The Skeptics Annotated Bible (140 page)

2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.

3 (
Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.
)

(12.3)
“Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”
That’s a strange way to describe one of the cruelest men to have ever lived. (If he ever
did
live, which he probably didn’t.) Moses, as he is described in the Bible, is anything but meek (See Num 31.14-18 for an example of his “meekness”).

The NRSV translates this as: “Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth.” But if Moses wrote the entire Pentateuch, then he must have written this verse, too. Which seems like a strange thing for the humblest man on earth to say!
134 Was Moses meek?
135 Who wrote the Pentateuch?

4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.

5 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.

6 And he said, Hear now my words:
If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will
make myself known unto him in a vision, and will
speak unto him in a dream.

(12.6)
“If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will … speak unto him in a dream.”
Now
there’s
a reliable way to communicate with someone!

7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

8 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?

(12.9-10) For criticizing Aaron, God gave Miriam leprosy. (In the Bible, leprosy is always caused by the wrath of God or the malice of Satan.)

9 And
the anger of the LORD was kindled against them
; and he departed.

(12.9)
“The anger of the LORD was kindled against them.”

10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle;
and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow
: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

(12.10)
“And, Behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow.”

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.

12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.

13 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.

14 And
the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days?
let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.

(12.14)
“The Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days?”
God asks the darndest things!

15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

(13.1-32) God tells Moses to send 12 men, one from each tribe of Israel, to “spy out the land of Canaan.” When the spies return, they give Moses two reports. Caleb and Joshua (Oshea the son of Nun) say it’d be easy to take over the land. The other ten say it would be hard, since the people that live there are giants. (The scouts were like grasshoppers in comparison.)

13
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

(13.1)
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”

2
Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel
: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.

(13.2)
“Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel.”

3
And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them
from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.

(13.3)
“And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them.”

4 And these were their names:
of the tribe of Reuben
, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

(13.4)
“Of the tribe of Reuben”
84 What were the 12 (or 13) tribes of Israel?

5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.

8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.

9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

11 Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.

13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.

14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.