Miriam Prophetess or Musical Praise Leader?

Miriam is thought to be the prototypical usurper over God. Exodus 15:20, Song of Moses: Was Miriam a real prophetess or a "prophesier" with MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS who USURPED God's authority by questioning the role of Moses as God's spokesman?

See how Charles Daily speaking for the NACC defends the use of instrumental music based on Miriam and other event all of which confirm that Israel never ceased their pagan worship.

See how Al Maxey appeals to Miriam as a "female musical worship minister with instrumental music."

Rubel Shelly and John York in a sermon claim that Miriam was a female worship leader over males. The issue is not male versus female: the issue is treating the Word of God with respect. Alll "musical prophesiers" were involved in the civil or military life. They induced PANIC into the enemy to turn them into coward. When Miriam led the women to ESCAPE, they were sending the Canaanites a message that "our God can beat your God." In the end, the Canaanites won and turned Israel from the Word to music.

Because I will post lots of random resources, let's define Miriam as NOT a "musical worship leader" as false teachers insist.
Remember that Jesus said that He spoke in parables to hide the spiritual truth from the Jewish clergy. He said that had been true from the foundation of the world. A parable is a superior form of speech so that each word had to be mined for its content. A casul readear can understand that Miriam was not an authorized spokesperson for God. However, for those who use this or any Scripture to fabricate a system antithetical to the simple SCHOOL OF THE BIBLE The Spirit OF Christ laid "land mines" so that we might mark them as false teachers.

MIRIAM THE PROPHETESS

From a later incident we understand that Miriam still believed that she way a prophetess of Yahweh perhaps as she had been to Hathor in Egypt. She is called a "prophetess" but there is no precedent. Miriam is probably derived from "Meri" (loved one) of the god "Amun." That is, "Meriamun."

Exodus 15:[20] sumpsit ergo Maria prophetis soror Aaron tympanum in manu egressaeque sunt omnes mulieres post eam cum tympanis et choris

Ex.15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.

Prophe-ta I. a foreteller, SOOTHSAYER prophet... oraculorumque interpretes, sacerdotes Aegyptiorum, quos prophetas vocant, Aegyptius, propheta primarius

John in Revelation 18 as well as ALL definitions of arusal singing and instruments calls it SORCERY used to DECEIVE the whole world. The Iraelite NATION was DECEIVED here and later by usurping women.

A. one who speaks for a god and interprets his will to man

Prophêt-ês A. one who speaks for a god and interprets his will to man, Dios p. interpreter, expounder of the will of Zeus, 2. title of official keepers of the oracle at Branchidae, b. in Egyptian temples, member of the highest order of the clergy, priest, 3. interpreter, expounder of the utterances of the mantis [Mad Women Corinth]
Mantis diviner, seer, prophet Pythian priestess, 3. Adj., toude manteôs chorou [round dance] of this prophetic band, dub. in S.Fr.113. II. a kind of grasshopper, the praying mantis, Mantis religiosa, Theoc.10.18, Dsc.Eup.1.149.

But of the Jewish prophets once to PROVE that Miriam was a propheteSS and not a PROPHET.

--Of the Jewish prophets, Vulg. Luc. 1, 70.

Luke 1:70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
Luke 1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Luke 1:72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy convenant;
Luke 1:73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

MIRIAM, LIKE ALL POETS AND MUSICIANS, INTERPRETED FOR GOD without authority.

The INTERPRETER also idenfifies Miriam as claiming to be a MEDIATOR and the word points to the pagan "gods" known in Egypt as well as Greece.

Interpretes
I. An agent between two parties, a broker, factor, negotiator, divūm, the messenger of the gods, i. e. Mercury,
II. An explainer, expounder, translator, interpreter (syn. internuntius) portentorum, a soothsayer,

BUT GOD CONFIRMED THAT MIRIAM WAS NOT A REVEALING PROPHET.

Num 12:2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
Num 12:6 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.
Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 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?
Num 12:9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.
Num 12:10 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.

BY DEFINITION, The Feminine form of a "prophet" always identifies a FALSE prophet or simply a poetess. Coming out of Egypt along with all of their abominations alerts us to look further.

The musical grasshopper or Lucusts is John's word to define the Muses unleashed by Apollyon for the end time final attempt at seduction. II. the ode sung at one of these festive processions,

The history left by the later Greek writers speak of the same Egyptian form of paganism and shows how the leaving with the rattles and dancine was a DEFACTO declaration that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO OBEY THE MALE:

P. Ovidius Naso, Metamorphoses (ed. Brookes More) Book 9

And now the expected time of birth was near,

when in the middle of the night she seemed

to see the goddess Isis, standing by

her bed, in company of serious spirit forms;

Isis had crescent horns upon her forehead,

and a bright garland made of golden grain

encircled her fair brow. It was a crown

of regal beauty: and beside her stood

the dog Anubis, and Bubastis, there

the sacred, dappled Apis, and the God

of silence with pressed finger on his lips;

the sacred rattles were there, and Osiris, known

the constant object of his worshippers' desire,

and there the Egyptian serpent whose quick sting

gives long-enduring sleep. She seemed to see

them all, and even to hear the goddess say

to her, "O Telethusa, one of my

remembered worshippers, forget your grief;

your husband's orders need not be obeyed;

and when Lucina has delivered you,

save and bring up your child, if either boy

or girl. I am the goddess who brings help

to all who call upon me; and you shall

never complain of me--that you adored

a thankless deity." So she advised

by vision the sad mother, and left her.

Exodus 15:[20] sumpsit ergo Maria prophetis soror Aaron tympanum in manu egressaeque sunt omnes mulieres post eam cum tympanis et choris

Ex.15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.

Tympanum , A. Esp., as beaten by the priests of Cybele, Cat. 63, 8 sq.), Cat. 63, 8 (on site) (At Perseus) n., = tumpanon, a drum, timbrel, tambour, tambourine. -Beaten by the Parthians as a signal in battle in place of the tuba, Just. 41, 2, 8.--

B. Trop., a timbrel, etc., as a figure of something effeminate, enervating: tympana eloquentiae : in manu tympanum

Tumpanon , to, also in the form tupanon (q.v.): ( [tuptô] ):--kettledrum, such as was used esp. in the worship of the Mother Goddess and Dionysus, Hdt.4.76, E.HF892; tumpanôn alalagmoi, aragmata, Id.Cyc.65 (lyr.), 205; tumpana, Rheas [Zoe] te mêtros ema th' heurêmata, says Dionysus, Id.Ba.59, cf. 156 (lyr.), IG42(1).131.9, 10 (Epid.); in Corybantic rites, Ar.V.119; t. arassein, rhêssein, AP6.217 (Simon.), 7.485 (Diosc.); kataulêsei chrêtai kai tumpanois Sor.2.29 .

Sistrum , a metallic rattle which was used by the Egyptians in celebrating the rites of Isis, and in other lascivious festivals,. By the Jews, Vulg. 1 Reg. 18, 6 .--Hence sarcastically, as if used for a war - trumpet by the wanton Cleopatra
Ovid: book 9
the sacred rattles were there, and Osiris, known
the constant object of his worshipers' desire,
and there the Egyptian serpent whose quick sting
gives long-enduring sleep. She seemed to see
them all, and even to hear the goddess say
to her, "O Telethusa, one of my
remembered worshipers, forget your grief;
your husband's orders need not be obeyed;
and when Lucina has delivered you,
save and bring up your child, if either boy
or girl. I am the goddess who brings help
to all who call upon me; and you shall
never complain of me--that you adored
a thankless deity." So she advised
by vision the sad mother, and left her.

Exodus 15:[20] sumpsit ergo Maria prophetis soror Aaron tympanum in manu egressaeque sunt omnes mulieres post eam cum tympanis et choris

Ex.15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.

Egressaeque I. inf. egredier, Plaut. Poen. 3, 4, 32), (a). To step out, leave, b). To move out, march out, B. Trop. in speaking, to digress, depart, deviate, wander, B. Trop., to overstep, surpass, exceed

Plautus Poen. 3, 4, 32)
AGORASTOCLES It's time to be quiet, for the door makes a noise. I see the Procurer Lycus coming out of doors; come this way, pray!

ADVOCATI Why not? But, if you please, cover up our heads, that the Procurer mayn't know us, who have been his decoyers (745)4 into so great a calamity. (He throws the lappets of their garments over their heads.)

4 His decoyers: "Illices." "Illex" was a bird-call, quail-pipe, or decoy used by fowlers for catching birds.

Transcendo or trans-scend. I. Lit. (freq. and class.; cf.: supero, transgredior). to climb, pass, cross, or step over, to overstep, surmount.

Yaca (h3318) yaw-tsaw'; a prim. root; to go (causat. bring) out, in a great variety of applications, lit. and fig... break out, ..be condemned, departure), draw forth, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away.. lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out,

And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.Ge.4:16
And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. Ex.32:24
There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor. Na.1:11
Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. Zec.14:3

<>Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do. Deut 24:8

Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt. Deut 24:9

ALL of the "musical" events and terms in the Bible are MARKS to identify people who refused to listen to the Word of God through the PROPHETS. I can find lots of evidence that the "Spirit OF Christ" spoke through the prophets (2 Cor 3; 1 Pe 1:11; Rev 19:10)

But, I haven't found the Spirit OF Christ instructing the kings whose musicians were Levitical Warriors
under King and Commanders of the Army.

But they refused to hearken,
.........and pulled away the shoulder,
.........and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Zechariah 7:11

They made their hearts as hard as flint
.........and [they] would not listen to the law
.........or to the words that the LORD Almighty
.........had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.
.........So the LORD Almighty was very angry. Zechariah 7:12

Therefore it is come to pass, that
.........as he cried, and they would not hear;
.........so they cried, and I would not hear,
.........saith the Lord of hosts: Zechariah 7:13

Paul will say that the songs in Corinth should be revealed doctrinal truth (1 Cor. 14:6) but Miriam claimed that she as a prophetess had the right to speak for God. However, the presbyterian Girardeau wrote that--

"In the first place, it will be noticed from the account of the triumphant rejoicing on the shore of the Red Sea that the men sang only: 'Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake saying.'" (Girardeau, George, p. 33)

"In the second place, it was Miriam and the women who used instruments of music on the occasion: 'And Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went after her with timbrels and with dances." (Girardeau, p. 33).

A Rabbi notes that: Shamans often journey to other realms through deep meditation induced through drumming and chanting (Exodus 15:20; 1 Samuel 10:5; Maimonides in Mishnah Torah, Hilchot Y'sodei HaTorah 7:4). In the course of these journeys they encounter various spirits at the doorway to each plane who demand of them a sort of password in the form of symbols that they would image, each symbol representing the name and attribute of the spirit guarding entry to that particular realm (Heichalot Zut'rati, MS Oxford 1531, folio 44a; Ma'aseh Mer'kavah 54b). Upon return from the journey, the shaman kisses the earth in gratitude for her revelatory experiences (Sefer Ha' Zohar, Vol. 3, folio 168a). On rare occasions, the shaman may become "trapped" at the passageway to one of these mystical realms, in which instance a disciple or colleague must apply to the shaman's knee a twig from a myrtle plant that is wrapped in pure wool and dipped in balsam oils. If that fails, one more ingredient is added: the light touch by the finger of a woman who is in transition from her menstrual cycle (Midrash Heichalot Rabbati, Ch. 18).

And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. Exod 15:20

We know that the song and dance was a MARK against Israel because they had "fired" God and demanded a king "like the nations." God understood that to mean "so that we can worship like the nations." God answered this as their prayer but sent additional signs to be remembered when the king confiscated lands and people and imposed the TITHE on them.

After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 1 Samuel 10:5

Click to see Miriam or Mary as the Mother of the Gods

The eternal battle is between God who speaks to the mind and the feminine or effeminate effort to find the lost or silent "gods" through song, dance, instumrnetal music and even sexual "fertiity" rituals--right there where the Lord's Table used to sit. This was the battle in Egypt and for 400 years the male Jehovah lost to goddess worship.

She has become the model of Mary, Sophia and Zoe as the "mother of the gods."

Among the Jews:

Miriam as kingship

Zohar (Emor 261): Miriam is kingship.

Sifrei Behaal. 78: David is from the descendants of Miriam.

Zohar Emor 116: On Shabbos and Yom Tov evenings the women come and engage in attempting to understand the Creator. Miriam represents the Divine Shekina. Yolkut Reuveni Behaalotecha.

Miriam as Prophetess:

Alshich Shemos 15, 20: Miriam "the prophetess" took the timbrel - because this was the fulfillment of her prophecy that her mother would give birth to a son who would redeem Israel.

Kli Yakar Ex. 15, 20: Now she became a prophetess for at this point they received prophecy. Since women have the pain of childbirth, therefore she took the timbrel in her hand.

What does Miriam mean?

She was the same age as the affliction, 86 years, and she is called Miriam after the maror (bitter herb).

Stella Maris - Star of the Sea. Epithet of Au Set (Isis), Ishtar, Aphrodite, Venus, Mari-Anna and the Virgin Mary.

"Miriam would have been a prophetess of Hathor in Egypt. Miriam, whose name is the title of the sea goddess Mari-anna (Graves 397, Walker 584) appears to have originally been a female priestess on a par with Moses.

It is Miriam who celebrates when the Egyptians are swallowed in the Reed Sea: Exodus 15:20 "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea." "Moses sister, later thought to be Miriam in Num 26:59 witnesses the discovery of the baby by Pharoah's daughter (Exod 2:4) and

thus becomes the mother of his second birth" thus resembling Isis (Haskins 47). From the hostility expressed by Aaron and Miriam to Zipporah, it might appear that Zipporah and Miriam were competing high priestesses.

"This is however seen in a different light by taking into account Jewish midrash. Here a picture emerges of Miriam as founding prophetess of Moses life, who prophesied his coming and left him incomplete on her death leading to his striking the waters at her well of Meribah. Micah reveals a deep secret of the origin of Zion when he says "And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam." confirming Miriam as the founding prophetess of Zion. Resource

"Unfortunatcly, Scripture gives us no details about Miriam's prophetic skills, but they seem to be at the root of the darkest period in her life, for in her next appearance she is vying in prophecy with Moses. She and Aaron have been whispering to each other, first against the "Cushite" wife Moses married and then against his leadership. "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?" they say. "Has He not spoken through us as well?" (Numbers 12: ).

They would not listen to Moses but God promised that a prophet like Moses would come as Messiah and "to Him you shall listen." For now, however, the women's religion of Egypt and Canaan would try to dominate the lion.

Hathor as Qadesh the Syrian fertility goddess with phallic Min. Note the Hathor crown and headdress. She stands on a lion, holding a serpent and ears of grain (Graves 1946, Pritchard 1954). As matriarchal goddess she steps on the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. Revelation 5:4

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. Revelation 5:5

This state of exhilaration was not getting drunk on wine but often getting into a state of ecstasy or exhilaration to appease the goddess. Indeed, Hathor was the goddess of the pagan Jubilee:

"Among the ancient musical instruments that were uncovered during processes of archaeological excavation in Mesopotamia was the sistrum, which was found in Sumerian levels at Ur and Kish. This instrument made its way from Palestine to Egypt, where it was frequently depicted in connection with the worship of Hathor.

It was included among the instruments on which David played, and was described by "to shake" (2 Sam. 6:5), incorrectly rendered 'cornets' by the AV, but accurately by the Vulgate as sistra. A sistrum was unearthed at Bethel in 1934, and was dated by Albright in the pre-Israelite period." (Harrison, R. K., Introduction to the Old Testmane, Eerdmans, p. 988).

Pfeiffer says that the "oldest sistrums were discovered at Ur, Kish, and other Sumerian sites. They came from Mesopotamia, by way of Palestine, to Egypt" (p. 399).

"Hathor's cult is unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most deities had clerics of the same gender as they).

Many of them were artisans, musicians, and dancers who turned their talents into creating rituals that were nothing short of works of art. Music and dance were part of the worship of Hathor like no other deity in Egypt. Hathor herself was the incarnation of dance, and stories were told of how Hathor danced before Ra when he was in despair to cheer him up.

"Inspiration was also Hathor's bailiwick, and many would come to the temples of Hathor to have their dreams explained or to beseech her for her aid in creation, much in the same way the Greeks invoked the Nine Muses. From

"Hathor leaves the sacrificial cycle to Isis and Osiris and despite being liable to volatile emotions remains the loving creatress. "The gods play the sistrum for Hathor, the goddesses dance for her to dispel her bad temper." As the joyful Goddess of fertility, dance, song and inebriety Hathor personifies - sex drugs and rock and roll - the very spirit and energy of the modern age. Her festival of inebriety was no mere drunken debauchery, but a state of ecstasy engendered in honour of the goddess - pacifying her and the participants alike .

As part of the Israelites Miriam was rescued by God's grace which was really to protect His own name because Israel was worse than the nations in their contempt for Him:

Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations (filthy spectacle) of his eyes, and defile (similar to h2490 below) not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Ezekiel 20:7

But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. Ezekiel 20: 8

But I wrought for my names sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. Ezekiel 20: 9

Polluted includes:

Chalal (h2490) khaw-lal'; as an "opening wedge" denom. (from 2485) to play (the flute): ... take inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self), prostitute, slay (slain), sorrow, stain, wound.

Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. Ezekiel 20:10

"The instrument used, a timbrel or "tabret", was a musical instrument in the form of a hoop, edged round with rings or pieces of brass to make a jingling noise and covered over with tightened parchment like a drum. It was beat with the fingers, and corresponds to our tambourine.

"Israel would lose the covenant of Grace with God when they repudated Him by returning to the musical worship of the Egyptian gods and goddesses. The common people became "strangers" and the Levites stood at the Tabernacle to kill anyone who dared to enter into the symbolic presence of God's Throne. By Anton Marks or Here

See how the Egyptians worshiped.

BACKGROUND

The song of Miriam is thought by some to be the introduction to the Song of Moses. However, it seems more likely that after Moses recited the story to the rational mind, Miriam and a band of trained women went out in a mind-altering song and dance with instruments common to Egypt but not common to Israel's original state in a religious sense.

"The triumphal hymn of Moses had unquestionably a religious character about it; but the employment of music in religious services, though idolatrous, is more distinctly marked in the festivities which attended the erection of the golden calf." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, Music, p. 589).

Miriam means:

Miryam (h4813) meer-yawm'; from 4805; rebelliously; Mirjam, the name of two Israelitesses: - Miriam.

Meriy (h4805) mer-ee'; from 4784; bitterness, i. e. (fig.) rebellion; concr. bitter, or rebellious: - bitter, rebellion, rebellious).

Marah (h4784) maw-raw'; a prim. root; to be (caus. make) bitter (or unpleasant); (fig.) to rebel (or resist; causat. to provoke): - bitter, change, be disobedient, disobey, grievously, provocation, provoke (- ing), (be) rebel (against, -lious).

"She was "the sister of Moses, was the eldest of that sacred family; and she first appears, probably as a young girl, watching her infant brother's cradle in the Nile, (Exodus 2:4) and suggesting her mother as a nurse. ver. 7. After the crossing of the Red Sea "Miriam the prophetess" is her acknowledged title. ch. (Exodus 15:20) The prophetic power showed itself in her under the same form as that which it assumed in the days of Samuel and David,

poetry, accompanied with music and processions. ch. (Exodus 15:1-19)

"She took the lead, with Aaron, in the complaint against Moses for his marriage with a Cushite, (Numbers 12:1,2) and for this was attacked with leprosy. This stroke and its removal, which took place at Hazeroth, form the last public event of Miriam's life. ch. (Numbers 12:1-15) She died toward the close of the wanderings at Kadesh, and was buried there. ch. (Numbers 20:1) (B.C. about 1452.) (Smith's Bible Dictionary)

Moses was declared tabu after smiting the rock at Merbah freeing the waters of Kadesh (Qadesh) Num 20:11, after dissension among the people of the Exodus who had to depend on mana from heaven for food and scarce and bitter waters. Very significantly this is where Miriam died linking her again to the sacred waters and their dearth. He was committed to death on the sacred mountain while still in full possession of his faculties, because he had not sanctified the spring of the Goddess in the name of Yahweh : Deut 32:48 "And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, get thee up unto mount Nebo in the land of Moab, over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel."

If Miriam was a true leader of Israel then she is connected with the Musical idolatry at Mount Sinai:

For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Micah 6:4KJV

None but the NIV suggests that Miriam was a leader and the Living Bible says:

For I brought you out of Egypt and cut your chains of slavery. I gave you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. Micah 6:4

When God sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam there were no performance roles in Yahweh's worship. The Book of the Covenant made the first born male the patriarchal mediator. However, when Israel committed sin at Mount Sinai the law was imposed because of transgression but there were no performance roles. Michah continues:

O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord. Micah 6:5

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Micah 6:6

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Micah 6:7

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee,

but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8

> The common people as a "congregation" did not participate in the later temple animal sacrifices where only male Levites made a great crasing sound to warn the people to get outside the gates or "camp" while the animals were slaughtered.

> The later Synagogue had no praise service.

> There was not a hint of a praise service in the church.

> Therefore, Miriam could have had no role in musical worship.

> > "The triumphal hymn of Moses had unquestionably a religious character about it; but the employment of music in religious services, though idolatrous, is more distinctly marked in the festivities which attended the erection of the golden calf." (Smith's, Music, p. 589).

Earlier, God warned:

Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do. Deut 24:8

Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt. Deut 24:9

Miriam claimed to be a prophet rather than a musical prophesier.

The way she took charge of the trained women to go out in singing and dancing with the beat of hand-drums proves that this was not just a "young girls" response.

"While she may have been called a prophetess because she was a wife of a prophet it is more likely that she had been a prophetess in Egypt which meant that she was a priestess with intercessory authority. This is not just a "victorious" dance but a well-established cultic activity of a priestess with unquestioned authority -- which she even tried out on God. Anton Marks

Don't lose sight of the fact that God implicates all of Israel as "polluting" His name in Egypt. Therefore, we should not expect that Miriam was a holy woman.

"We know that all of the Israelite brought Egyptian gods and practices with them and it is not far-fetched to think that Miriam, who had not yet been exposed to the Covenant of God's grace, was part of the consciousness-altering rhythms and which was part of a priestly myth-play brought to destructive consummation at Mount Sinai as the golden calf was called back into action. Marks

This "rising up to play" involved eating, drinking, nakedness and musical worship. The goddess, Hathor, is the best candidate for the Mother Goddess of the Mount Sinai idolatry. Here priestessess or prophetesses were highly trained with musical instruments, cultic songs and be able to join in the religious dance. Marks

"Consistent with this Hathor was the Mistress of Drunkeness from some product of the sycamore fig which both intoxicated and induced an altered state of consciousness. Music and drugs were co-consiprators in religious ecstasy. The ergo of barley was well known. Marks

"And, it should be remembered, that as the goddess of fertility, drunkenness, and enchanting music, Hathor was something like the modern equivalent of a Mistress of Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll."

And we know that Israel didn't worship Yahweh while in Egypt and were so evil that God was "tempted" to leave them there to self destruct. However, He knew that they would self-destruct and they were led out into the wilderness so that Yahweh's name would not be pollutted in Egypt.

Israel was worse than the surrounding nations. However, God extended His grace covenant, they rejected it in the Apis-Hathor worship and God turned and gave them a law and a religion to govern lawless people and conscripted the Levi tribe to keep them away from His symbolic presence in the Tabernacle.

It is not likely that a daughter of Abraham in a spiritual sense carried a hand-drum or castanet, there was a large "mixed multitude" who did.

It has been noted that "the priestesses or prophetesses of Hathor were common earlier in history but by Miriam's time "FEmale chanters, musicians, and dancers were employed by the state cult but important Hathor prophetesses would be found only in the Royal family."

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN THE SINAI?

"The golden calf is believed to be Ihy, son of Hathor rather than the cow-sun-god such as Apis, Horus, Ra, or Amun. Alison Roberts points out this fact in pages 29-32 of her HATHOR RISING (Totnes, Northgate, 1995), where Ihy's young bull nature is shown to be coupled with jackal attributes.

The jackal is the animal (or animal-god: Up-Uaut) which led departed Egyptians through the desert of death,

and the golden-calf worshippers of Exodus needed just such a guide on their potential death-march through the Sinai."

"Ihy: In Egyptian mythology, the son of Hathor, who was worshipped in Dendera with her and Horus-Behdety. Like his mother, Ihy was a god of music and dancing, and was always depicted as a child bearing a sistrum.

"Youthful Netjer (god) whose name means 'sistrum player' and was the son of Het-Hert (Hathor) and Heru (Horus). His name rarely appears outside the mammisi, a temple where the divine birth and conception were celebrated. He is a child with the sidelock of youth and holds either a sistrum or a menat. In the Book of the Dead or the Coffin texts he is referred to as 'lord of bread ... in charge of beer'. Dictionary of Ancient Egyptian Religion

The sistrum was an ancient musical instrument, kind of like a rattle in shape combined with the idea of a modern tambourine. It had two basic designs, the naos and the hoop. Most late period were of the hoop design. Most commonly it featured a representation of Het-Hert (Hathor) on the handle. It was used in sacred rituals, most particularly for Het-Hert but later associated with Imen (Amun) and Aset (Isis). It was most particularly used by the women musicians and chantresses who served in the temple, and the sound was believed to ward off the powers of chaos.
The chaos was the depths of "without form" personified by Tehowm or Tiamat. Ex.15:5 "The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone." Ex.15:8 "And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea."

Therefore, it is possible that Miriam continued her Egyptian form of "prophesying" to celebrate or perhaps to claim power for "warding off the powers of chaos." As she later took credit for direct communications from God.

While Mother Goddess worship was important in Egypt it ceased at Mount Sinai and the put-down of Miriam with leprosy when she claimed to now be a prophetess of Yahweh. If Yahweh was in control Israel did not need the Celestial Mother nor her idol. The covenant had been rejected and the Law was with the Father alone Click for more.

Why Israel Found Themselves at the Red Sea

Let us back up a bit and remember that Israel that trusted in Egypt to save them from a famine in Canaan, their promised land. They were in Egypt for over 400 years and worshipped just as the Egyptians worshipped. In fact, when it came time for God to fulfill His promise to remove them from Egypt, they were so evil that God would have been righteous to leave them there to self-destruct. However, the Hebrews were giving God a "bad name" and He removed them across the Red Sea. Click Here to review the facts to see that the nation, nor Miriam, can be a pattern for our worship.

Next, we need to briefly look at the normal rituals of Egypt

Heredotus II notes that "The following are the proceedings on occasion of the assembly at Bubastis:-

Men and women come sailing all together, vast numbers in each boat,
.........many of the women with castanets, which they strike,
.........while some of the men pipe during the whole time of the voyage;
.........the remainder of the voyagers, male and female, sing the while,
.........and make a clapping with their hands.
When they arrive opposite any of the towns upon the banks of the stream,
.........they approach the shore, and, while some of the women continue to play and sing,
.........others call aloud to the females of the place and load them with abuse,
.........while a certain number dance, and some standing up uncover themselves.
After proceeding in this way all along the river-course, they reach Bubastis,
.........where they celebrate the feast with abundant sacrifices.
.........More grape-wine is consumed at this festival than in all the rest of the year besides.
The number of those who attend, counting only the men and women and omitting the children, amounts,
.........according to the native reports, to seven hundred thousand.

It is said that up to 700,000 people assembled at Bubastis (Pi-beseth) for the worship of Bast, a cat-headed lioness. Of Egypt and Bubastis Ezekiel warned--

"'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis (This was Apis, the bull). No longer will there be a prince in Egypt, and I will spread fear throughout the land. Ezek 30:13

The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and the cities themselves will go into captivity. Ezek 30:17

Dark will be the day at Tahpanhes when I break the yoke of Egypt; there her proud strength will come to an end. She will be covered with clouds, and her villages will go into captivity. Ezek 30:18

This is explicit proof that God would remove the musical worship along with the idols.

Let's say it again: the Israelites were being removed from Egypt to protect God's own name because of their idolatry in Egypt. They brought their idols with them in crossing the Red Sea and never ceased idol worship.

Therefore, we should be careful in seeing Miriam (likely a prophetess of Osiris) as a pattern for Christian worship because:

"In the first place, it will be noticed from the account of the triumphant rejoicing on the shore of the Red Sea that the men sang only: 'Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake saying.'" (Girardeau, George, p. 33)

"The triumphal hymn of Moses had unquestionably a religious character about it; but the employment of music in religious services, though idolatrous, is more distinctly marked in the festivities which attended the erection of the golden calf." (Smith's, Music, p. 589).

Miriam was not condemned for repeating what had already been revealed by Moses. Later, when she claimed to be inspired, God judged her.

"In the second place, it was Miriam and the women who used instruments of music on the occasion: 'And Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went after her with timbrels and with dances." (Girardeau, p. 33).

In the first place, Moses spoke or recited the songs which were not musical in nature. The goal was that the elders could learn the songs and repeat them to their tribes.

THEN sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, (command with speech) I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. Ex 15:1

In the second place, Miriam led the women away from Moses' recital.

But: And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. Ex 15:20

"The solemn singing of this song, v. 20, 21. Miriam (or Mary, it is the same name) presided in an assembly of the women, who (according to the softness of their sex, and the common usage of those times for expressing joy, with timbrels and dances) sang this song.

Moses led the psalm, and gave it out for the men, and then Miriam for the women.

Famous victories were wont to be applauded by the daughters of Israel (1 Sam. xviii. 6, 7); so was this. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, it is said (Micah vi. 4), He sent before them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam,

though we read not of any thing memorable that Miriam did but this. But those are to be reckoned great blessings to a people who assist them, and go before them, in praising God." Matthew Henry Exodus 15:20-21

20. Miriam the prophetess--so called from her receiving divine revelations (Nu 12:1 Mic 6:4), but in this instance principally from her being eminently skilled in music, and in this sense the word "prophecy" is sometimes used in Scripture (1Ch 25:1 1Co 11:5).

took a timbrel--or "tabret"--a musical instrument in the form of a hoop, edged round with rings or pieces of brass to make a jingling noise and covered over with tightened parchment like a drum. It was beat with the fingers, and corresponds to our tambourine.

all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances--We shall understand this by attending to the modern customs of the East, where the dance--a slow, grave, and solemn gesture, generally accompanied with singing and the sound of the timbrel,

is still led by the principal female of the company, the rest imitating her movements and repeating the words of the song as they drop from her lips.

21. Miriam answered them--"them" in the Hebrew is masculine, so that Moses probably led the men and Miriam the women--the two bands responding alternately, and singing the first verse as a chorus. Fausett - Brown

When they went out the Hebrew word can be used for destructive "going to and fro":

Yaca (h3318) yaw-tsaw'; break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, threat, without), be condemned, departure, draw forth, in the end, escape,

Shamem (h8074) shaw-mame'; a prim. root; to stun (or intrans. grow numb), i. e. devastate or (fig.) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense): - make amazed, be astonied, (be an) astonish (-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make) desolate (-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay, lie, make) waste, wonder.

Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? Ezek 33:25

Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbours wife: and shall ye possess the land? Ezek 33:26

Towebah (h8441) to-ay-baw'; or toebah to-ay-baw'; fem. act. part. of 8581; prop. something disgusting (mor.), i. e. (as noun) an abhorrence; espec. idolatry or (concr.) an idol: - abominable (custom, thing), abomination

Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. Ezek 33:27

For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. Eze.33:28

Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed. Ezek 33:29

Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. Ezekiel 33:30

And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. Ezekiel 33:31

And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. Ezekiel 33:32

Of Judith it is said:

"All the Israelite women came running to see her; they sang her praises, and some of them performed a dance in her honor...Then at the head of all the people, she led the women in the dance;

and the men of Israel, in full armour and with garlands on their heads, followed them singing hymns" (Judith 14:12-13).

Miriam's need to be subordinate did not make her inferior. Other men did not have the gift of Moses. However, God has the right to select those who will speak for Him.

Later, when she "led away" Aaron it was to usurp God's right to assign authority. She was trying to escape her role and became a threat to God's plan. As a result, she was condemned. Therefore, when she led the women away from the quiet, orderly teaching environment it was in imitation of ancient "prophesying" which including singing, dancing and playing musical instruments. The goal was to get a direct message from the "gods."

While there was no previous command to use either singing or instruments in the worship to God, Miriam's practice was the secular practices of the Hebrew people learned in Egypt. It is important, therefore, to notice that the instrument of Miriam is the memobranophone, tambourine, timbrel, or tabret and it is said that it

The tabret "was a typical woman's instrument... Although it occurs in the Psalter and in religious hymns (Exod. 15; Jer. 31:4), it was not permitted in the temple. Its functions in the bible was restricted to secular or religious frolicking, cultic dances, or processions (e.g., II Sam. 6:5; I Chr. 13:8; Ps. 68:25-26). Its absence in the temple ritual was possibly due to its strong female symbolism, which always accompanied the tambourine, and which made its use so popular at all fertility rites." (The Int. Std. Bible Dict., p. 474).

"This membranophone, translated in the AV as 'timbrel' and 'tabret,' was not permitted in the Temple, although it was mentioned in the Psalter and in religious hymns." Harrison, Into to OT, p. 988).

Paul used "prophesying" in this sense when he spoke of the Corinthian women "prophesying" with uncovered heads which was a visual sign that the woman was not "subordinate" to her husband. This had nothing to do with deciding the color of the wallpaper. It meant that she would depart from under her husband and engage in sexual unfaithfulness at the fertility rituals. This was outside the assembly and Paul's fuller instructions begin for when you gather in assembly in 1 Cor. 11:17.

This pattern of disrupting instructions from God with loud, musical rejoicing was condemned in the law. Furthermore, it is a prototype of many Biblical patterns where instrumental music was a cause and a sign that people did not want to listen to the designated prophets speak the Words of and from God.

The elders have no authority to assign their oversight in teaching to women in the public assembly. However dominion-aligned new leaders often usurp the authority and then give it to the musical worship teams. Don't assume that silence means consent.

For instance, Moses was a meek and mild "elder" who would remain quiet to keep the "flock" from being used. However, God acted directly against Miriam who, like Eve, assumed the oversight of the family.

The tongue speaking women in Corinth were singing and speaking and claiming that they were being moved by God. The content of their singing and speaking proved that they were not prophets and would be seen as insane. Supplying Paul's information for Corinth, Moses wrote:

And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. Numbers 12:2

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. Numbers 12:4

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. Numbers 12:5

And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet (male) among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. Numbers 12:6 However, of Moses

With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches (riddles); and the similitude (shape or phantom) of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? Numbers 12:8

God left them and Miriam was struck with leprosy. She had no prayer ability to get it cured. Because there was no command for this pagan worship we can assume, along with Amos, that this was a continuance of "dragging along their gods" which, from other sources, was always with music.

God did not condemn the practice as a social thing but when it was reproduced at Mount Sinai while He was "writing" The Book of the Covenant, the nation was doomed to wandering, captivity and finally death when they played their little instruments while refusing to listen to God.

Miriam and the Egyptian Dance:

"We know that all of the Israelite brought Egyptian gods and practices with them and it is not far-fetched to think that Miriam, who had not yet been exposed to the Covenant of God's grace,

was part of the consciousness-altering rhythms and which was part of a priestly myth-play brought to destructive consummation at Mount Sinai as the golden calf was called back into action. Marks

"She 'took part in the festival; a custom that was kept up in after times in the celebration of victories (Judg. 11:34; 1 Sam. 18:6, 7; 21:12; 24:5), possibly in imitation of an Egyptian model." (Keil and Delitzsch, Com. on the OT, Pentateuch, Vol. II, p. 57).

"The testimonies of neighboring civilizations... concern chiefly the music of courts or temples, which in Sumer, Babylon, and Canaan was then in the hands of professional priests-musicians. We have only a few remarks of Herodotus about Egyptian practices, which were similar to those of ancient Hebrew popular singing.

He refers to the 'lament for Linos,' also to women's chants in procession of the cult of Osiris and the Diana of Bubastis. In Phoenicia and Syria almost all popular music reflected the worship of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. (Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, p. 461, Abingdon)

"Women and girls from the different ranks of society were proud to enter the service of the gods as singers and musicians. The understanding of this service was universal: these singers constituted the 'harem of the gods'."

The Egyptian Opis (Apis) and others which Israel worshipped at Mount Sinal were worshipped throughout the area. "In preference to all other hymns these choirs generally sang the so-called epiphany hymns, which were intended to invite the gods to appear. Plutarch wrote:

Why do the women of Elis call upon God in song to approach them with the bull's foot? Their song is the following:

Come, Dionysus, Hero,
into the holy temple of Elis,
together with the Graces
come violently into the temple with the bull's foot!
Then they sang twice at the end: "Sacred Bull!" (Quasten, p. 76)

Choirs of young girls often officiated and they wore garments of the dancers consecrated to the gods.

Play: "The Hebrew verb means to dance to music, vocal and instrumental. See Judges 19:2, 1 Chron. 13:8)" (Cook). "This was playing before the ark, as it slowly made progress; that is, there were evolutions and marching figures and religious dances" (Professor Beecher, quoted in Peloubet's Selects Notes, 1903, p. 270).

"And the people celebrated this feast with burnt-offerings and thank-offerings, with eating and drinking, i.e. with sacrificial meals and sports, or with loud rejoicing, shouting, antiphonal songs, and dances,

in the same manner in which the Egyptians celebrated their feast of Apis (Herod. 2, 60, and 3, 27)." (Keil and Delitzsch, Vol. II, p. 222).

"Let revelry keep away from our rational entertainments, and foolish vigils, too, that revel in intemperance. For revelry is an inebriating pipe, the chain of an amatory bridge, that is, of sorrow. And let love, and intoxication, and senseless passions, be removed from our choir. Burlesque singing is the boon companion of drunkeness. A night spent over drink invites drunkeness, rouses lust, and is audacious in deeds of shame. For if people occupy their time with pipes, and psalteries, and choirs, and dances, and Egyptian clapping of hands, and such disorderly frivolities, they become quite immodest and intractable, beat on cymbals, and drums, and make a noise on instruments of delusion." (Clement, Instructor, Eerdmans, p. 248)

The Musical Dance from Idolatry:

Of Dancing by the prophets of Jezebel:

"It was probably usual to welcome a king or general with music and dancing...The distinctly religious dance is more frequently mentioned. The clear instances of it in the Bible are the dance of the women of Israel at the Red Sea, headed by Miriam with her tambourine (Exodus 15:20); the dance of the Israelites round the golden calf (Exodus 32:19); the dance of the maidens of Shiloah at the annual feast (Judges 21:19 ff);

the leaping or limping of the prophets of Baal round their altar on Carmel (1 Kings 18:26);
and the dancing of David in front of the ark (2 Samuel 6:14-16) (Int. Std. Bible Ency., p. 1169-70)

"In the O. T., 'prophet' is also applied to the sacred musicians (1 Ch. 25:1); and it may be only because Miriam led the concert (Ex. 15:20, 21) that she was reckoned as a prophetess. So Deborah is called a 'prophetess' (Judg. 4:4). Aaron is spoken of as a prophet (Ex. 7:1)--being one who delivered another's message" (Book, Hist. Digest., p. 265).

"It should be noted, however, that women like Miriam (Exod. 15:20), Deborah (Judges 4:4) and Hulda (2 Ki. 22:14) were not credited with the seer's insight into the future, but were called 'prophetesses' because of the poetical inspiration of their speech." (Int. Std. Bible Ency., Prophetess, p. 2467).

Rising up to Play at Mount Sinai

We have noted that Israel brought their abominations with them from Egypt and would not throw them away. Miriam and the women are specificially identified as carrying the instruments which had a specific role to play in their old Egyptian worship of Apis or Hathor. Miriam is not excluded from this group. In fact, her claim to prophesy in the revealing sense got her a plague of lebrosy.

Rising up to play was repeating the musical idolatry which Israel practiced in front of the presence of Yahweh.

As a result, God turned Israel over to worship the starry host they had worshiped in Egypt. You see, God often grants our request: if we want to engage in idolatry He sends us strong delusions so that we are comfortable.

This worship defined by Amos and Stephen and others was the worship of Saturn under various names.

Molech . . . Chiun--"Molech" means "king" answering to Mars [BENGEL]; the Sun [JABLONSKI]; Saturn, the same as "Chiun" [MAURER]. The Septuagint translates "Chiun" into Remphan, as Stephen quotes it (Ac 7:42,43). The same god often had different names.

Molech is the Ammonite name; Chiun, the Arabic and Persian name, written also Chevan. In an Arabic lexicon Chiun means "austere"; so astrologers represented Saturn as a planet baleful in his influence. Hence the Phoenicians offered human sacrifices to him, children especially; so idolatrous Israel also. Rimmon was the Syrian name (2Ki 5:18); pronounced as Remvan, or "Remphan," just as Chiun was also Chevan. Molech had the form of a king; Chevan, or Chiun, of a star [GROTIUS]. Remphan was the Egyptian name for Saturn: hence the Septuagint translator of Amos gave the Egyptian name for the Hebrew, being an Egyptian. [HODIUS II, De Bibliorum Textibus Originalibus. 4.115].

The same as the Nile, of which the Egyptians made the star Saturn the representative [HARENBERG]. BENGEL considers Remphan or Rephan akin to Teraphim and Remphis, the name of a king of Egypt.

The Hebrews became infected with Sabeanism, the oldest form of idolatry, the worship of the Saba or starry hosts, in their stay in the Arabian desert, where Job notices its prevalence (Job 31:26); in opposition, in Am 5:27, Jehovah declares Himself "the God of hosts."

the star of your god--R. ISAAC CARO says all the astrologers represented Saturn as the star of Israel. Probably there was a figure of a star on the head of the image of the idol, to represent the planet Saturn; hence "images" correspond to "star" in the parallel clause. A star in hieroglyphics represents God (Nu 24:17). "Images" are either a Hebraism for "image," or refer to the many images made to represent Chiun.

27. beyond Damascus--In Ac 7:43 it is "beyond Babylon," which includes beyond Damascus. In Amos time, Damascus was the object of Israel's fear because of the Syrian wars. Babylon was not yet named as the place of their captivity.

Stephen supplies this name. Their place of exile was in fact, as he states, "beyond Babylon," in Halah and Habor by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes (2Ki 17:6; compare here Am 1:5 4:3 6:14). The road to Assyria lay through "Damascus." It is therefore specified, that not merely shall they be carried captives to Damascus, as they had been by Syrian kings (2Ki 10:32,33 13:7),

but, beyond that, to a region whence a return was not so possible as from Damascus.

They were led captive by Satan into idolatry,

therefore God caused them to go captive among idolaters.

Compare 2Ki 15:29 16:9 Isa 8:4, whence it appears Tiglath-pileser attacked Israel and Damascus at the same time at Ahaz' request (Am 3:1).

See Hislop and the China Connection.

Miriam Paul's Model of Usurpation?

Because Paul's prohibition of women prophets in Corinth is in the middle of warning about the idolatry in the wilderness--

"It is remotely possible that he (Paul) has in mind the incident of Aaron and Miriam (Num. 11); there are some intriguing parallels between that incident and Paul's discussion here. If this is the background informing his remarks, it may mean that

Miriam was functioning as the prototypical insubordinate prophetess
who is reprimanded for her questioning the authority of Moses, the prophet:

(they) should be subordinate is precisely the point of the narrative in Numbers 12. One can therefore conjecture that Paul's remarks here are addressed to quite a specific problem: prophetesses within the Corinthian church whose utterances were either unsettling or even perhaps calling Paul's authority into question; it is significant that these remarks prompt him to a rather stern and pointed reminder of his prophetic authority (vs 37)" (Holladay, Carl, p. 190).

The "sounding brass and tinkling cymbals" speak of the brass instruments like the sistrum or the brass model of the wineskin "familiar spirit" of the witch of Endor. With those instruments, the prophesiers -- almost always women -- engaged in speaking a false message which was speaking in tongues.

The writer notes that only men were priestly musicians after David "changed the Law." Women were excluded except "for my personal pleasure" in the case of Solomon and others.

The work of the prophets has been completed. By ignoring the written record of their work under the direct inspiration of the Spirit of Christ (1Pe 1:11), both women and men are insubordinate prophets and prophetesses. The sermons have been preached and the songs have been composed. Our task, according to Paul to Timothy, is to "deliver it as it has been delivered to you."

Jesus abrogated clergy roles and made each member a priest of God and able to read and pray without the oppressive "anxiety from religious ritual."

Miriam was called a prophetess which Strong says "is the feminine of prophets but by implication a poetess or a prophet's wife."

Moses Recited His Songs Without Instruments

When Moses recited his later instructions or song from God it was so that the elders could learn the song and return to their tribes and teach it to everyone.

Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak (recite) these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. Deuteronomy 31:28

For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 31:29

And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended. Deuteronomy 31:30

GIVE ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Deuteronomy 32:1

My doctrine (instructions) shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: Deuteronomy 32:2

Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. Deuteronomy 32:3

And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 32:46

Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. Habakkuk 2:19

But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk.2:20

Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. Zephaniah.1:7

Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. Zechariah 2:13

AND he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. Zechariah 3:1

Satan, through Judas, would try to triumph over Jesus with pipes.

Miriam is a prototype prophetess who represents all who will claim to receive inspiration from God when God has not spoken to them. This applies to male or female.

Kenneth Sublett

See Music in Egypt

See Mount Sinai "the transgression" was musical worship of the triad

See how the prophets understood Sinai.

Musical Worship Index

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