Girls · Hebrew · Old Testament · uncommon · Exodus
Miriam
/MEER-ee-um/
מִרְיָם
"Wished-for child; beloved; rebellion; bitter sea"
Exodus 15:20
RoleProphetess; sister of Moses; worship leader
Etymology
The original Hebrew form of Mary. Same debated etymology: possibly Egyptian 'mry' (beloved), Hebrew 'marah' (bitter), or 'meri' (rebellion). Miriam is the oldest form; Mary came through Greek.
Who they were
Miriam was the older sister who watched over baby Moses in his basket on the Nile and cleverly suggested to Pharaoh's daughter that a Hebrew woman (their own mother) nurse the child. She reappears at the Red Sea as a prophetess — the first woman given that title in the Bible — taking a tambourine and leading all the women in singing and dancing: 'Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.' Her story also includes a painful episode: she and Aaron challenged Moses' authority, and God struck her with a skin disease. Moses immediately prayed for her healing. She was restored after seven days. Micah 6:4 places her alongside Moses and Aaron as co-leaders of the exodus: 'I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.' She died at Kadesh and was mourned by the entire community.
Character qualities
- Quick thinking as a child
- Worship leadership
- Musical gift
- Challenged authority and bore consequences
Key verse
Exodus 15:20-21
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Mary · Maria · Maryam · Miri
Read their story
Miriam's story begins in Exodus.
The full passage is at Exodus 15:20. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
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