Numbers 12:8
New International Version
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?”

New Living Translation
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?”

English Standard Version
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?”

Berean Standard Bible
I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

King James Bible
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 King James Version
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?”

New American Standard Bible
With him I speak mouth to mouth, That is, openly, and not using mysterious language, And he beholds the form of the LORD. So why were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

NASB 1995
With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

NASB 1977
With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

Legacy Standard Bible
With him I speak mouth to mouth, Indeed clearly, and not in riddles, And he beholds the form of Yahweh. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

Amplified Bible
“With him I speak mouth to mouth [directly], Clearly and openly and not in riddles; And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

Christian Standard Bible
I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. So why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. So why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

American Standard Version
with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the form of Jehovah shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?

Contemporary English Version
He sees me face to face, and everything I say to him is perfectly clear. You have no right to criticize my servant Moses."

English Revised Version
with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the form of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I speak with him face to face, plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of the LORD. Why weren't you afraid to criticize my servant Moses?"

Good News Translation
So I speak to him face-to-face, clearly and not in riddles; he has even seen my form! How dare you speak against my servant Moses?"

International Standard Version
I speak to him audibly and in visions, not in mysteries. If he can gaze at the image of the LORD, why aren't you afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

Majority Standard Bible
I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

NET Bible
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?"

New Heart English Bible
With him I will speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in riddles; and he shall see the LORD's form. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?"

Webster's Bible Translation
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: why then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

World English Bible
With him, I will speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in riddles; and he shall see Yahweh’s form. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
I speak with him mouth to mouth, "" Even [by] an appearance, and not in riddles; And he beholds the form of YHWH attentively. Now why have you not been afraid "" To speak against My servant—against Moses?”

Young's Literal Translation
mouth unto mouth I speak with him, and by an appearance, and not in riddles; and the form of Jehovah he beholdeth attentively; and wherefore have ye not been afraid to speak against My servant -- against Moses?'

Smith's Literal Translation
Mouth to mouth I will speak to him, and in appearance and not in enigmas; and the portion of Jehovah shall he behold: and wherefore were ye not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For I speak to him mouth to mouth: and plainly, and not by riddles and figures doth he see the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak ill of my servant Moses?

Catholic Public Domain Version
For I speak with him mouth to mouth, and plainly. And not through enigmas and figures does he perceive the Lord. Therefore, why were you not afraid to disparage my servant Moses?”

New American Bible
face to face I speak to him, plainly and not in riddles. The likeness of the LORD he beholds. Why, then, do you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?

New Revised Standard Version
With him I speak face to face— clearly, not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
With him I will speak mouth to mouth, in a vision, and not in similes; and the glory of the LORD has he seen: why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
From mouth to mouth I am speaking with him in a vision and not in a likeness, and he saw the glory of LORD JEHOVAH; why were you not afraid to speak against my Servant Moshe?”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
with him do I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD doth he behold; wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I will speak to him mouth to mouth apparently, and not in dark speeches; and he has seen the glory of the Lord; and why were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron
7But this is not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. 8I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?” 9So the anger of the LORD burned against them, and He departed.…

Cross References
Exodus 33:11
Thus the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua son of Nun would not leave the tent.

Deuteronomy 34:10
Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face—

Hebrews 3:5-6
Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later. / But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.

John 1:17-18
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. / No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

Exodus 24:10-11
and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. / But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.

1 Corinthians 13:12
Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

John 14:9
Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Exodus 33:20-23
But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” / The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock, / and when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. ...

1 Corinthians 2:10-11
But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. / For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

John 5:37
And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form,

Genesis 32:30
So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

2 Corinthians 3:12-13
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. / We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away.

John 6:46
not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.

Exodus 3:6
Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Matthew 11:27
All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.


Treasury of Scripture

With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

mouth

Numbers 14:14
And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

Exodus 33:11
And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

Deuteronomy 34:10
And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,

dark speeches

Psalm 49:4
I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

Ezekiel 17:2
Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

Ezekiel 20:49
Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

similitude

Exodus 24:10,11
And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness…

Exodus 33:19,23
And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy…

Exodus 34:5-7
And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD…

were ye

Exodus 34:30
And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

Luke 10:16
He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

1 Thessalonians 4:8
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

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Numbers 12
1. God rebukes the sedition of Miriam and Aaron
11. Miriam's leprosy is healed at the prayer of Moses
14. God commands her to be shut out of the host
16. The people encamp in the desert of Paran














With him I speak face to face
The phrase "face to face" is derived from the Hebrew "פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים" (panim el-panim), which conveys a sense of direct, personal communication. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such direct communication with a deity was rare and signified a unique relationship. This phrase underscores the unparalleled intimacy Moses had with God, contrasting with the more indirect ways God communicated with others, such as through dreams or visions. It highlights Moses' unique role as a prophet and leader, chosen by God for a special purpose.

clearly and not in riddles
The Hebrew word for "clearly" is "מַרְאֶה" (mar'eh), meaning a vision or appearance, suggesting clarity and directness. "Riddles" translates from "חִידוֹת" (chidot), which refers to enigmatic or obscure sayings. This distinction emphasizes the transparency and straightforwardness of God's communication with Moses, unlike the cryptic messages often given to other prophets. It reflects the clarity of God's will and instructions to Moses, ensuring that His commands were understood and executed precisely.

he sees the form of the LORD
The term "form" comes from the Hebrew "תְּמוּנָה" (temunah), which can mean likeness or representation. While God is spirit and invisible, this phrase suggests that Moses was granted a unique perception of God's presence, a privilege not afforded to others. This does not imply a physical form but rather a profound spiritual encounter. It signifies the depth of Moses' prophetic experience and his unparalleled access to divine revelation, reinforcing his authority and the seriousness of opposing him.

Why then were you not afraid
The rhetorical question posed by God highlights the gravity of Miriam and Aaron's challenge to Moses' authority. The Hebrew word for "afraid" is "יָרֵא" (yare), which encompasses fear, reverence, and awe. This question underscores the expectation of respect and reverence for God's chosen servant. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of undermining divinely appointed leadership and the importance of recognizing and honoring God's established order.

to speak against My servant Moses?
The phrase "My servant Moses" emphasizes Moses' role as God's chosen instrument. The Hebrew word for "servant" is "עֶבֶד" (eved), which denotes a position of honor and responsibility. This designation highlights Moses' faithfulness and dedication to God's mission. Speaking against Moses was not merely a personal affront but an act of rebellion against God's divine plan. This serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of pride and the need for humility and submission to God's will.

(8) With him will I speak.--Better, do I speak, mouth to mouth. Comp. Exodus 33:11.

Even apparently.--The noun mareh, which is here used, is cognate with that which occurs with the preposition in Numbers 12:6, and which is rendered "a vision." It differs from it only in punctuation, and is sometimes identical in meaning. It appears, however, here to denote an objective reality, as in Exodus 3:3, where it is rendered sight. The clause might be rendered, and (as) an appearance, and not in riddles (or, enigmas).

And the similitude of the Lord . . . --Or, and the form of Jehovah doth he behold. The word which is here rendered similitude (temunah) is the same which occurs in Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 4:15-16; Deuteronomy 4:23; Deuteronomy 4:25; Deuteronomy 5:8; Psalm 17:15. It is sometimes rendered likeness, and sometimes similitude. The noun mareh, which is here rendered "apparently," and that which is rendered similitude, are found in conjunction in Job 4:16 : "I could not discern the form (or appearance), mareh, thereof: an image (or form), temunah, was before mine eyes." (Comp. Exodus 33:20-23.) . . .

Verse 8. - Mouth to mouth. Equivalent to face to face in Exodus 33:11. What the exact facts of the case were it is not possible to know, scarcely to imagine; but the words seem to imply a familiar speaking with an audible voice on the part of God, as distinguished from the internal voice, inaudible to the ear, with which he spake "in" the prophets. To assert that the revelations accorded to Moses were only subjective modifications of his own consciousness is to evacuate these strong words of any meaning whatever. Apparently. מַרְאֶה (Septuagint ἐν εἴδει) is an accusative in apposition to what goes before by way (apparently) of further definition. It is the same word translated "vision" in verse 6; but its meaning here must be determined by the expression "in riddles," which stands in antithesis to it. It was confessed]y the case with most prophetic utterances that the language in which they were couched was quite as much intended to conceal as to express their full meaning; but to Moses God spake without any such concealments. The similitude of the Lord shall he behold. מַרְאֶה. Not the essential nature of God, which no man can see, but a form (wholly unknown and unimaginable to us) in which it pleased him to veil his glory. The Septuagint has τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου εῖδε, referring, apparently, to the vision promised in Exodus 33:22; and the Targum Palestine speaks here of the vision of the burning bush. The motive for this alteration is no doubt to be sought in a profound jealousy for the great truth declared in such texts as Deuteronomy 4:15; Isaiah 40:18, and afterwards in John 1:18; 1 Timothy 6:16. But the statement in the text is a general one, and can only mean that Moses habitually in his intercourse with God had before his eyes some visible manifestation of the invisible God, which helped to make that intercourse at once more awfully real and more intensely blessed. Such manifestation to the sense of sight must be distinguished both from the visionary (or subjective) sight of God in human figure accorded to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:26), to Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1), to St. John (Revelation 4:2, 8), and perhaps to others, and also from such theophanies in angel guise as are recorded in Genesis 32:30; Judges 13:9, 2, and elsewhere. On the other hand, the seventy elders seem to have seen the "Temunah" of the Lord upon that one occasion when they were called up into Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:10, 11). Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses! No doubt it was the double fact of their relationship to Moses after the flesh, and of their sharing with him in certain spiritual gifts and prerogatives, which made them oblivious of the great distinction which lifted him above their rivalry, and should have lifted him above their contradiction. That contradiction, however, served to bring out in the clearest way the singular and unapproached position of the mediator of Israel; and it serves still to enable us to estimate aright the peculiar dignity of his legislation and his writings. The substance of prophetic teaching may be of deeper interest and of wider import titan "the law," but this latter will still rank higher in the scale of inspiration, as having been more directly communicated front on high. Thus "the law" (as the Jews rightly taught) remained the body of Divine revelation until "that Prophet" came who was "like unto" Moses in the fact that he enjoyed constant, open, and direct communication with the Godhead.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I speak
אֲדַבֶּר־ (’ă·ḏab·ber-)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

with him
בּ֗וֹ (bōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

face
פֶּ֣ה (peh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

face,
פֶּ֞ה (peh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

clearly
וּמַרְאֶה֙ (ū·mar·’eh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4758: Sight, appearance, vision

and not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

in riddles;
בְחִידֹ֔ת (ḇə·ḥî·ḏōṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 2420: A riddle, an enigmatic, perplexing saying or question

he sees
יַבִּ֑יט (yab·bîṭ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5027: To scan, look intently at, to regard

the form
וּתְמֻנַ֥ת (ū·ṯə·mu·naṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 8544: Something portioned, out, as a, shape, phantom, embodiment, manifestation

of the LORD.
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

Why then
וּמַדּ֙וּעַ֙ (ū·mad·dū·a‘)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 4069: Why? for what reason?

were you unafraid
יְרֵאתֶ֔ם (yə·rê·ṯem)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3372: To fear, to revere, caus, to frighten

to speak
לְדַבֵּ֖ר (lə·ḏab·bêr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

against My servant
בְּעַבְדִּ֥י (bə·‘aḇ·dî)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

Moses?”
בְמֹשֶֽׁה׃ (ḇə·mō·šeh)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver


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OT Law: Numbers 12:8 With him will I speak mouth (Nu Num.)
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