Polyglot Bible: Numbers: Numbers 12

This is a parallel-text biblical passage presenting Numbers 12 in four versions side by side: the King James Version (English), the Septuagint (ancient Greek), the Masoretic Tanakh (Hebrew), and the Latin Vulgate. The passage recounts Miriam and Aaron's challenge to Moses' unique prophetic authority, ostensibly triggered by Moses' marriage to a Cushite (Ethiopian) woman. God intervenes directly, descending in a cloud pillar to rebuke them: while other prophets receive visions and dreams, Moses alone speaks with God "mouth to mouth," face to face, without riddles or figures — a claim of singular intimacy that makes their criticism especially grave. As punishment, Miriam is struck with leprosy "white as snow"; Aaron escapes the same fate, pleads with Moses on her behalf, and Moses in turn intercedes with God for her healing. God relents but requires Miriam to remain outside the camp for seven days — a ritual shame period compared to the disgrace of a father spitting in a daughter's face — after which she is readmitted and the Israelites resume their journey from Hazeroth to the wilderness of Paran. The parallel-text format is characteristic of scholarly biblical or interlinear editions designed for close comparative reading across manuscript traditions and translation history.

Polyglot Bible: Numbers: Numbers 12

Related pages View as graph →