Bible Character Explorer
Exodus and Wilderness Period • c. 1531 to 1407 BC (traditional dating)
Miriam
Prophetess of IsraelThe sister of Moses and Aaron who led Israel in worship and faced discipline for challenging Moses
"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances."
Exodus 15:20 (KJV)
Overview
Miriam is first seen watching over her infant brother Moses in the reeds of the Nile, and she reappears at the Red Sea as a prophetess leading Israel's women in worship after the crossing. Later in the wilderness, she and Aaron challenged Moses's unique authority and she was struck with leprosy as discipline, then healed after Moses interceded for her. She is one of the few women in the Old Testament explicitly called a prophetess.
Gospel Connection
Miriam's song at the Red Sea, celebrating God's decisive victory over Pharaoh's army, anticipates the greater song of the redeemed found in Revelation 15:3, the song of Moses and of the Lamb, sung by those who have been delivered from an even greater bondage through Jesus Christ. Just as Miriam led corporate praise after a physical deliverance, believers are called to lead others into worship after the far greater deliverance accomplished at the cross.
Discover More
See how this life points to Christ in the Gospel Connection section above.