New English Translation
Numbers 12:8
8With him I will speak face to face, openly, and not in riddles; and he will see the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
Numbers 12:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
- New International Version (NIV)With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?”
Context of Numbers 12:8
6The Lord said, “Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision; I will speak with him in a dream. 7My servant Moses is not like this; he is faithful in all my house. With him I will speak face to face, openly, and not in riddles; and he will see the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he departed. 10When the cloud departed from above the tent, Miriam became leprous as snow. Then Aaron looked at Miriam, and she was leprous!
Read all of Numbers 12Numbers 12:8 word by word
פֶּ֣ה אֶל־פֶּ֞ה אֲדַבֶּר־בּ֗וֹ וּמַרְאֶה֙ וְלֹ֣א בְחִידֹ֔ת וּתְמֻנַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה יַבִּ֑יט וּמַדּ֙וּעַ֙ לֹ֣א יְרֵאתֶ֔ם לְדַבֵּ֖ר בְּעַבְדִּ֥י בְמֹשֶֽׁה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- With him will I speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
- even apparentlyמַרְאֶהmar'eh · appearanceH4758
- and not in dark speechesחִידָהchîydâh · riddleH2420
- and the similitudeתְּמוּנָהtemûnâh temûnâh · likenessH8544
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- shall he beholdנָבַטnâbaţ · to lookH5027
- wherefore then were ye not afraidיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
- against my servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
Cross-references for Numbers 12:8
- Numbers 14:14then they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, Lord, are among this people, that you, Lord, are seen face to face, that your cloud stands over them, and that you go before them by day in a pillar of cloud and in a pillar of fire by night.
- Exodus 33:11The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, the way a person speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent.
- Deuteronomy 34:10No prophet ever again arose in Israel like Moses, who knew the Lord face to face.
- 1 Timothy 6:16He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.
- Psalms 49:4I will learn a song that imparts wisdom; I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp.
- Ezekiel 17:2“Son of man, offer a riddle, and tell a parable to the house of Israel.
- Ezekiel 20:49Then I said, “O sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”
- Matthew 13:34Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable.
- John 15:15I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father.
- 1 Corinthians 13:12For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.
- Exodus 24:10and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself.
- Exodus 33:19And the Lord said, “I will make all my goodness pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.”
- Exodus 34:5The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the Lord by name.
- Deuteronomy 4:15Be very careful, then, because you saw no form at the time the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire.
- Isaiah 40:18To whom can you compare God? To what image can you liken him?
- Isaiah 46:5To whom can you compare and liken me? Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!
Commentaries on Numbers 12:8
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-15Verses 1-15 Miriam, as a prophetess (compare Exodus 15:20-21) no less than as the sister of Moses and Aaron, took the first rank among the women of Israel; and Aaron may be regarded as the ecclesiastical head of the whole nation. But instead of being grateful for these high dignities they challenged the special vocation of Moses and the exclusive authority which God had assigned to him. Miriam was the instigator, from the fact that her name stands…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-8The Lord trusted Moses, leading to a close relationship. God communicated with prophets through visions and dreams, but he spoke to Moses face to face (literally mouth to mouth; see Exodus 33:8–11, 18–23; Deuteronomy 34:10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. with him will I speak mouth to mouth--immediately, not by an interpreter, nor by visionary symbols presented to his fancy. apparently--plainly and surely. not in dark speeches--parables or similitudes. the similitude of the Lord shall he behold--not the face or essence of God, who is invisible (Ex 33:20; Col 1:15; Joh 1:18); but some unmistakable evidence of His glorious presence (Ex 33:2; 34:5). The latter clause should have been conjoined with the…Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 12:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries