Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 12:11
And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.
Let not the guilt and punishment of this sin rest upon us, upon her in this kind, upon me in any other kind, but pray to God for the pardon and removal of it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11-13. On the humble andpenitential submission of Aaron, Moses interceded for both theoffenders, especially for Miriam, who was restored; not, however,till she had been made, by her exclusion, a public example [Num 12:14;Num 12:15].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Aaron said unto Moses, alas, my lord!…. The word for “alas” is generally interpreted by the Jewish writers as a note of beseeching and entreating, as it is here by the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan,
“I beseech thee, my lord,”
or “upon me, my lord” k, be all the blame; such was his tenderness to his sister, and the compassion he had on her; and such reverence and respect did he show to Moses his brother, though younger than he, because of his superior dignity as a prophet, and chief magistrate, and prime minister, and servant of the Lord, calling him “my lord”:
I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us; the punishment of it, bear not hard upon us, or suffer us to be punished in a rigorous manner, without interceding to the Lord for us, for the abatement of removal of it; such a powerful and prevailing interest he knew he had with God, that by his prayers their punishment would be mitigated, or not laid, or, if laid, removed:
wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned; he owns they had sinned, but suggests, and so he would have it understood, that it was not through malice, and purposely and presumptuously, but through and ignorance, inadvertency and weakness, and hoped it would be forgiven.
k “in me”, Montanus
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When Aaron saw his sister smitten in this way, he said to Moses, “ Alas! my lord, I beseech thee, lay not this sin upon us, for we have done foolishly; ” i.e., let us not bear its punishment. “ Let her (Miriam ) not be as the dead thing, on whose coming out of its mother’s womb half its flesh is consumed; ” i.e., like a still-born child, which comes into the world half decomposed. His reason for making this comparison was, that leprosy produces decomposition in the living body.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
11. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas! my lord. Although Aaron was aware that, through God’s indulgence, his own punishment was remitted, still he does not cease to consider what he had deserved. For we ought not to wait until God smites ourselves, but since in chastising others He invites us to repentance, although He may spare ourselves, we should profit betimes by their punishments. The disfigurement, therefore, of his sister, alarmed and terrified Aaron, so that, examining his own condition, he acknowledged himself to be deserving of a similar judgment. His humble prayer manifests that those high aspirations were subdued, which had carried him away into unholy jealousy. Moses, who was younger than himself, and whose superiority he just before could not endure, tie now calls his lord, and confesses himself to be subject to his authority and power. Thus the dread of punishment was the best medicine to cure his disease of ambition. In beseeching Moses not to impute his sin to him, he does not usurp for mortal man a right which God by Isaiah claims for Himself alone; (46) but inasmuch as Moses had been injured, he asks his pardon, lest by his accusation he should be brought before the divine tribunal. Where he confesses his own and his sister’s foolishness, he does not extenuate the grossness of his crime, as most people do, when they generally seek to cover their transgressions under the plea of error or thoughtlessness; but it is precisely as if he had said that they were senseless, and out of their minds, as we gather from the next clause, in which he plainly acknowledges their criminality.
By the comparison which he introduces, it is evident that the leprosy of Miriam was of no ordinary kind, for nothing can be more disgusting than the dead body of any abortive foetus, corrupt with purulence and decay.
(46) No reference is here given by C. He probably alludes to Isa 43:25.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) Alas, my lord.The word rendered alas! is an exclamation of entreaty rather than of lamentation. It is used towards superiors in conjunction with adoni (my lord) in Gen. 40:20; 1Ki. 3:17.
Lay not the sin upon us . . . Better, lay not sin (i.e., the punishment which is due to it) upon us, for that (or, inasmuch as) we have done foolishly, &c. Aaron does not seek to shift the guilt which had been incurred from himself and Miriam to any others, but prays that they may not be constrained to bear the punishment which their sin had justly deserved. In Zec. 14:19 the same word hattath is rendered punishment.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. I beseech thee Here we have an instance of a double supplication. Aaron, the anointed high priest, having sympathized with the revolt against Moses, dare not go directly to Jehovah and plead for his partner in sin, but feels that he himself needs a mediator.
We have sinned Here is Aaron’s confession of complicity in the wrong. The exigency was too great for him to wait till the great day of atonement, in which he could offer a sin offering for himself, and thus become qualified to offer for the sins of the people. Lev 16:11, note.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, lay not, I pray you, sin on us, in that we have done foolishly, and in that we have sinned.’
Broken in heart and spirit and recognising how foolish they had been Aaron turned to what he knew was her only hope. Gone was his sense of equality with Moses. Gone was his pride. Gone was his concern over his own position. No longer did he feel in his heart that really there was not much difference between them. He recognised now how great a difference there really was. Here was a situation where he himself could do nothing. All he could do was humble himself and plead with a greater than himself. The thought of his sister living out her life like this was more than he could bear.
So he humbled himself before his younger brother. ‘My lord Moses.’ Yahweh’s words had made him aware of Moses’ true status, lord over Israel, and lord over him, lord over Yahweh’s house (Num 12:7). And he now openly acknowledged the fact. He no doubt remembered the amazing events of Egypt and of how Moses could cause and then remove all the afflictions with which Egypt was afflicted. And he did not doubt that Moses could do something. He begged that Moses would not lay their sin on them, that is, cause them to experience fully what they deserved. He humbly admitted that they had behaved foolishly, and had sinned. Could he not now obtain forgiveness for them and deliver Miriam from the consequences of her sin?
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Num 12:11. Aaron said,Alas, my Lord Alarmed at this terrible punishment inflicted upon his sister, and justly apprehensive of the like, Aaron, conscious of his misdemeanour, in the humblest terms, begs of Moses to forgive them, and to intercede with God for the life of his sister, who, he knew, without the divine interposition, must needs die of this loathsome and consuming distemper; Num 12:12. Calmet observes, that it was probably on account of this repentance that he himself was spared; as also because he is thought to have been less in fault, (see note on Num 12:1.) and from a regard to his sacred character, that the priesthood might not fall into contempt.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Observe, the sense Aaron had of the leprosy that he thought her as one that is dead. Such, but only in an infinitely higher degree, is the leprosy of the soul. All that are under it are void of spiritual life, more than half dead, loathsome in the sight of GOD, and ripe for everlasting misery. Oh! thou dear Redeemer! what eternal praises are due to thee, who by thy precious undertaking hath quickened and cleansed the souls of thy people in thy blood, Eph 2:1 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Num 12:11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.
Ver. 11. And Aaron said unto Moses. ] His late sin had choked him, as it were, – as David in like case felt his mouth stopped, Psa 51:15 – and therefore he requesteth Moses to mediate for Miriam. Our own key may be rusty sometimes, and we glad to make use of another’s key, to open the cabinet of God’s grace, that therehence we may take out mercy for ourselves and others.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sin . . . sinned. Hebrew. chat’a. App-44.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I beseech thee: Exo 12:32, 1Sa 2:30, 1Sa 12:19, 1Sa 15:24, 1Sa 15:25, 1Ki 13:6, Jer 42:2, Act 8:24, Rev 3:9
lay not: 2Sa 19:19, 2Sa 24:10, 2Ch 16:9, Psa 38:1-5, Pro 30:32
Reciprocal: Num 32:27 – as my lord 1Ki 18:7 – my lord Elijah 2Ki 1:13 – besought 2Ki 2:19 – my Lord seeth Job 33:27 – I
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Num 12:11-12. Lay not the sin Let not the guilt and punishment of this sin rest upon us, upon her in this kind, upon me in any other kind, but pray to God for the pardon and removal of it. As one dead Because part of her flesh was putrefied and dead, and not to be restored but by the mighty power of God. Like a still-born child, that hath been for some time dead in the womb, which, when it comes forth, is putrefied, and part of it consumed.