SEV Biblia, Chapter 20:1
¶ Y llegaron los hijos de Israel, toda la congregación, al desierto de Zin, en el mes primero, y reposó el pueblo en Cades; y allí murió María, y allí fue sepultada.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Numbers 20:1
Verse 1. Then came the children of Israel, &c.] This was the first month of the fortieth year after their departure from Egypt. See chap. xxxiii. 38, compared with ver. 28 of this chapter, and Deuteronomy i. 3. The transactions of thirty- seven years Moses passes by, because he writes not as a historian but as a legislator; and gives us particularly an account of the laws, ordinances, and other occurrences of the first and last years of their peregrinations. The year now spoken of was the last of their journeyings; for from the going out of the spies, chap. 13., unto this time, was about thirty-eight years, Deut. i. 22, 23; ii. 14. Desert of Zin] Calmet contends that this is not the same desert mentioned Exod. xvi. 1, where Israel had their eighth encampment; that in Exodus being called in the original ys sin, this here yx tsin: but this is no positive proof, as letters of the same organ are frequently interchanged in all languages, and particularly in Hebrew.
And Miriam died there] Miriam was certainly older than Moses. When he was an infant, exposed on the river Nile, she was intrusted by her parents to watch the conduct of Pharaoh's daughter, and to manage a most delicate business, that required much address and prudence. See Exodus 2.
It is supposed that she was at the time of her death one hundred and thirty years of age, having been at least ten years old at her brother's birth. The Catholic writers represent her as a type of the Virgin Mary; as having preserved a perpetual virginity; as being legislatrix over the Israelitish women, as Moses was over the men; and as having a large portion of the spirit of prophecy. Eusebius says that her tomb was to be seen at Kadesh, near the city of Petra, in his time. She appears to have died about four months before her brother Aaron, chap. xxxiii. 38, and eleven before her brother Moses; so that these three, the most eminent of human beings, died in the space of one year!
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation , etc.] Not immediately after the transaction of the above things, recorded in the preceding chapters; as the sending of the spies into the land of Canaan, and their report of it; the business of Korah, and the giving of several laws respecting the priesthood, and the purification of the people; but thirty eight years after: nor was this the congregation that came out of Egypt; their carcasses, by this time, had fallen in the wilderness, as had been threatened, excepting some few, so that this was a new generation: what passed during this time we have very little account of, excepting their journeyings from place to place, in ( Numbers 33:1-56), by which it appears, there were eighteen stations between the place they encamped at when the spies were sent, and this they now came to; and that the place from whence they came hither was Ezion Geber; from hence they journeyed, and came unto the desert of Zin ; which is different from the wilderness of Sin, ( Exodus 16:1) as appears by their names, which are different, and by the stations of the Israelites, ( Numbers 33:11,36), hither they came in the first month ; the month of Nisan, on the tenth day of it, according to the Targum of Jonathan, which was the first month of the fortieth year of their coming out of Egypt, so Aben Ezra; with which agrees the Jewish chronologer f282 , which says, this was the fortieth year, and the beginning of the month Nisan: and the people abode in Kadesh : which is by some thought to be different from Kadeshbarnea, from whence the spies were sent, and lay to the south of the land of Canaan, whereas this was upon the borders of Edom; but Doctor Lightfoot shows them to be the same: it is supposed to be eight hours north or northnorth-west of Mount Sinai, which may be computed to be about twenty miles f284 ; here the Israelites abode about four months, (see Numbers 33:38) the above Jewish chronologer says three months, wrongly: and Miriam died there, and was buried there ; the Jews say she died there the tenth day of the month Nisan, which was ten days after the Israelites came to this place; though, according to the Targum of Jonathan, it was the same day they came thither: Patricides, an Arabian writer, says she died on the seventh day of Nisan, aged one hundred and twenty seven; no mention is made of the people mourning for her as for Aaron, ( Numbers 20:29) and for Moses, ( Deuteronomy 34:8) perhaps because of their distress for want of water, as follows.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-13 - After thirty-eight years' tedious abode in the wilderness, the armie of Israel advanced towards Canaan again. There was no water for the congregation. We live in a wanting world, and wherever we are, mus expect to meet with something to put us out. It is a great mercy to have plenty of water, a mercy which, if we found the want of, we shoul more own the worth of. Hereupon they murmured against Moses and Aaron They spake the same absurd and brutish language their fathers had done It made their crime the worse, that they had smarted so long for the discontent and distrusts of their fathers, yet they venture in the sam steps. Moses must again, in God's name, command water out of a rock for them; God is as able as ever to supply his people with what is needfu for them. But Moses and Aaron acted wrong. They took much of the glor of this work of wonder to themselves; "Must we fetch water?" As if it were done by some power or worthiness of their own. They were to spea to the rock, but they smote it. Therefore it is charged upon them, tha they did not sanctify God, that is, they did not give to him alone tha glory of this miracle which was due unto his name. And being provoke by the people, Moses spake unadvisedly with his lips. The same pride of man would still usurp the office of the appointed Mediator; and becom to ourselves wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption Such a state of sinful independence, such a rebellion of the sou against its Saviour, the voice of God condemns in every page of the gospel.
Original Hebrew
ויבאו 935 בני 1121 ישׂראל 3478 כל 3605 העדה 5712 מדבר 4057 צן 6790 בחדשׁ 2320 הראשׁון 7223 וישׁב 3427 העם 5971 בקדשׁ 6946 ותמת 4191 שׁם 8033 מרים 4813 ותקבר 6912 שׁם׃ 8033
