egypt, she deserted him because circumcising her sons was too yucky for her or Moses told her to return to her father, as she was going to stand in his way (Exodus 4:24–26 18:2). Her father brought her back, hearing of the great deliverance of Israel by Moses, but nothing is said of her; the true fellowship is between Moses and her father (Exodus 18). At this point in time, we have no idea as to where Zipporah is. She returned to her family before and it is possible that she went back with her father. Her father recognized the greatness of Moses and certainly, when joining Moses in Exodus 18, had thoughts of reuniting his daughter to this great man (as well as the enjoyment of his personal friendship with Moses). We do know that Moses' sons are probably with him, as they have been mentioned prior to this (Exodus 18:2) and will be mentioned later on (1Chronicles 23:15–16).

One of the issues which is occasionally brought into focus here is the race of this Cushite woman. It is very possible that she was black. Moses was raised with the Egyptians until age forty. Egyptians back to 2700 bc were brown-skinned with stiff, dark hair, according to a wall painting from the fourth dynasty. However, as we have noted, there is some confusion as to who exactly ruled Egypt during the time of Moses, so we do not know precisely what the Egyptians were racially during that time. I mention this, because this is what Moses would have become accustomed to. His adopted mother was also probably dark-skinned and what a mother looks like can have a great affect upon what a man will later find attractive. Furthermore, the Jewish people themselves, having been under forced labor for several hundred years, and because they are Semitic, would also have been darker skinned. We all certainly envision Moses as looking like Charlton Heston, but this is cultural conditioning. If you were to examine a photograph of some moderately dark, middle eastern men, say from Pakistan or Afghanistan, that would be much closer to the actual appearance of Moses than what we see. So there is no misunderstanding, even cleaned up and in a suit, Moses would have been denied entrance into the average white church in the 1950's or earlier. He was not Caucasian. Now, some have said that this woman that Moses marries here is a white Egyptian just does not have any foundation in fact. No matter who is in power in Egypt, it is likely that the people of Egypt are going to be darker-skinned, and in Ethiopia, even more so. In other words, there is no reason why we would think that this woman is not African; or, in the very least, dark-skinned. Furthermore, it is also possible that the New Testament Greek word for Ethiopian means dark-faced. All of this suggests that Moses' second wife was black. However, this is not the objection of Miriam and Aaron. Their problem is with her not being a Jew. They might have a problem with his being married to Zipporah. Now, Moses is not going to marry an unbeliever. There is no reason to doubt the sincerity of the mixed multitude. They may have been no better than Gen X of the Jews, but they were certainly no worse.

Also, there is another reason for believing that this woman is black. The term Cush or Cushite seems to differentiate this group from all others. We see such a usage of the word in Amos 9:7a, where God says to Israel: "Are you not as the sons of Cush [or, Ethiopia] to Me?" In a similar vein, it is possible that Cush in the inscription of Psalm 7:1 is a veiled reference to King Saul. The name Cush sets him apart from everyone else. In all of these references, Cush sets the person apart from everyone else. This would be an indication that this woman was black, set apart from all other women as Moses' wife. No matter what the reason is that Miriam (and Aaron) criticize Moses, it is none of their damn business who Moses wants to marry; nor does it matter how far outside his culture or race he is marrying. You will note that throughout this chapter, it will be Miriam who is disciplined for her foolish interference and not Moses. Moses can marry any woman that he wants, and it does not matter whether his family has approved of her or not. Moses was an adult a long time ago. His former wife is probably dead and he appears to have been separated from her for most of their marriage (we really don’t know whether she remained with Moses after her father returned her to Moses in Exodus 18—her track record would suggest that she did not).

Now, I realize that there is automatically the 1% who read this and read things which aren’t there. I am not saying that you should marry into another race nor am I saying that it is good when you can piss off members of your family with the person that you choose to marry. Those things are generally non-issues. However, if you are a believer, and you are considering marriage to an unbeliever, and your believing family protests, then you ought to listen to your family.

Translation: And so they say, “[Has] Y^ehowah spoken only by Moses?

Then these two start to misinterpret their place among the Jews. They ask, “Had Y^ehowah spoken only by Moses?”

The correct answer to this is, “Yes, pretty much, yes.”

Translation: Has He not also spoken through us?”

They continue speaking. “Has Y^ehowah not also spoken through us?”

For a short time, with the first few plagues, Moses had a difficult time with public speaking, and he asked God to allow Aaron to accompany him when speaking to Pharaoh. “Listen, I’m just going to get tongue-tied,” he maintained. God let him have Aaron, but, at a certain point, Moses stepped up, speaking directly to Pharaoh.

There were times when God spoke to both Moses and Aaron, primarily where the priesthood was an issue.

Miriam appears to have led singing of Moses’ great Exodus Anthem, repeating his words in a refrain with other female singers. That appears to be the extent of what the Bible has recorded on her (except for what we are reading here).

Translation: And Y^ehowah listened [to them]. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

It is not clear to whom Miriam and Aaron spoke. Perhaps they started working each other up, after the marriage took place. Perhaps they spoke to some of the administrators.

It is going to turn out and God did not particularly care for this approach by the older sister and older brother of Moses. They were a lot less special than they thought they were.

Numbers 12:2 And so they say, “[Has] Y^ehowah spoken only by Moses? Has He not also spoken through us?” And Y^ehowah listened [to them]. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

It has been clear, but not a law, up until this time, that the Jews were to intermarry. This did not forbid marriages with other nationalities. Joseph, after all, married an Egyptian woman (Genesis 41:45). The primary prohibition was aginst marrying Canaanites, who were too degenerate. Moses had made the mistake of marrying a woman who was not very supportive of his spiritual destiny (although her father was; and this would have indicated to Moses that she would have been). Moses accurately sized up her father and determined that she had come from good stock. However, he misjudged Zipporah—possibly confused by her beauty. Now he had made another decision to marry, which may or may not have been a good decision (this is over forty years later and Moses had become more people-smart since then). However, this was probably not what set Miriam off. She saw their family as being a triumvirate [pronounced try-UM-ver-it] over Israel, and her position of authority was challenged by the seventy elders chosen by Moses and ratified by God with the giving of the Holy Spirit. All of a sudden, she did not have official standing, and Moses was getting married to someone who could assume the power that she thought that she had. The Bible was never clear as to her position of authority (although Micah 6:4 indicates that she did have some and Exodus 15:20 indicates that she was a prophetess). Since that is an historical fact and not a precedent, we don't need to know what it was exactly. However, if God demoted Moses, he would have accepted it immediately. Here it appears that Miriam might be being demoted and she throws a hissy fit. As for Aaron, he is easily influenced and would go along with whoever convinces him.

Recall last chapter when other men were speaking as inspired by the Holy Spirit where Moses had not prepared them first, that this did not concern Moses. He saw no reason to censor them. Moses had no problems with his position of authority. He did not have to assert, defend or maintain it. God handled all of that. All he had to do was go along for the ride. However Miriam, and also Aaron, obviously influenced by Miriam (said in v. 1 is in the feminine singular), are concerned about their place in God's plan. They have to defend their status and Miriam wants to be on equal footing with Moses. Moses often had his authority challenged, as great men always face. We will see another challenge to his authority in Numbers 16:3 by Korah and the popular leaders chosen by the congregation of Israel.

There is quite a contrast between Moses and Miriam. Miriam cannot go to Y^ehowah directly. She has no direct contact to God. So she goes to Moses to complain that she does not have the spiritual authority that he does. She is not asking God to give her more authority in this regard, she is asking Moses to. She deserves it because God speaks through her just as He speaks through Moses. This is absurd and her argument is absurd. God will not even grant Miriam a private audience, so obviously, her spiritual authority is inferior to that of Moses. This would be found in the book of the Bible entitled Duh! Moses, on the other hand, would prefer to have less authority. Recall that just one chapter ago, in Numbers 11:10–15, that Moses desires less authority. He would prefer to delegate all of his responsibilities. He would prefer that Miriam and Aaron had authority equal to his in order to relieve some of the burden that God had placed upon him.

What we have here is a great contrast in motivation. Miriam is motivated by power lust, by jealousy and by arrogance—this is why she believes that she should be on an equal footing with Moses. Moses is, on the other hand, the most grace-oriented person in the world. He did not want the authority over the children of Israel in the first place and took this upon himself only because God so required this of him. His reason for wanting less authority is because he cannot give these people what they desire. Moses feels responsible for them (as any person in authority should feel) and asks for his position of authority to be removed because he cannot provide these people with what they want.

Numbers 12:1–2 And so Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he took [in marriage], for he took a Cushite woman [in marriage]. And so they say, “[Has] Y^ehowah spoken only by Moses? Has He not also spoken through us?” And Y^ehowah listened [to them]. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Numbers 12:1–2 Now Miriam and Aaron began to speak against Moses because he married a Cushite woman. They said things like, “Has Jehovah spoken only through Moses? Has He not also spoken through us?” Jehovah listened to them. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And the man Moses [was] humble exceedingly, from every man who [is] upon faces of the ground.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  .

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Aramaic Targum                    .

The Psalms Targum              .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) (For Moses was a man exceeding meek above all men that dwelt upon earth)

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Now the man Mosha was very humble, above all the men who were on the surface of the earth.

Original Aramaic Psalms        .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           (Now the man Moses [was] very meek, above all the men which [were] upon the face of the earth.)

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And the man Moses was very meek beyond all the men that were upon the earth.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Now the man Moses was more gentle than any other man on earth.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  (Moses was a very humble man. He was more humble than any other man on earth.)

God’s Word™                         .

Good News Bible (TEV)         (Moses was a humble man, more humble than anyone else on earth.)

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       Although Moses was the most humble person in all the world, Miriam and Aaron started complaining, "Moses had no right to marry that woman from Ethiopia! Who does he think he is? This is presented as most of v. 1 in the CEV.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        .

Unfolding Bible Simplified      The truth was that Moses was a very humble person. He was more humble than anyone else on the earth.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

Translation for Translators     .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Berean Study Bible                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                 The man Moses was very meek, more than all the men who were upon the face of the earth.

International Standard V        .

H. C. Leupold                         .

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Bible Literal Text    Now the man Moses was very humble, humbler than anyone else on earth.

Urim-Thummim Version         .

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than any man on the face of the earth.

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Catholic Bible                  .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Eth Cepher Bible                    (Now the man Mosheh was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               And the man Moses was very depressed, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.

Kaplan Translation                 Moses, however, was very humble, more so than any man on the face of the earth.

The Scriptures–2009              .

Tree of Life Version                Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone on the face of the earth.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            .

Awful Scroll Bible                   (Now the man Moses was very humble, the humblest of mankind turned toward the land.)

Concordant Literal Version    Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any human who was on the surface of the ground.

exeGeses companion Bible   Now Mosheh the man is mighty humble,

above all humanity on the face of the soil.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           (Now the man Moshe was anav me'od, above all the men which were upon the face of ha'adamah.).

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

International Standard V        .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    

Lexham English Bible            .

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 .

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. And Yahweh heard it. Now ||the man Moses|| was patient^j exceedingly,—above all the sons of earth, who were on the face of the ground.

^j Or: “tried.”

Updated ASV                         .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            .

Context Group Version          Now the man Moses was very non-violent, above all among man that were on the face of the land.

English Standard Version      .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        .

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  Now Moses, the man, was very meek, above all the men who were upon the face of the earth.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men who were upon the face of the earth.)

Owen's Translation                .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ... and the man Mosheh, a very gentle one, more than all the humans which are upon the face of the ground,...

Updated ASV                         Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than anyone on the face of the earth.

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men who were on the surface of the earth.

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             .

The gist of this passage: 

Translation: Now the man, Moses, [was] extremely humble,...

The word for humble is ʿânâv (עָנָו) [pronounced ģaw-NAWV] and it means humble, meek, grace-oriented and possibly poor or afflicted. We have studied the corresponding verb back in Leviticus 23:29. Strong's #6035 BDB #776.

The word translated humble is ʿânâv (עָנָו) [pronounced ģaw-NAWV], and it means, humble, meek, grace-oriented. Strong's #6035 BDB #776. Moses was not mealy-mouthed, he did not back down, he was not shy. The only time that he appeared to lack confidence was at the very beginning. At a certain point, Moses accepted his role as leader of the Hebrew people, despite becoming upset because of them (recall that he recently said, “Kill me now” because he got so sick of dealing with the Hebrew people).

Humility is not a posture which you assume. It is not saying a few self-deprecating remarks, when you can slip them into a conversation. Humility is a mental attitude, and it is recognizing Who God is and who we are. We are nothing before God; but through Him, there are great things which we can do. The most amazing thing about the Christian life is, we do not have to sit on the sidelines cheering. God allows every believer to play an important central role during his generation, and this role can be exploited to the max, as was the case with R. B. Thieme, Jr. (I mean exploited in a good way). This is for every believer in the Church Age. It does not matter how you look or what your personality is or how smart or dumb you see yourself as being (even if you are making a reasonably accurate self-appraisal). If you understand who you are and Who God is, that is fundamental to being grace oriented. If you realize that you are no more loved by God than any other believer in the plan of God; and that you cannot look down on other believers, that means you are becoming even more grace oriented.

Because God has a plan for all believers, some have very important leadership roles for the Church Age, and others of us play support roles. Before God, all of these positions are important. We should accept what God has placed before us and relish the chance to be integral to His plan.

Translation: ...more than any man who [is] upon the earth. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Moses is grace oriented more than any other man on the earth. This is quite a statement, because Moses is tough, he’s strong, he is a leader, and he can knock heads when he needs to. Yet, despite having such a pivotal and fundamental leadership role in nation Israel, he is still the most grace oriented person on the earth.

Numbers 12:3 Now the man, Moses, [was] extremely humble, more than any man who [is] upon the earth. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Once you learn rebound and the importance of taking in Bible doctrine, after that, the believer needs to understand grace orientation and be able to incorporate that into his life.

I’ve used this illustration before. I was one of the least athletic persons as a teenager. In 7^th grade, during P.E. class, I was typically picked last or second to the last when teams were chosen. During one football game (we played all the different sports during our time in P.E.), during the huddle, the team captain, Ed Nagle, told me to step across the goal line and he would throw me the ball. He did this because no one would be on me. If I walked over the goal line, there would be no one around me. He threw me the pass, to where it would have been almost impossible for me to drop it (I did catch it). This was the end of the game and we won.

This is what I liken my Christian life and Christian production to being. Over and over again, God throws me the ball and I catch it. It is His perfect plan, and I am no better in the plan of God than I was as a scrawny kid in 7^th grade. It was a grace operation when Ed Nagle threw that ball into my hands, and every single day is a grace operation in the plan of God. Except for the fact that, on many occasions in the plan of God, I do drop that ball. It is never a problem with the throwing; it is always a problem with me catching. Yet, although I do not deserve it in the least, God continues to throw to me.

Numbers 12:3 Moses was the most grace oriented person of his generation. (Kukis paraphrase)

This is an incredible statement. This is Moses, who could stand up to two million rebellious Jews and put them in their place. This is the man who, when many Jews fell into idol worship with the golden calf, grabbed them by the scruff of the neck and made them drink the ground-up gold in water. This is the man who writes repeated, thus said Yahweh. This is the man who, when the second generation will cry for water, he will yell, "Listen, now, you rebels, shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" (Numbers 20:10b). We think of humble as someone who is always looking down at his own feet, mumbling self-depreciatory things in a holy voice, shuffling, holding his head at half-mast, as Thieme used to say. When complimented, we think the humble person should shuffle his feet and look down and say "It wasn't nothing." That is phoney and meaningless. So is humility, improperly understood. Humility is grace-orientation. This means that you know just exactly who and what you are and Who and What God is. You are oriented to God's plan for your life. This might involve a leadership position and you might spend your life cleaning toilets. It doesn't matter. God has a plan and we are going to be happiest when in this plan. Grace-orientation is realizing that where God want you to be is what is perfect for you. Moses had no desire to lead, to have power, to exert his authority. He left Egypt, although he could have become the King of Egypt. When God wanted him to assume a position equal to that of Pharaoh, he asked for assistance from Aaron—not because he wanted to share the glory, but such a position was more than he was ready to take right off the bat. He had to warm up to it. If any one of you were offered the position of presidency tomorrow, you would snap it up in a second. Or if you were chosen to head a multi-million dollar industry, you would take it in a heartbeat, thinking that if they can do it, you can do it. We are arrogant fools. However, Moses was the most grace-oriented man on the face of planet earth in his day. In his grace-orientation lies his quiet greatness and nobility.

Our Lord said of Himself: "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My load is light." (Matthew 11:29–30 Jeremiah 6:16). This passage speak of the humility of the humanity of Jesus Christ. In His humanity, our Lord was also grace-oriented, allowing His strength to be in the Holy Spirit rather than depending upon His Own inherent diety. Our Lord also said, "Blessed [or, happy] are the gentle [the grace-oriented ones], for they will inherit the earth."(Matthew 5:5). Those of you who are grace-oriented like Moses, regardless of your IQ, your attractiveness, your social position—regardless of any other human factor—you will inherit the earth; you will assume a leadership position in this universe. And those of you here who are rich and attractive and successful—yet you lack grace-orientation—you will be working in their cotton fields (and you will like it). And no matter what human status you have now, you will spend your eternity in constant pain and suffering in the Lake of Fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

I should point out that some scholars believe that this statement was inserted by Joshua several decades later.

In fact, Gleason Archer writes: Apart from Deuteronomy 34 (which must have been an obituary written after Moses' death), no passage in the Pentateuch has been more frequently cited as an evidence of non-Mosaic authorship than this verse.

Although that it is possible that someone else wrote this, is it not necessary. The reasoning is that Moses would not be meek if he wrote a statement claiming meekness. Poppycock. Now that we understand what meekness is, we should have no reason to take this stance.

J.W. Haley wrote: The objectionable words were inserted to explain why it was that Moses took no steps to vindicate himself, and why, consequently, the Lord had so promptly intervened.

Moses was guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, which allowed him to record his greatness as well as his weaknesses—which he did with perfect accuracy and objectivity. This is no different than the Apostle Paul, in defense of his own Apostolic authority, writing: For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent Apostles (2Corinthians 11:5; see also 12:11–12). It is a simple matter of God the Holy Spirit causing both men to record the objective truth.

See The Edification Complex, toward God and toward man (original with R. B. Thieme, Jr.), which is in the Addendum.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so speaks Y^ehowah suddenly unto Moses and unto Aaron and unto Miryam, “Go, a three of you (all) unto a Tent of the Appointment.” And so go a three of them. And so descends Y^ehowah in a pillar of cloud and so He takes a stand [at] an opening of the Tent. And so He calls [to] Aaron and Miryam and so goes a two of them.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  .

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Aramaic Targum                    .

The Psalms Targum              .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) Immediately he spoke to him, and to Aaron and Mary: Come out you three only to the tabernacle of the covenant. And when they were come out,

The Lord came down in a pillar of the cloud, and stood in the entry of the tabernacle calling to Aaron and Mary. And when they were come,...

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Mar-Yah spoke suddenly to Mosha, to Aaron, and to Miriam, "You three come out to the Tabernacle!" The three of them came out.

Mar-Yah 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.

Original Aramaic Psalms        .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.

And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood [in] the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And the Lord said immediately to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, Come forth all three of you to the tabernacle of witness.

And the three came forth to the tabernacle of witness; and the Lord descended in a pillar of a cloud, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of witness; and Aaron and Miriam were called; and both came forth.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, Come out, you three, to the Tent of meeting. And the three of them went out. 

And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, taking his place at the door of the Tent, and made Aaron and Miriam come before him.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  So suddenly, the LORD came and spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. He said, "You three, come to the Meeting Tent, now!" So Moses, Aaron, and Miriam went to the Tent.

The LORD came down in the tall cloud and stood at the entrance to the Tent. He called out, "Aaron and Miriam!" They went to him.

God’s Word™                         Suddenly, the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "All three of you come to the tent of meeting." So all three of them came.

Then the LORD came down in the column of smoke and stood at the entrance to the tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "I want the three of you to come out to the Tent of my presence." They went, and the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance of the Tent, and called out, "Aaron! Miriam!" The two of them stepped forward, and the LORD said, "Now hear what I have to say! When there are prophets among you, I reveal myself to them in visions and speak to them in dreams. V. 6 is included for context.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       The LORD heard their complaint and told Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to come to the entrance of the sacred tent. There the LORD appeared in a cloud and told Aaron and Miriam to come closer. A portion of v. 1 is included for context. (The CEV has vv. 1, 4, 5; no v. 2 or 3)

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        .

Unfolding Bible Simplified      So immediately Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam. He said, "All three of you must go and stand at the sacred tent." So they did that.  

Then Yahweh descended to the entrance of the tent in a cloud that resembled a huge white pillar. He told Aaron and Miriam to step forward, so they did.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

Translation for Translators     .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Berean Study Bible                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                          And Jehovah spoke suddenly to Moses, to Aaron, to Miriam, Come out, you three, to the tent of appointed meeting. And they three went out.

And Jehovah came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam, and they two went out.

International Standard V        All of a sudden, the Lord told Moses, Aaron, and Miriam: “The three of you are to come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three of them went out.

Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. So both of them went forward.

H. C. Leupold                         .

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Bible Literal Text    .

Urim-Thummim Version         YHWH spoke suddenly to Moses, and to Aaron and Miriam, Let all three of you come out to the Tabernacle at the Appointed Place. And the three came out.

YHWH came down in the Pillar of the Cloud- mass and stood in the entrance of the Tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam and they both came forward.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  .

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Catholic Bible                  .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Eth Cepher Bible                    And Yahuah spoke suddenly unto El־Mosheh, and unto El־Aharon, and unto Miryam, Come out ye three unto the Tabernacle of the assembly. And they three came out. 

And Yahuah came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the Tabernacle, and called Aharon and Miryam: and they both came forth.

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Kaplan Translation                 Miriam's Punishment

God suddenly said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, 'All three of you go out to the Communion Tent!'

When the three of them went out,

God descended in a pillar of cloud and stood at the Tent's entrance. He summoned Aaron and Miriam, and both of them went forth.

The Scriptures–2009              And suddenly יהוה said to Mosheh, and Aharon, and Miryam, “You three, come out to the Tent of Appointment!” So the three came out. 

And יהוה came down in the column of cloud and stood in the door of the Tent, and called Aharon and Miryam. And they both went forward.

Tree of Life Version                Immediately, Adonai said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “The three of you, come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three came out.

Adonai descended in a column of cloud, stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and called to Aaron and Miriam. The two of them stepped forward.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            AND JESUS SAID IMMEDIATELY TO MOSES AND AARON AND MARIAM, COME FORTH ALL THREE OF YOU TO THE TABERNACLE OF WITNESS.

AND THE THREE CAME FORTH TO THE TABERNACLE OF WITNESS; AND JESUS DESCENDED IN A PILLAR OF A CLOUD, AND STOOD AT THE DOOR OF THE TABERNACLE OF WITNESS; AND AARON AND MARIAM WERE CALLED; AND BOTH CAME FORTH.

Awful Scroll Bible                   Sustains To Become was to speak in a sudden to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam: Be going out yous three, to the tent of the appointed place. The three are to maintain to go out there.

Sustains To Become was to descend in the pillar of a cloud mass, and was to stand at the opening of the tent, and was to call Aaron and Miriam, and the two of them were coming forth.

Concordant Literal Version    Yahweh said suddenly to Moses, to Aaron and to Miriam: Come forth, you three, to the tent of appointment. And the three of them went forth.

Yahweh descended in the column of cloud and stood at the opening of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam. And the two of them went forth.

exeGeses companion Bible   And suddenly, Yah Veh says to Mosheh

and to Aharon and to Miryam,

Come out you three to the tent of the congregation.

- and the three come out.

And Yah Veh descends in the pillar of the cloud

and stands in the opening of the tent

and calls Aharon and Miryam:

and the two come forth:...

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Hashem spoke suddenly unto Moshe, and unto Aharon, and unto Miryam, Come out ye three unto the Ohel Mo'ed. And they three came out.

And Hashem came down in an Ammud Anan, and stood in the entrance of the Ohel, and He called Aharon and Miryam; and they both came forth.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. Then said Yahwehˎ suddenlyˎ unto Mosesˎ and unto Aaronˎ and unto Miriam,

Come outˎ ye threeˎ unto the tent of meeting. And they three wentʹ out. Then Yahweh came downˎ in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent,—and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both went forth.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

International Standard V        .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    

Lexham English Bible            Now the man, Moses, was more humble than any other person on the face of the earth, and Yahweh said suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Go out, you three, to the tent of assembly.” So the three of them when out. And Yahweh went down in a column of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and he called Aaron and Miriam, and the two of them went, and he said,

“Please hear my words:

If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh,

will make myself known to him in a vision.

I will speak to him in a dream. [Hebrew “the dream”].

Vv. 3–6 in the LEB.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 .

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Updated ASV                         .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  . in the door

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            .

Context Group Version          .

English Standard Version      .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        .

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  And Jehovah spoke suddenly to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam, Come out the three of you* to the tent of meeting. And the three came out.

And Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the door of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both came forth.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   .

Owen's Translation                .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and YHWH said suddenly to Mosheh, and to Aharon, and to Mir'yam, the three of you go out to the appointed tent, and the three of them went out, and YHWH went down in a pillar of cloud, and he stood at the opening of the tent, and he called out Aharon and Mir'yam, and the two of them went out,...

Updated ASV                         And Jehovah spoke suddenly to Moses, and to Aaron, and to Miriam, “Come out you three to the tent of meeting.” And the three came out. And Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward.

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             .

The gist of this passage: 

4-5

Translation: Suddenly, Y^ehowah spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron and unto Miriam,...

God suddenly speaks to Moses, Aaron and Miriam. They are listed separately because it is likely that Moses was not around where Aaron and Miriam were, complaining about him.

The adverb used here is pith^eʾôm (פִּתְאֹם) [pronounced pith-OHM], and it means, suddenness, suddenly; in a moment, in an instant; at that instant. Strong’s #6597 BDB #837.

You may or may not get this, but this is quite humorous. Aaron and Miriam are telling a few people how God speaks through them just as He speaks through Moses. So, suddenly, God is speaking to them. Rarely did God speak to Aaron and it is possible that God never spoke to Miriam, apart from the giving of the Ten Commandments. So God speaking to them suddenly like that must have shaken them up.

There they are, telling some of Moses’ subordinates, how God speaks through them. And suddenly, God speaks to them saying, “Listen, I need to see you two in My office, right now.”

Translation: ...[saying], “Go, the three of you (all) to the Tent of Meeting.”

God apparently speaks to all of them, saying, “Go, all three of you, to the Tent of Meeting. Now.”

So, if they are in two or three different places (which I think is indicated by v. 4a), they know that all three of them will come to the Tent of Meeting before God.

Translation: And so the three of them go.

Obviously, all three of them head over to the Tent of Meeting.

Numbers 12:4 Suddenly, Y^ehowah spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron and unto Miriam, [saying], “Go, the three of you (all) to the Tent of Meeting.” And so the three of them go. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Miriam and Aaron have no business trying to run Moses' life. Nor does God speak to them as He does to Moses. They need to be straightened out immediately. The structure of authority and who is in charge is at stake here, and God immediately deal with the problem of Aaron and Miriam. Now, Aaron will go along with whatever, but Miriam needs to have her head screwed on right. If Moses tells Aaron that he must verball present God's message to Pharaoh, he'll do it. If the Jews tell Aaron that Moses has been up on the mountain for too long and Aaron needs to build a gold calf idol, he'll do it. If Miriam tells Aaron that Moses just should not be marrying this Ethiopian woman, he'll go along with her. Aaron likes everyone and wants to get along with everyone and wants everyone to be happy. He is not so much concerned with compromising his position on doctrine as he is with getting along with everyone. Aaron is spineless and easily influenced, which is why God did not choose Aaron to run the show. Aaron got dominated early in life by Miriam, and he was unable to function appart from someone telling him what to do. God removed Moses from the household so that his older sister would not have an undue amount of influence over his life.