Numbers 12:14
New International Version
The LORD replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.”

New Living Translation
But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had done nothing more than spit in her face, wouldn’t she be defiled for seven days? So keep her outside the camp for seven days, and after that she may be accepted back.”

English Standard Version
But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.”

Berean Standard Bible
But 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.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Then the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.

New American Standard Bible
But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had only spit in her face, would she not be put to shame for seven days? Have her shut outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may be received again.”

NASB 1995
But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.”

NASB 1977
But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But Yahweh said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her dishonor for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.”

Amplified Bible
But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may return.”

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD answered Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD answered Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”

American Standard Version
And 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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And LORD JEHOVAH said to Moshe: “If her father had spit in her face, it would have been fitting for her that she would be ashamed seven days; she shall dwell seven days outside of the camp and then she shall enter.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord said to Moses, If her father had only spit in her face, would she not be ashamed seven days? let her be set apart seven days without the camp, and afterwards she shall come in.

Contemporary English Version
But the LORD replied, "Miriam would be disgraced for seven days if her father had punished her by spitting in her face. So make her stay outside the camp for seven days, before coming back."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord answered him: If her father had spitten upon her face, ought she not to have been ashamed for seven days at least? Let her be separated seven days without the camp, and after wards she shall be called again.

English Revised Version
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 up without the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD replied to Moses, "If her own father had spit in her face, wouldn't she be excluded from the community for seven days? She must be put in isolation outside the camp for seven days. Then she can be brought back."

Good News Translation
The LORD answered, "If her father had spit in her face, she would have to bear her disgrace for seven days. So let her be shut out of the camp for a week, and after that she can be brought back in."

International Standard Version
But the LORD told Moses, "If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn't she be humiliated? She is to be placed in isolation for seven days. After that, she may be brought in."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'If her father had but spit in her face, should she not hide in shame seven days? let her be shut up without the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.'

Literal Standard Version
And YHWH says to Moses, “But [if] her father had but spat in her face—is she not ashamed [for] seven days? She is shut out [for] seven days at the outside of the camp, and afterward she is gathered.”

Majority Standard Bible
But 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.”

New American Bible
But the LORD answered Moses: Suppose her father had spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; afterwards she may be brought back.

NET Bible
The LORD said to Moses, "If her father had only spit in her face, would she not have been disgraced for seven days? Shut her out from the camp seven days, and afterward she can be brought back in again."

New Revised Standard Version
But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp for seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.”

New Heart English Bible
The 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."

Webster's Bible Translation
And 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.

World English Bible
Yahweh 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.”

Young's Literal Translation
And 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.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron
13So Moses cried out to the LORD, “O God, please heal her!” 14But 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.” 15So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until she was brought in again.…

Cross References
Leviticus 13:46
As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.

Leviticus 14:8
The one being cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. Afterward, he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days.

Numbers 5:1
Then the LORD said to Moses,

Numbers 5:2
"Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body.

Deuteronomy 25:9
his brother's widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and declare, "This is what is done to the man who will not maintain his brother's line."

2 Kings 15:5
And the LORD afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died, so that he lived in a separate house while his son Jotham had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

Job 17:6
He has made me a byword among the people, a man in whose face they spit.


Treasury of Scripture

And 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 in again.

spit

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.

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.

let her be

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: …

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…

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.

Jump to Previous
Afterward Ashamed Bear Camp Confine Disgrace Hide Received Seven Shame Shamed Shouldn't Shut Spat Spit Tent-Circle
Jump to Next
Afterward Ashamed Bear Camp Confine Disgrace Hide Received Seven Shame Shamed Shouldn't Shut Spat Spit Tent-Circle
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














(14) If her father had but spit in her face.--Or, in her presence. Spitting in the presence of any one, much more spitting in the face of any one, is regarded in the East as an indication of the utmost degree of abhorrence and indignation. Comp. Deuteronomy 25:9; Job 30:10; Isaiah 1:6; Matthew 26:67.

Seven days.--This was the time during which the person suspected of being leprous was to be shut up in the first instance (Leviticus 13:4; Leviticus 13:21, &c.); and this was also the time during which the leper, when cleansed, was to "tarry abroad out of his tent," after he had come into the camp, before the appointed sacrifices were offered on his behalf (Leviticus 14:8; Leviticus 14:10). It was thus that she who had placed herself on a level with the divinely-appointed head and ruler of her nation was to be excluded for seven days from any part or lot in the privileges which were enjoyed by the humblest member of the congregation. . . .

Verse 14. - The Lord said unto Moses. Presumably in the tabernacle, whither Moses would have returned to supplicate God. If her father had but spit in her face. The "but" is superfluous, and obscures the sense; the act mentioned is referred to not as something trifling, but as something in its way very serious. The Septuagint renders it correctly εἰ ὁ πατὴρ... πτύων ἐνέπτυσεν. The Targums have, "if her father had corrected her." Probably they used this euphemism from a sense of a certain want of dignity and propriety in the original expression, considered as coming from the mouth of God. The act in question was, however, not uncommon in itself, and in significance clearly marked (see Deuteronomy 25:9). It was the distinctive note of public disgrace inflicted by one who had a right to inflict it. In the case of a father, it meant that he was thoroughly ashamed of his child, and judged it best (which would be only in extreme cases) to put his child to shame before all the world. So public a disgrace would certainly be felt in patriarchal times as a most severe calamity, and entailed by ordinary custom (as we learn here) retirement and mourning for seven days at least. How much more, when her heavenly Father had been driven to inflict a public disgrace upon her for perverse behavior, should the shame and the sorrow not be lightly put away,, but patiently endured for a decent period! (cf. Hebrews 12:9).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But the LORD
יְהוָ֜ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

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

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

“If her father
וְאָבִ֙יהָ֙ (wə·’ā·ḇî·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1: Father

had but
יָרֹ֤ק (yā·rōq)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 3417: To spit

spit
יָרַק֙ (yā·raq)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3417: To spit

in her face,
בְּפָנֶ֔יהָ (bə·p̄ā·ne·hā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

would she not
הֲלֹ֥א (hă·lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

have been in disgrace
תִכָּלֵ֖ם (ṯik·kā·lêm)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3637: To wound, to taunt, insult

for seven
שִׁבְעַ֣ת (šiḇ·‘aṯ)
Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

days?
יָמִ֑ים (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

Let her be confined
תִּסָּגֵ֞ר (tis·sā·ḡêr)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5462: To shut up, to surrender

outside
מִח֣וּץ (mi·ḥūṣ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2351: Separate by a, wall, outside, outdoors

the camp
לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה (lam·ma·ḥă·neh)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 4264: An encampment, an army

for seven
שִׁבְעַ֤ת (šiḇ·‘aṯ)
Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

days;
יָמִים֙ (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

after that
וְאַחַ֖ר (wə·’a·ḥar)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

she may be brought back in.”
תֵּאָסֵֽף׃ (tê·’ā·sêp̄)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove


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OT Law: Numbers 12:14 Yahweh said to Moses If her father (Nu Num.)
Numbers 12:13
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