Numbers 12:5
in Numbers 12and the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them had stepped forward,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth.
KJV
And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
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This verse in Numbers 12
Commentary
4 notes on this verseJudges of old sat in the gate of the city to try causes, and so on this occasion the shechinah in the cloud of glory stood at the door of the tabernacle, and Aaron and Miriam, as delinquents, were called to the bar.
This site's exposition
the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses
on Numbers 12:4-5
Suddenly is the word Adam Clarke fastens on, since no interval is left for the complaint to spread or for the three to prepare an account of it. All three are summoned to the door of the tent and the pillar comes down and stands there, which Matthew Henry compares to a judge taking his seat in the gate of a city where causes were tried. Moses is called out with the other two and is never asked to speak.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood the door of the tabernacle--without gaining admission, as was the usual privilege of Aaron, though it was denied to all other men and women. This public exclusion was designed to be a token of the divine displeasure.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּ֤רֶד | vaiyered | and he came down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בְּעַמּ֣וּד | beamud | in a pillar of | H5982 → | 111 times |
| עָנָ֔ן | ʾanan | cloud | H6051 → | 87 times |
| וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֖ד | vaiyaamod | and he stood | H5975 → | 521 times |
| פֶּ֣תַח | petach | [the] entrance of | H6607 → | 164 times |
| הָאֹ֑הֶל | haohel | the tent | H168 → | 345 times |
| וַיִּקְרָא֙ | vaiyikra' | and he summoned | H7121 → | 733 times |
| אַהֲרֹ֣ן | ʾaharon | Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| וּמִרְיָ֔ם | umiryam | and Miriam | H4813 → | 15 times |
| וַיֵּצְא֖וּ | vaiyetzeu | and they went out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| שְׁנֵיהֶֽם׃ | sheneihem | both of them | H8147 → | 768 times |
וַיֵּ֤רֶדand he came down
vaiyeredH3381 →381 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בְּעַמּ֣וּדin a pillar of
beamudH5982 →111 times
עָנָ֔ןcloud
ʾananH6051 →87 times
וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֖דand he stood
vaiyaamodH5975 →521 times
פֶּ֣תַח[the] entrance of
petachH6607 →164 times
הָאֹ֑הֶלthe tent
haohelH168 →345 times
וַיִּקְרָא֙and he summoned
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
אַהֲרֹ֣ןAaron
ʾaharonH175 →347 times
וּמִרְיָ֔םand Miriam
umiryamH4813 →15 times
וַיֵּצְא֖וּand they went out
vaiyetzeuH3318 →1067 times
שְׁנֵיהֶֽם׃both of them
sheneihemH8147 →768 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 11:25Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit…
it leads to
- Numbers 11:17
And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Joel 2:28–29
And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
- Numbers 11:17
Through
Psalms 99:7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept His decrees and the statutes He gave them.
it leads to
- Exodus 33:9
As Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance, and the LORD would speak with Moses.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 33:9
Through
Exodus 40:38For the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel through all their journeys.
it leads to
- Psalms 78:14
He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night.
- Numbers 9:15
On the day that the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it and appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until morning.
- Exodus 13:21
And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel…
- Psalms 78:14
Through
Exodus 34:5And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD.
it leads to
- Exodus 33:19
“I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will…
- Luke 9:34–35
While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
- Exodus 33:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Numbers

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonExodus eraAaronBrother of Moses and Israel's first high priest; his rod budded, his garments were for glory and beauty, and his line carried the…
- PersonWildernessMiriamProphetess and sister of Moses and Aaron who led the women's song at the sea; struck with leprosy for challenging Moses' unique au…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
