HEBREW WORD STUDY – MIRIAM – מרים  Mem Resh Yod Final Mem

Exodus 15:20:  “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.”

I read something interesting in the Talmud Sotah 12a and in the Exodus Rabbah 1:31 this morning.  Exodus 15:20 is the first mention of Miriam by name.  Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron.  Their father was Amram who is mentioned in the Book of Hebrews being praised for his faith.  His name means friend of the Most High, although there are alternative spellings which would mean “his people are exalted.”  He was married to Jochebed or Shiphrah as she is referred to in the Talmud which means beautiful. She was one of the midwives who had access to the royal court and ordered to kill the male babies after they were born.  She was one that disobeyed the order at the risk of her own life. 

When the Pharaoh announced that all male children were to be killed, Amram divorced his wife because he could not bear the possibility of having a son killed.  As a leader of his generation many others followed suit so as not to procreate a child that would be killed at birth. However Shiphrah was already pregnant with Moses when Amram divorced her.  Miriam at only six years of age was recognized as a prophetess and convinced her father to remarry Shiphrah prophesying that the child who would be born would lead the people out of slavery. 

Miriam’s name comes from the root word meri which not only means bitterness but rebellion. She was the rebel during the time of the bitterness of slavery. She was also known as Puah which means to coo like a dove.  Even as a child she would soothingly coo to a newborn baby to keep him quiet so as not to be discovered by the Egyptian guards. 

Even as a small child at the age of 6 the Exodus Rabbah 1:17 teaches that she prophesied to Pharaoh “Woe to this man when God avenges him.”   When word got to Pharaoh he was infuriated and wanted her put Miriam to death, but her mother pleaded with Pharaoh saying she was only a child. God gave Miriam and her mother  favor with the Pharoah and some influence in the royal court as a midwife who fearlessly followed God’s leading and rebelled against the Pharaoh. 

Miriam was the leading force of rebellion during the eighty years of waiting for her prophecy to be fulfilled.  In the Talmud Taanit 9a we learn Miriam was a teacher among women and in Sotah 11a we find that during these harsh years of slavery the women would sneak into the men’s camp at nightfall and go to their husbands with warm, nourishing food and bath their husbands wounds while all the time offering words of hope that God promised He would have mercy on them and free them.  Miriam led these women to minister to their husbands during these eighty years, rebelling against Pharaoh’s order to keep the women separated from their husbands so as not to procreate. Thus, Miriam keep the Hebrew race from extinction. These women found their hope in a strong leader and prophetess. She was honored for saving the nation.

Is it any wonder that after the crossing of the Red Sea and a song was being recited honoring God in the victory that Miriam and other women came on the scene dancing and playing timbrels or tambourines.  Where did these tambourines come from? According to Scripture they left in such a rush that they were barely able to finish baking, yet they managed to bring along something so insignificant as a tambourine?  They had to be brought out of Egypt. This dancing, singing and playing tambourines had to be orchestrated.  Miriam most likely conducted times of dancing, singing and playing tambourines while their husbands were separated from them by the Egyptians.  They probably had years rehearsing these songs and dances keeping their spirits exercising their faith that God would one day deliver them. Women were not allowed to dance or sing before men but when they crossed the Red Sea and Miriam’s prophecy was fulfilled  well forget protocol, for it was a woman prophet that prophesied that day, it were the women who kept the hopes of men alive and it was their bravery to continue to bear male child despite the order of the Pharaoh.  So, who should take center stage then but Miriam and her band of rebels who offered one more form of rebellion and that was to dance and sing before the men they ministered to for almost eighty years of waiting.