Prophetess; sister of Moses and Aaron
c. 1400 BC · Old Testament
The older sister of Moses who watched over him in the basket on the Nile, led Israel in song after the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 15), and was the first woman called a prophetess in the Bible (Exodus 15:20).
Miriam was the eldest sibling of Moses and Aaron (Numbers 26:59), daughter of Amram and Jochebed of the tribe of Levi. As a young girl, she watched over baby Moses when their mother placed him in a basket on the Nile to escape Pharaoh's killing of Hebrew male infants. When Pharaoh's daughter discovered the baby, Miriam stepped forward and offered to find a Hebrew nurse — fetching her own mother (Exodus 2:4-8). This saved Moses' life and ensured he was nursed by his own family. Miriam appears next at the Red Sea. After Israel crossed and Pharaoh's army was drowned, Miriam led the women in song and dance: 'Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances' (Exodus 15:20). She is the first woman in Scripture called 'prophetess.' Her song echoed Moses' song: 'Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.' But Miriam also failed. In Numbers 12, she and Aaron spoke against Moses concerning his Cushite (Ethiopian) wife. The deeper issue was envy: 'Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us?' The LORD called them to the tabernacle, defended Moses as 'faithful in all mine house,' and rebuked Aaron and Miriam. Miriam was struck with leprosy, white as snow. Aaron pleaded with Moses; Moses prayed: 'Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee' (Numbers 12:13). She was healed but had to remain outside the camp for seven days. The whole journey was halted for her recovery. Miriam died in the wilderness of Zin at Kadesh and was buried there (Numbers 20:1). Her death is the trigger for Israel's complaint about water that led to Moses striking the rock — and to Moses' own exclusion from the Promised Land. The prophet Micah honors Miriam alongside Moses and Aaron as leaders of the Exodus: 'I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam' (Micah 6:4).
Brings their mother as nurse
First woman called prophetess
With Aaron
Outside camp 7 days
Buried in wilderness of Zin
Miriam's significance: (1) She is the first woman in Scripture called 'prophetess' (Exodus 15:20). (2) Her watchful care preserved Moses' life as an infant. (3) She led Israel's women in worship after the Red Sea — a model of corporate praise. (4) Her failure (Numbers 12) shows that even spiritual leaders can fall into envy and rivalry. (5) Her honor in Micah 6:4 — listed with Moses and Aaron — shows God remembered her leadership.
“Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.”— Exodus 15:21
Miriam was the older sister of Moses and Aaron, daughter of Amram and Jochebed of the tribe of Levi. As a young girl she watched over baby Moses in the basket on the Nile (Exodus 2:4-8). She is the first woman in Scripture called 'prophetess' (Exodus 15:20) and led Israel's women in song after the Red Sea crossing. She later sinned against Moses (Numbers 12) and was struck with leprosy; she was healed after Moses' prayer. She died at Kadesh (Numbers 20:1).
Exodus 15:20-21 — 'And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.' She led the women of Israel in song and dance praising God for the victory over Pharaoh. This is one of the great worship moments in the OT.
Numbers 12 — Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses' Cushite wife, but the deeper issue was envy: 'Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us?' (Numbers 12:2). The LORD rebuked them, defending Moses' unique relationship with him ('with him will I speak mouth to mouth' — Numbers 12:8). Miriam was struck with leprosy as a sign of God's displeasure. Aaron pleaded with Moses; Moses prayed for her healing.
Micah 6:4 lists her with Moses and Aaron as the three God sent to lead Israel out of Egypt: 'I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt... and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.' Despite her failure in Numbers 12, God remembered her leadership and prophetic ministry. She is one of the few women in the OT explicitly called a prophetess — alongside Deborah, Huldah, and a few others.