Numbers 12:11
New International Version
and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.

New Living Translation
he cried out to Moses, “Oh, my master! Please don’t punish us for this sin we have so foolishly committed.

English Standard Version
And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.

Berean Standard Bible
and said to Moses, “My lord, please do not hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed.

King James Bible
And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.

New King James Version
So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned.

New American Standard Bible
Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not hold us responsible for this sin by which we have turned out to be foolish, and by which we have sinned.

NASB 1995
Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned.

NASB 1977
Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not place this sin on us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned.

Amplified Bible
Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I plead with you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned.

Christian Standard Bible
and said to Moses, “My lord, please don’t hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and said to Moses, “My lord, please don’t hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed.

American Standard Version
And Aaron said unto Moses, Oh, my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have sinned.

Contemporary English Version
he said to Moses, "Sir, please don't punish us for doing such a foolish thing.

English Revised Version
And Aaron said unto Moses, Oh my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have sinned.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So he said to Moses, "Please, sir, don't punish us for this foolish sin we committed.

Good News Translation
he said to Moses, "Please, sir, do not make us suffer this punishment for our foolish sin.

International Standard Version
Aaron begged Moses, "I pray my lord, please don't hold this sin against us, since we've acted foolishly and sinned in doing so.

Majority Standard Bible
and said to Moses, ?My lord, please do not hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed.

NET Bible
So Aaron said to Moses, "O my lord, please do not hold this sin against us, in which we have acted foolishly and have sinned!

New Heart English Bible
Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, please do not count this sin against us, in which we have done foolishly, and in which we have sinned.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Aaron said to Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, in which we have done foolishly, and in which we have sinned.

World English Bible
Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, please don’t count this sin against us, in which we have done foolishly, and in which we have sinned.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Aaron says to Moses, “O my lord, please do not lay [this] sin on us [in] which we have been foolish, and [in] which we have sinned;

Young's Literal Translation
And Aaron saith unto Moses, 'O, my lord, I pray thee, lay not upon us sin in which we have been foolish, and in which we have sinned;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Aaron will say to Moses, With leave, my lord, now thou shalt not put upon us the sin in which we were foolish, and in which we sinned.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He said to Moses: I beseech thee, my lord, lay not upon us this sin, which we have foolishly committed:

Catholic Public Domain Version
he said to Moses: “I beg you, my lord, not to impose upon us this sin, which we have committed foolishly.

New American Bible
he said to Moses, “Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin that we have foolishly committed!

New Revised Standard Version
Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us for a sin that we have so foolishly committed.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then Aaron said to Moses, Oh, my lord, I beseech you, do not lay the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly and wherein we have sinned.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Ahron said to Moshe, “I beg of you, my Lord, do not account the sin against us for that foolishness we have done and for that sin we have done.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Aaron said unto Moses: 'Oh my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have sinned.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Aaron said to Moses, I beseech thee, my lord, do not lay sin upon us, for we were ignorant wherein we sinned.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron
10As the cloud lifted from above the Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was leprous, 11and said to Moses, “My lord, please do not hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed. 12Please do not let her be like a stillborn infant whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”…

Cross References
Exodus 32:31-32
So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves. / Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.”

1 Samuel 12:19
They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”

2 Samuel 24:10
After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

Psalm 51:1-4
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. / Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. / For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. ...

2 Chronicles 6:37-39
and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’ / and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name, / then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, their prayer and pleas, and may You uphold their cause. May You forgive Your people who sinned against You.

Isaiah 6:5-7
Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” / Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. / And with it he touched my mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.”

Daniel 9:4-5
And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, / we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.

Jonah 1:14
So they cried out to the LORD: “Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life! Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased.”

Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” / Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!

Luke 15:18-19
I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. / I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’

Luke 23:34
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.

Acts 7:60
Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Romans 7:24-25
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? / Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

1 Corinthians 15:9
For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.


Treasury of Scripture

And Aaron said to Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech you, lay not the sin on us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.

I beseech thee

Exodus 12:32
Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

1 Samuel 2:30
Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

1 Samuel 12:19
And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

lay not

2 Samuel 19:19
And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.

2 Samuel 24:10
And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

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Aaron Account Acted Alas Beg Beseech Committed Heads Hold Please Punish Sin Sinned Sinners Wherein
Numbers 12
1. God rebukes the sedition of Miriam and Aaron
11. Miriam's leprosy is healed at the prayer of Moses
14. God commands her to be shut out of the host
16. The people encamp in the desert of Paran














So he said to Moses
This phrase introduces Aaron's plea to Moses, highlighting the immediacy and urgency of his response. In the Hebrew text, the word for "said" is "אָמַר" (amar), which is a common verb used to denote speech. The context here is significant; Aaron, who is Moses' brother and the high priest, is speaking directly to Moses, acknowledging his authority and leadership. This reflects the hierarchical structure established by God, where Moses is the chosen leader of Israel. Aaron's approach to Moses underscores the importance of recognizing and respecting God-ordained leadership within the community of believers.

My lord
The term "lord" here is translated from the Hebrew "אֲדֹנִי" (adoni), a term of respect and submission. Aaron's use of "my lord" when addressing Moses is a recognition of Moses' divinely appointed role. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such a term would be used to show deference and acknowledge the authority of the person being addressed. This is a moment of humility for Aaron, who, despite his own significant role, acknowledges Moses' superior position. It serves as a reminder of the importance of humility and respect within the body of Christ, recognizing the roles and gifts God has given to each individual.

please do not hold against us
The plea "please do not hold against us" is a request for forgiveness and mercy. The Hebrew word "אַל־נָא" (al-na) is an earnest appeal, often used in supplication. Aaron is asking Moses not to count their sin against them, recognizing the gravity of their actions. This reflects a deep understanding of the need for repentance and the hope for reconciliation. In the broader biblical narrative, it echoes the theme of God's mercy and the possibility of forgiveness when one truly repents. It is a powerful reminder of the grace available to us through Christ, who intercedes on our behalf.

this sin
The word "sin" in Hebrew is "חַטָּאת" (chatta'ah), which denotes an offense or transgression against God's law. Aaron acknowledges that their actions were not just mistakes but sins, a violation of God's will. This acknowledgment is crucial in the process of repentance, as it involves recognizing the nature of one's actions and their impact on one's relationship with God. In the Christian life, understanding and confessing our sins is the first step toward receiving God's forgiveness and restoring fellowship with Him.

we have so foolishly committed
The phrase "we have so foolishly committed" highlights the recognition of their actions as foolish. The Hebrew root "נָבַל" (nabal) conveys the idea of acting without wisdom or understanding. Aaron admits that their actions were not only sinful but also lacked discernment and wisdom. This admission is important because it shows an awareness of the need for divine wisdom in making decisions. In the Christian walk, believers are encouraged to seek God's wisdom and guidance in all things, recognizing that human understanding is limited and often flawed. This phrase serves as a call to rely on God's wisdom rather than our own, trusting in His perfect will and timing.

(11) Alas, my lord.--The word rendered alas! is an exclamation of entreaty rather than of lamentation. It is used towards superiors in conjunction with adoni (my lord) in Genesis 40:20; 1Kings 3:17.

Lay not the sin upon us . . . --Better, lay not sin (i.e., the punishment which is due to it) upon us, for that (or, inasmuch as) we have done foolishly, &c. Aaron does not seek to shift the guilt which had been incurred from himself and Miriam to any others, but prays that they may not be constrained to bear the punishment which their sin had justly deserved. In Zechariah 14:19 the same word hattath is rendered punishment.

Verse 11. - Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee. Septuagint, δέομαι Κύριε. In thus addressing his brother Aaron acknowledged his superior position, and tacitly abandoned all pretension to equality. Lay not the sin upon us. Aaron speaks to Moses almost as if he were praying to God, so completely does. he recognize in his brother the representative of God (in a far higher sense than himself), who had power to bind and loose in the name and power of God. What Aaron really prays for is that the sin, which he frankly confesses, may not be imputed to them. The Levitical law had taught them to look upon sin as a burden, which in the nature of things the sinner must carry, but which by the goodness of God might be got rid of, or transferred to some one else (cf. Leviticus 4:4; Leviticus 16:21; John 1:29).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and said
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Moses,
מֹשֶׁ֑ה (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

“My lord,
אֲדֹנִ֔י (’ă·ḏō·nî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

please
נָ֨א (nā)
Interjection
Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

hold
תָשֵׁ֤ת (ṯā·šêṯ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7896: To put, set

against us
עָלֵ֙ינוּ֙ (‘ā·lê·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

this sin
חַטָּ֔את (ḥaṭ·ṭāṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2403: An offence, its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, expiation, an offender

we have so foolishly
נוֹאַ֖לְנוּ (nō·w·’al·nū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's 2973: To be slack, to be foolish

committed.
חָטָֽאנוּ׃ (ḥā·ṭā·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's 2398: To miss, to sin, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, lead astray, condemn


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OT Law: Numbers 12:11 Aaron said to Moses Oh my lord (Nu Num.)
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