MPV Commentary

Miriam became leprous - This severe form of leprosy was inflicted as a divine judgment, likely due to her extreme behavior or to prevent Aaron's condition from disrupting the sacred service.

On Aaron's humble and penitent submission, Moses interceded for both offenders, especially Miriam. She was restored, but not until she had been publicly shunned for seven days, serving as an example of God's judgment (Numbers 12:14-15).

The phrase "her father had but spit in her face" highlights the intense disgust associated with spitting in ancient Eastern cultures. A parent expressing displeasure by spitting on their child would render that child unclean and separate them from society for seven days.

The people did not continue their journey until Miriam was readmitted, possibly to avoid crushing her with an overly severe sentence or exposing a prophetess to public ridicule (Numbers 12:15).

Miriam's exclusion led the Israelites to pitch camp in the wilderness of Paran, specifically at Rithma (Numbers 33:19).