Numbers 12 15

Numbers 12:15 kjv

And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

Numbers 12:15 nkjv

So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again.

Numbers 12:15 niv

So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

Numbers 12:15 esv

So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again.

Numbers 12:15 nlt

So Miriam was kept outside the camp for seven days, and the people waited until she was brought back before they traveled again.

Numbers 12 verses

Numbers 12 15 Meaning

Numbers 12:15 records the consequence of Miriam's sin of speaking against Moses and the Lord's unique choice of him. Following her leprosy and the command for her isolation, this verse states that Miriam was secluded outside the camp for seven days. Crucially, the entire community of Israel halted their journey during this period, waiting for her restoration and readmission before continuing their movement in the wilderness. It illustrates the interconnectedness of the community, where the sin and purification of one member, especially a prominent leader like Miriam, impacted the progress of all.

Numbers 12 15 Context

Numbers chapter 12 details the rebellion of Miriam and Aaron against Moses, primarily challenging his authority and his Cushite wife. This immediate challenge to divine leadership prompts God's swift and severe intervention. God Himself summons Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to the Tent of Meeting, asserting Moses' unique prophetic relationship with Him—face-to-face, not through visions or dreams. As a consequence of her direct challenge to the Lord's chosen leader, Miriam is afflicted with tzara'at (often translated leprosy, but a broader skin ailment with cultic implications) as white as snow. Moses immediately intercedes for her, demonstrating his humility and compassionate leadership. Aaron acknowledges their sin. God then dictates that Miriam must be isolated outside the camp for seven days, mirroring the prescribed purification period for such an ailment found in Leviticus. Verse 15 highlights the direct impact of her purification process on the entire nation, emphasizing the holiness and interconnectedness of the community in their wilderness journey.

Numbers 12 15 Word analysis

• So Miriam: Signifies the immediate effect of God's judgment from the preceding verses (Num 12:10). Miriam is explicitly singled out, demonstrating personal responsibility for her actions. She was one of the two main antagonists in the preceding verses.
• was shut out: The Hebrew word is סָגַר (sagar). It implies being enclosed, shut in, or shut out, often with a sense of being barred or confined. In this context, it refers to a forcible expulsion and isolation due to cultic impurity, preventing her from interacting with the pure community. This 'shutting out' aligns with the laws of tzara'at in Leviticus.
• from the camp: The Hebrew is מַחֲנֶה (machaneh), referring to the encampment of Israel. The camp was not just a military encampment but the consecrated space where God dwelt in the tabernacle. Exclusion from the camp was a visible symbol of ritual impurity and separation from God's holy presence and His people. It highlighted the serious breach of the communal purity essential for the presence of the Holy God (Deut 23:14).
• seven days: In Mosaic law (e.g., Lev 13:4, 21, 50), a seven-day period was the standard isolation or purification period for tzara'at and other defilements. This period signified a completed time of judgment and, often, a waiting period before potential re-integration or new beginning, emphasizing a divinely ordained, precise duration for the discipline.
• and the people: Highlights the communal impact of individual sin, especially when that individual is a leader. Miriam's actions and subsequent discipline did not only affect her but also the collective body of Israel.
• did not journey: The Hebrew is נָסַע (nasa), meaning to pluck up, pull out, set out, or journey. It implies a complete halt to their progress. The movement of the Israelites was normally guided by the cloud over the Tabernacle, symbolizing God's direct leading (Num 9:15-23). The stopping here demonstrates a divine directive, implying God's own will was for the people to wait, showing the profound weight of Miriam's sin and her cleansing on the nation's spiritual and physical progress.
• till Miriam was brought in again: The Hebrew root is אָסַף (asaph), meaning to gather, collect, receive, or restore. This signifies a process of reception and re-integration back into the community and its activities. Her re-entry implies that the period of impurity and discipline was completed, and she was again deemed ritually clean and able to join the assembly, allowing the journey to resume.

• "was shut out from the camp seven days": This phrase encapsulates the legal and symbolic act of purification and isolation. It demonstrates the seriousness of the offense in God's eyes, requiring public and enforced separation, aligning God's judgment with established laws of ceremonial cleanliness.
• "and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again": This highlights the profound interconnectedness within God's covenant community. The defilement of a leader, and God's subsequent discipline, affected the entire nation's progress. It conveys a significant spiritual lesson: the unaddressed sin and its consequences, particularly within leadership, can hinder the corporate advancement and blessings of God's people. The resumption of the journey was conditional upon Miriam's proper restoration, symbolizing purity within the body being a prerequisite for forward movement.

Numbers 12 15 Bonus section

The immediate and significant impact of Miriam's sin on the entire Israelite community's journey serves as a powerful reminder of corporate responsibility and the ripple effect of sin within any group, especially God's people. Just as a physical ailment could halt their literal progress in the desert, so can spiritual unholiness or unaddressed rebellion hinder the spiritual progress and mission of the church or any believing community. This verse implicitly suggests that God sometimes stops the "journey" or forward momentum of His people until matters of sin and purification are adequately addressed within. It also subtly emphasizes Moses' leadership. Even as Miriam had attacked him, he was the one to intercede, highlighting his grace, while God's upholding of his authority was made clear to all through the halted journey.

Numbers 12 15 Commentary

Numbers 12:15 succinctly captures the profound implications of sin, divine judgment, and communal solidarity within ancient Israel. Miriam's exclusion was a direct, visible consequence of her defiant words against God's chosen leader and thus against God Himself. The seven-day period, rooted in Levitical purification rites for tzara'at, underscored the gravity of her ceremonial and moral defilement. More significantly, the halt of the entire nation's wilderness journey until her restoration demonstrates a vital theological principle: the sin of one, particularly a prominent individual, affects the whole body. God’s discipline not only purified Miriam but also taught the entire community about the sacredness of His chosen leadership and the necessity of corporate purity. The fact that their progress was tied to her re-admission signifies that corporate purity is essential for corporate advance, and that true restoration requires a completed process, not merely immediate forgiveness. God is meticulous in His dealings with sin, showing that His holiness demands specific processes for restoration to ensure reverence and purity within His camp.