Numbers 12:8 kjv
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
Numbers 12:8 nkjv
I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?"
Numbers 12:8 niv
With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
Numbers 12:8 esv
With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
Numbers 12:8 nlt
I speak to him face to face,
clearly, and not in riddles!
He sees the LORD as he is.
So why were you not afraid
to criticize my servant Moses?"
Numbers 12 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 12:6-7 | "...If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses..." | Context: Contrasts Moses' unique status to others. |
| Exod 33:11 | "Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend..." | Confirms "mouth to mouth" directness. |
| Deut 34:10 | "And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face." | Affirms Moses' unparalleled prophetic standing. |
| Exod 33:23 | "Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." | Clarifies "form": not a full vision of God's face. |
| Deut 5:4-5 | "The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain... while I stood between the LORD and you..." | Reiterates direct revelation at Sinai. |
| Exod 24:10-11 | "They saw the God of Israel... and He laid not His hand on the nobles... they beheld God and ate and drank." | Mentions limited divine manifestation seen by others. |
| Heb 1:1-2 | "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son..." | Progression of divine revelation, from prophets to Christ. |
| John 1:18 | "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known." | Jesus as the ultimate, full revelation of God. |
| 1 Sam 3:1 | "Now the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision." | Visions as a common, yet sometimes rare, form of prophecy. |
| Joel 2:28 | "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." | Examples of typical prophetic modes (dreams/visions). |
| Deut 18:18 | "I will raise up for them a a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put My words in his mouth..." | Foreshadows a future "prophet like Moses" (Christ). |
| Exod 16:8 | "Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD." | Challenging God's servant is challenging God. |
| 1 Sam 8:7 | "...They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them." | Rejection of God's appointed leader is rejection of God. |
| Rom 13:1-2 | "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities... whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed..." | Principle of respecting divinely instituted authority. |
| Jude 1:8 | "Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones." | Warns against rejecting divine authority (parallel to Miriam/Aaron). |
| 2 Pet 2:10 | "and especially those who indulge in a fleshly desire for defiling and despise authority." | Condemnation of despising authority. |
| Prov 1:7 | "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." | Links fear of God to wisdom. Miriam/Aaron lacked this fear. |
| Prov 9:10 | "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." | Reiterates fear of the Lord as fundamental wisdom. |
| Isa 8:13 | "But the LORD of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread." | Whom to fear and honor (God Himself). |
| Phil 2:12 | "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling..." | The need for fear and reverence in life and service. |
| Ps 111:10 | "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding." | Repetition of the importance of fear. |
| Rev 22:4 | "They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads." | Future hope of full, unveiled sight of God's face. |
| Acts 7:38 | "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us." | Stephen's sermon highlights Moses' unique role in receiving God's words. |
Numbers 12 verses
Numbers 12 8 Meaning
Numbers 12:8 describes God's unique and direct relationship with Moses. God declares that He speaks with Moses "mouth to mouth," meaning openly, intimately, and without intermediaries. This communication is "clearly and not in riddles," emphasizing its plainness and freedom from ambiguity, unlike the prophetic dreams or visions given to other prophets. Furthermore, Moses is privileged to "behold the form of the Lord," signifying a special manifestation of God's presence, though not His ultimate essence. This profound intimacy and unique revelation made Moses an unparalleled prophet. The verse concludes with a rhetorical question expressing divine indignation: "Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?" This highlights Miriam and Aaron's grave error in challenging God's specially appointed and highly esteemed servant, an act that demonstrated a profound lack of reverence for God Himself.
Numbers 12 8 Context
Numbers chapter 12 details a significant challenge to Moses' leadership by his own siblings, Miriam and Aaron. Their specific complaint begins with Moses' Cushite wife, but swiftly escalates to a direct questioning of his unique prophetic authority: "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" (Num 12:2). This challenge undermines the divinely established order and Moses' preeminence. Immediately following this challenge, God directly intervenes. He calls all three—Moses, Aaron, and Miriam—to the Tent of Meeting, asserting His absolute authority. He then explains, as detailed in Numbers 12:6-7, that while He reveals Himself to other prophets through dreams and visions, Moses has a singular relationship with Him. Numbers 12:8 serves as the culmination of God's defense of Moses, firmly establishing the unparalleled nature of their communication and Moses' special status as "My servant." The passage directly responds to Miriam and Aaron's presumptuous claims, revealing the profound depth of Moses' communion with God and the grave error in their irreverent defiance. This historical context emphasizes the critical importance of divine authority and respecting God's chosen leaders.
Numbers 12 8 Word analysis
- פֶּה אֶל פֶּה (peh el peh): "mouth to mouth." This idiom denotes extremely close, direct, and unmediated communication. It signifies intimacy and a personal encounter without the use of symbols, dreams, or intermediaries. It implies full consciousness and immediate understanding, in contrast to the symbolic and often obscure nature of typical prophetic revelation.
- אֲדַבֶּר בּוֹ (adaber bo): "I speak with him." The verb is in the imperfect form, emphasizing ongoing or habitual action. It highlights that this direct communication is characteristic of God's interaction with Moses. God is the active agent in this speaking.
- וּמַרְאֶה (u'mar'eh): "and clearly" or "in clear sight/appearance." Derived from the root ra'ah (to see), it here denotes a clear, unveiled manner of communication. It means "in plain view" or "plainly," in distinction from symbolic forms. It contributes to the idea of a distinct, unblurred vision or understanding. Some interpret it as "appearance," hinting at a direct visual element.
- וְלֹא בְחִידֹת (welo b'chidot): "and not in riddles." Chidah (חִידָה) refers to an enigma, puzzle, or obscure saying. This phrase directly contrasts Moses' revelation with the less straightforward, often parabolic, or symbolic messages received by other prophets (cf. Num 12:6). It emphasizes clarity, immediacy, and full comprehension, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
- וּתְמֻנַת יְהוָה (ut'munat Yahweh): "and the form/likeness of the Lord." Temunah (תְּמוּנָה) refers to a visible likeness, image, or resemblance. This is a very significant and unique word choice, distinct from ordinary "vision" (mar'eh) which other prophets experience. While it doesn't mean Moses saw the full essence of God (which is impossible for humans to behold, Exo 33:20), it indicates a profound, perceptible manifestation or outline of God's presence, unlike what any other prophet experienced. This direct impression further cements Moses' exceptional standing.
- יַבִּיט (yabbit): "he beholds" or "he gazes." From the verb nabat, which suggests intentional and steady gazing, often with contemplation or attention. Moses actively looks at and perceives this manifestation of God's presence, indicating a unique capacity for communion and direct understanding.
- וּמַדּוּעַ (u'madua): "and why?" This strong interrogative expresses God's astonishment and severe displeasure. It highlights the irrationality and presumption of Miriam and Aaron's challenge, given Moses' unparalleled standing.
- לֹא יְרֵאתֶם (lo y're'tem): "were you not afraid?" Yare (יָרֵא) means to fear, revere, stand in awe of, or respect. God implies a fundamental failure in reverential awe on the part of Miriam and Aaron. Their actions show a distinct lack of appropriate fear and respect for divine authority embodied in Moses.
- לְדַבֵּר בְּעַבְדִּי בְמֹשֶׁה (l'daber b'avdi b'mosheh): "to speak against My servant Moses." 'Avdi (עַבְדִּי) is the possessive "My servant," a title of great honor and intimacy, indicating Moses' unique bond and subservience to God's will. Speaking against (literally, "in") Moses, God's special servant, is tantamount to speaking against God Himself, underscoring the severity of their sin. The repetition of "My servant Moses" emphasizes the sacred trust placed upon Moses by God.
Numbers 12 8 Bonus section
The uniqueness of Moses, as articulated in Numbers 12:8 and later affirmed in Deuteronomy 34:10, points forward to the ultimate revelation of God in Jesus Christ. While Moses saw a "form" or "likeness," John 1:18 declares that "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." This highlights that Jesus, as God incarnate, provides the full, unveiled, and perfect revelation of the Father, fulfilling the type of unique divine intimacy hinted at by Moses. The penalty Miriam received (leprosy) for her transgression immediately following this divine pronouncement further underscored the severe consequences of challenging God's authority vested in His servant. It's not simply a punishment for murmuring but a powerful demonstration of the sanctity of God's choice and the gravity of their irreverence.
Numbers 12 8 Commentary
Numbers 12:8 unequivocally establishes Moses as the preeminent prophet of the Old Testament, a benchmark against which all others are measured. God's declaration emphasizes the direct, unmediated, and lucid nature of His communication with Moses ("mouth to mouth," "clearly and not in riddles"). This contrasts sharply with the symbolic or veiled revelations given to other prophets through dreams and visions, as detailed in the preceding verse. The mention that Moses "beholds the form of the Lord" signifies a profound, perceptible, albeit partial, manifestation of God's presence, granting Moses a level of divine communion unsurpassed by any other. This verse serves as a stern divine rebuke to Miriam and Aaron's arrogant challenge, framing their actions not merely as a dispute with their brother, but as a direct affront to God's established authority and a profound lack of "fear of the Lord." It teaches that challenging God's specially appointed instruments, especially those with such unique divine intimacy, is a perilous act of rebellion against God Himself.