As I child I focused on Moses in the Exodus story. But much later I realized that he fulfilled his role with the help of about 12 women God used to save and protect him. And of those twelve, his older sister Miriam (Miryam)¹ played the largest ongoing role in his life. In fact she was the first woman in the Bible to be named a prophet and a leader. I needed to know this since I too have leadership gifts.

Along with their middle brother, Aaron, Miriam and Moses made up the family of Amram and Jochebed of the tribe of Levi (Ex 6:20; Ex 7:7; Num 26:59). Enslaved in Egypt, the king “made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and all kinds of work in the fields” (Ex 1:14)..

As such Miriam understood cruel conditions. She witnessed oppression, injustice, and death on a regular basis. Her life consisted of hard work, struggle, and unquestioned obedience. We can assume this would make her strong and perhaps somewhat bitter as her name suggests. Yet in a society dominated by men, we see that she possessed strength, courage, and drive.

Miriam as Guardian and Protector

The king feared the rapid growth of the Israelites and so ordered every baby boy be killed (Ex 1:16–22). Despite this edict, when Miriam’s baby brother arrived, her parents exercised faith and hid him for three months because they saw he was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king (Heb 11:23). I surmise that Miriam played a major role in his care since most preteen girls love to feed, bathe, and look after babies. So when Jochebed released Moses among the reeds of the Nile river, Miriam stood guard to see what would happen to him (Ex 2:4). I wonder if her mother assigned her this task or if she came up with the idea herself?

And what gave her the guts to speak up and suggest her mother as a wet nurse (Ex 2:5–7) when Pharaoh’s daughter discovered her brother? Again was this her idea or her mother’s? Miriam took a risk and acted bravely, thus allowing her family to enjoy her brother for another year or two. Following her parents’ example of faith, she exhibited responsibility and maturity and protected her brother.

Then Miriam watched her brother go live in the palace and her hard life of labor continued. Did she hear reports that her brother murdered a fellow countryman and then fled the country? Did she think all hope was lost of ever reuniting? Did she ever marry and have a family of her own?² What was her reaction when 4o years later, Aaron took off into the desert and brought Moses home? While the story features her brothers, I imagine she provided the home for them to retreat to. As their big sister with leadership gifts, I see her participating in their discussions, encouraging, offering suggestions and support. Perhaps she rallied the people and explained things to them, urging them to believe and trust.

Miriam as Worship Leader and Prophet

We next read specifically of Miriam after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and crossing the Red Sea (Ex 14:21–31). When they saw “the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians,” Moses and all the people sang a spontaneous song of praise with Miriam leading the final verse.

²⁰ Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. ²¹ Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”

Ex 15:20–21

This festive poem celebrating God’s victory is the first song recorded in the Bible and is still sung at Passover celebrations today. Miriam used her gifts to praise God and lead others into worship.³

But she was also a prophet⁴—an important role. “Prophets in the Hebrew Bible served as God’s spokespersons, conveying divine will, guidance, warnings, and future events…often calling the people back to faithfulness and obedience.”⁵

Miriam as Leader and Ezer

The prophet Micah gives us further insight into Miriam’s character and role.

I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.

Micah 6:4

We see here that God sent Miriam in the same way as her two brothers to lead the people of God. She did not appoint herself as a leader, but her placement came from God. Together with her brothers, they formed a blessed alliance, a team of leaders.

Miriam as Fallible

One final story (Num 12:1–16) concludes our portrait of Miriam. She and Aaron spoke ill of Moses because of his Cushite (Ethiopian) wife. Commentators disagree on whether they referred to Zipporah (or a second wife) as well as the reason for their protest. For insight, I suggest we look to the events preceding this account.

Up until this point, the siblings had been the sole leaders for the new nation. But God had just appointed 70 new elders to help lighten Moses’s load (Num 11:16–17). The Spirit of God rested on them and they also prophesied (Num 11:24-30) meaning Miriam and Aaron’s leadership role would no longer be exclusive.

Miriam complained, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” The Young’s Literal Translation says, “And Miriam speaketh—Aaron also—against Moses…” The presence of the feminine gender of the verb also seems to imply she was the ringleader.

Instead of using her role as an ezer helper to encourage and support her brothers, she used it to sway Aaron against Moses. And in doing so, she may have also influenced others to doubt, criticize, and question Moses’s leadership.

Immediately God confronted Miriam and Aaron saying, “I speak to most prophets in visions in dreams but I speak face to face with Moses, my faithful one. You should be afraid to speak against him.” While God was angry with both siblings, only Miriam developed leprosy (Deut 24:8–9). Aaron then spoke up asking for mercy. Moses prayed and she was healed seven days later.

Some commentators say that God disciplined Miriam because she spoke up against male leadership. I disagree. She envied the new leaders but not merely because she was a woman. but because she is like all humankind. She is like her brothers—Aaron, who led the people into idolatry (Ex 32:4), and Moses, who disobeyed God’s directive (Num 20:12). In one final detail, we learn Miriam died before her brothers (Num 20:1).⁶

Miriam, while not perfect, protected her brother, led her people in worship, and was a spiritual leader through whom God spoke to the new nation of Israel. May God raise up more women to follow Miriam’s example.

How would you react if you faced the task of saving the life of another at the risk of your own?

How might you form a blessed alliance—a team of men and women together serving God?

How do you feel about others who have a gift that you want to have?

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1. Her name means “bitterness” and is the same root for the name Mary. ↩︎
2. Some historians have suggested that she was the wife of Hur, one of the judges of Israel and Moses’s right hand man along with Aaron. This would make her the grandmother of Bezaleel, the famous artist involved in the construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:2). There is, however, no clear-cut evidence in the biblical record to either support or dispute this theory. It is quite possible that she remained single and gave her life in service to her country. (Wayne Barber, Richard L. Shepherd, Eddie Rasnake, Life Principles from the Women of the Bible Book 1 (AMG Publishers, 1999), pg 26) ↩︎
3. Leading joyful occasions with singing, dancing, and playing instruments was often the role of women (I Sam 18:6-7; Ps 68:25). ↩︎
4. Other women such as Deborah (Judges 4:4); Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Anna (Luke 2:36), and Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:8-9) join her in this esteemed role. ↩︎
5. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5030.htm; See Num 12:6; I Cor 14:3 ↩︎
6. Tradition holds that in death Miriam was given a costly funeral and there was public mourning for her some thirty days–as was fitting the public leader she was. Though she is portrayed in all of her human frailty, Miriam was a beloved figure in the history of Israel and was remembered more in honor than in shame. (pg 31) ↩︎