Numbers 12 · Verse 14

Numbers 12:14

And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.
Numbers 12:14, King James Version

Numbers 12:14 in other translations

BSBBut the LORD answered Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”
WEBThe LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, shouldn’t she be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut up outside of the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.”
ASVAnd Jehovah said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut up without the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.
YLTAnd Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘And her father had but spat in her face--is she not ashamed seven days? she is shut out seven days at the outside of the camp, and afterwards she is gathered.'
DARBYAnd Jehovah said to Moses, But had her father anyways spat in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? She shall be shut outside the camp seven days, and afterwards she shall be received in again.
BBEAnd the Lord said to Moses, If her father had put a mark of shame on her, would she not be shamed for seven days? Let her be shut up outside the tent-circle for seven days, and after that she may come in again.
WebsterAnd the LORD said to Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received again.

What does Numbers 12:14 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
14. her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days?--The Jews, in common with all people in the East, seem to have had an intense abhorrence of spitting, and for a parent to express his displeasure by doing so on the person of one of his children, or even on the ground in his presence, separated that child as unclean from society for seven days.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 14 If her father had but spit in her face - This appears to have been done only in cases of great provocation on the part of the child, and strong irritation on the side of the parent. Spitting in the face was a sign of the deepest contempt. See Job 30:10; Isa 50:6; Mar 14:65. In a case where a parent was obliged by the disobedient conduct of his child to treat him in this way, it appears he was banished from the father's presence for seven days. If then this was an allowed and judged case in matters of high provocation on the part of a child, should not the punishment be equally severe where the creature has rebelled against the Creator? Therefore Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days, and thus debarred from coming into the presence of God her father, who is represented as dwelling among the people. To a soul who knows the value and inexpressible blessedness of communion with God, how intolerable must seven days of spiritual darkness be! But how indescribably wretched must their case be who are cast out into outer darkness, where the light of God no more shines, and where his approbation can no more be felt for ever! Reader, God save thee from so great a curse! Several of the fathers suppose there is a great mystery hidden in the quarrel of Miriam and Aaron with Moses and Zipporah. Origen (and after him several others) speaks of it in the following manner: - "1. Zipporah, a Cushite espoused by Moses, evidently points out the choice which Jesus Christ has made of the Gentiles for his spouse and Church. 2. The jealousy of Aaron and Miriam against Moses and Zipporah signifies the hatred and envy of the Jews against Christ and the apostles, when they saw that the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven had been opened to the Gentiles, of which they had rendered themselves unworthy. 3. The leprosy with which Miriam was smitten shows the gross ignorance of the Jews, and the ruinous, disordered state of their religion, in which there is neither a head, a temple, nor a sacrifice. 4. Of none but Jesus Christ can it be said that he was the most meek and patient of men; that he saw God face to face; that he had every thing clearly revealed without enigmatical representations; and that he was faithful in all the house of God." This, and much more, Origen states in the sixth and seventh homilies on the book of Numbers, and yet all this he considers as little in comparison of the vast mysteries that lie hidden in these accounts; for the shortness of the time, and the magnitude of the mysteries, only permit him "to pluck a few flowers from those vast fields - not as many as the exuberance of those fields afford, but only such as by their odour he was led to select from the rest." Licebat tamen ex ingentibus campis paucos flosculos legere, et non quantum ager exuberet, sed quantum ordoratui supiciat, carpere.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 12:10-16

The cloud departed, and Miriam became leprous. When God goes, evil comes: expect no good when God departs. Her foul tongue, as Bishop Hall says, was justly punished with a foul face. Aaron, as priest, was judge of the leprosy. He could not pronounce her leprous without trembling, knowing himself to be equally guilty. But if she was thus punished for speaking against Moses, what will become of those who sin against…

Read the full comment on Numbers 12:10-16 →

Numbers 12:14 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
יְהוָ֜הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מֹשֶׁ֗הmo.ShehMosesH4872
וְאָבִ֙יהָ֙ve.'a.Vi.haand father herH1
יָרֹ֤קya.Rokcertainly <to spit>H3417
יָרַק֙ya.Rakhe had spatH3417
בְּפָנֶ֔יהָbe.fa.Nei.hain face herH6440
הֲלֹ֥אha.Lo'¿ notH3808
תִכָּלֵ֖םti.ka.Lemwill she be put to shameH3637
שִׁבְעַ֣תshiv.'AtsevenH7651
יָמִ֑יםya.MimdaysH3117
תִּסָּגֵ֞רti.sa.Gershe will be shut upH5462
שִׁבְעַ֤תshiv.'AtsevenH7651
יָמִים֙ya.MimdaysH3117
מִח֣וּץmi.Chutzfrom [the] outsideH2351
לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔הla.ma.cha.Nehof the campH4264
וְאַחַ֖רve.'a.Charand afterH310
תֵּאָסֵֽף\׃te.'a.Sefshe will be receivedH622

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 12:14

  • Deuteronomy 25:9

    Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house.

  • Job 30:10

    They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.

  • Numbers 5:2-3

    Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.

  • Isaiah 50:6

    I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

  • Leviticus 13:45-46

    And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

  • Hebrews 12:9

    Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

  • 2 Chronicles 26:20-21

    And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

  • Leviticus 14:8

    And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.

  • Job 17:6

    He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret.

  • Matthew 26:67

    Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
spit.
De 25:9; Job 30:10; Isa 50:6; Mt 26:67; Heb 12:9
let her be.
5:2,3; Le 13:45,46; 14:8; 2Ch 26:20,21

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 12:13

    And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.

  • Numbers 12:14

    And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.

  • Numbers 12:15

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

Read all of Numbers 12

Numbers 12:14 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Respondió Jehová á Moisés: Pues si su padre hubiera escupido en su cara, ¿no se avergonzaría por siete días?: sea echada fuera del real por siete días, y después se reunirá.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’ Éternel dit à Moïse: Si son père lui avait craché au visage, ne serait-elle pas pendant sept jours dans la honte? Qu’elle soit exclue, sept jours, hors du camp, et après, qu’elle y soit recueillie.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jehova sprach zu Mose: Hätte ihr Vater ihr etwa ins Angesicht gespieen, sollte sie sich nicht sieben Tage lang schämen? Sie soll sieben Tage außerhalb des Lagers eingeschlossen werden, und danach mag sie wieder aufgenommen werden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Cui respondit Dominus: Si pater ejus spuisset in faciem illius, nonne debuerat saltem septem diebus rubore suffundi? separetur septem diebus extra castra, et postea revocabitur.