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by Doug Ward |
Numbers 12:3 (KJV) tells us that ``... Moses was very meek,
above all the men which were upon the face of the
earth.'' The source of this statement has been the subject of much speculation,
since it would seem oxymoronic for Moses, the traditional author of the book of
Numbers, to have written it about himself. Perhaps this parenthetical statement
was added to the text by Moses' disciple Joshua, who worked closely with Moses
for forty years before succeeding his mentor as the human leader of
Whoever wrote Num. 12:3, it is of even greater interest to ask what the author meant by his statement. What aspect or aspects of Moses' character led the unknown writer to say that he was unusually ``meek''? What can we learn from these qualities of Moses? In this article I will explore the meanings and implications of Moses' meekness.
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The Humility of Moses |
The Hebrew word for ``meek'' in Num. 12:3 is anav.
Scholar Cleon Rogers [3] reports that anav
probably comes from a root meaning ``to be bowed down.'' One way to be ``bowed
down'' is to be bowed down in submission-i.e., to be humble. A number of modern
English translations (NKJV, NASB, NRSV,
This translation of anav is consistent with
the Pentateuch's portrayal of
Despite his feelings of inadequacy, Moses accepted the mission for which God had selected him. As he faced the great challenges involved in leading the Israelites to freedom, a special relationship developed between Moses and God. This relationship was another source of Moses' humility.
Prof. R. Dennis Cole of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, author of
a commentary on the book of Numbers, has observed that anav
is a word that ``conveys an individual's devout dependence upon the Lord'' [2,
p. 202]. He cites Ps.
Several examples illustrate the humility displayed by Moses during the months following the Exodus:
· When Jethro visited the Israelites near
·Later God provided
further help for Moses by granting the Holy Spirit to seventy of
·When Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses (Num. 12:1-2), desiring greater leadership roles for themselves, there is no record of Moses having reprimanded his siblings. Moses might have ignored the situation had not God intervened to stop it. Moses also prayed that Miriam's punishment be ended (v. 13).
·On at least two
occasions, God offered to destroy the rebellious Israelites and start a new
nation through Moses (Exod. 32:9-10; Num.
These examples indicate that Moses was unusually humble, so that Numbers 12:3
could well have been a reference to his humility. But there is also a second
possibility for the meaning of anav in that verse.
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The Burden of Moses |
Another way in which a person can be ``bowed down'' is to be
``bowed down with care or trouble.'' The word anav
is often used in this sense in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the writings of the
prophets, anav refers to people who are
``socially oppressed and miserable'' [3, p. 260]. The NIV translates it as
``oppressed'' in Amos 2:7, as ``needy'' in Isa. 11:4, and as ``poor'' in Isa.
61:1. The word anav appears a number of times
in the Psalms, where it is sometimes used for afflicted people who cry out to
God in their suffering and find help (Ps. 9:12; 10:12, 17; 34:2; 76:9). Here we
can see the relationship between the different senses of anav:
Those who are afflicted often humble themselves before God.
This second kind of anav applies equally
well to Moses. On
Unfortunately, the complaints soon resumed (Num. 11:1-3). When demands for a more varied menu spread through the Israelite camp (Num. 11:4-6), Moses felt overwhelmed by the weight of his responsibilities. He asked God, ``Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?'' (Num. 11:11)
Adding to this already heavy load, Moses' own sister and brother then began to criticize him (Num. 12:1-2). By this point, Moses may have felt that he faced the greatest trials of anyone in the world. One can easily imagine Moses having written Num. 12:3 about himself with anav meaning ``bowed down by care or trouble.''
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A Type of the Messiah |
Which meaning of anav is intended
in Num. 12:3? The answer may depend upon who penned this verse. If Moses wrote
Num. 12:3, then he would have been referring to the great burdens he bore. If
someone else wrote Num. 12:3, then either or both of the meanings of anav could have been in view. As we have seen, both
meanings apply to Moses and make sense in the context of Num. 12.
Messianic teacher Ariel Berkowitz [1, pp. 522-524] has observed that both
senses of anav also characterize Jesus of
Nazareth, the ``prophet like unto Moses'' who was to come later (Deut.
``being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!''
In addition to showing the utmost humility on the cross, our Savior bore the heaviest burden of all-the sins of mankind. The prophet Isaiah was inspired to write that God's Servant, the Messiah,
``took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted'' (Isa. 53:4).
In summary, Moses' ``meekness'' involved a profound humility with which he bore a daunting responsibility. Even more importantly, the meekness of this servant of God (Num. 12:7) points forward to the meekness of Jesus, God's greatest Servant of all. We are grateful for their examples as we strive to follow in their footsteps.
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REFERENCES |
1.Ariel Berkowitz, Torah Club Volume Two: Yeshua in the Torah, First Fruits of Zion, Littleton, Colorado, 1999.
2. R. Dennis Cole, Numbers, New American Commentary, Volume 3B, Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, 2000.
3. Cleon Rogers, ``Moses: Meek or Miserable?'', Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vol. 29, No. 3, 1986, pp. 257-263.
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