New King James Version
Numbers 12:8
8I 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?”
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 Living Translation (NLT)I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?”
Context of Numbers 12:8
6Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 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?” 9So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper.
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 14:14and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
- Exodus 33:11So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
- Deuteronomy 34:10But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
- 1 Timothy 6:16who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
- Psalms 49:4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.
- Ezekiel 17:2“Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,
- Ezekiel 20:49Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’ ”
- Matthew 13:34All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,
- John 15:15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
- 1 Corinthians 13:12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
- Exodus 24:10and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.
- Exodus 33:19Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
- Exodus 34:5Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
- Deuteronomy 4:15“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
- Isaiah 40:18To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
- Isaiah 46:5“To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike?
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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries