And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.
English Standard Version (ESV)
While the immediate context shifts to Israel's dire need for water, the placement of Miriam's death right at the start of this chapter isn't accidental. It highlights that even as they faced spiritual dryness and murmuring, the community was simultaneously grieving a significant leader, showing how life's personal losses and communal struggles often intertwine.
And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The people of Israel arrive at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, marking the beginning of their fortieth and final year in the desert. This marks a return to a place they had been decades earlier, but this time, with a new generation, they are poised to enter the Promised Land. Tragically, this chapter begins with the death and burial of Miriam, Moses and Aaron's sister, a significant leader in her own right.
After years of wandering, the Israelites finally reach Kadesh again. But this arrival is marked not just by a new phase of their journey, but by a significant loss.
The book of Numbers covers a vast period, but the narrative often jumps over long stretches of time. This verse marks the beginning of the fortieth and final year of wandering in the wilderness.
A Thirty-Seven Year Gap
The journey from the spies' return (around chapter 13) to this point in chapter 20 covers nearly 38 years. Most of the generation that left Egypt had died off during this time, as prophesied. This is a new generation facing the same promises and challenges.
Kadesh: A Place of Return
The Israelites are back at Kadesh, a place they were at early in their journey. This return signifies a full circle, but this time, with a different purpose and a more mature (though still testing) generation ready to enter the Promised Land.
The death of Miriam, Moses' and Aaron's sister, is mentioned almost as an aside. Yet, her passing signifies a profound shift in leadership and the impending end of an era.
Miriam was a significant figure. As a prophetess and leader among the women, her death is not a minor detail. Her passing marks the end of a generation's leadership and a prelude to the final moments of Moses' own leadership.
A Leader's End
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Miriam's death, occurring in the first month of the fortieth year, happened shortly before Aaron's death in the fifth month and Moses' death later that same year. It signifies the closing of a chapter for the original leaders who left Egypt.
A Silent Mourning?
The text doesn't describe the people mourning Miriam as extensively as they would later mourn Aaron. Some commentators suggest this might be due to their immediate distress over the lack of water, which is the next major event in the narrative. This highlights how immediate needs can sometimes overshadow other significant events.
Understand the original words
‘edah · Hebrew Noun
The gathered community of God's covenant people, often functioning as a formal body for religious or political decision-making. It emphasizes the collective identity and corporate responsibility of Israel.
midbar · Hebrew Noun
A generic term for uncultivated, desolate land, often used symbolically to represent a place of testing, divine provision, or transition in the history of redemption.
Qadesh · Hebrew Proper Noun
A holy site or place of sanctuary; the word is related to 'holy' (qadosh), implying a place set apart, though it served as a location of both judgment and arrival for Israel.
The arrival at Kadesh in Numbers 20 marks a pivotal moment at the end of the Israelites' 40-year wilderness journey. This isn't their first time here; their earlier rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea led to decades of wandering. Now, facing the Promised Land, they encounter the deaths of key leaders like Miriam and Aaron, and Moses himself faces consequences for disobedience, highlighting the transition to a new generation and leadership before entering the land.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites are freed from slavery in Egypt, marking the beginning of their journey in the wilderness.
c. 1445 BC
Rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea
After spying out the land, the Israelites refuse to enter Canaan, leading to a 38-year period of wandering in the wilderness.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Return to Kadesh
The Israelites arrive back in the wilderness of Zin and encamp at Kadesh, now in the first month of their fortieth year since leaving Egypt.
c. 1406 BC
Death of Miriam
Miriam, Moses and Aaron's sister and a prophetess, dies and is buried at Kadesh. Her death marks the passing of a significant leader.
c. 1406 BC
Water from the Rock
The congregation rebels against Moses and Aaron due to lack of water. Moses strikes the rock, disobeying God's command to speak to it, and is barred from entering the Promised Land.
c. 1406 BC
Death of Aaron
Moses' brother and the High Priest, Aaron, dies on Mount Hor as the Israelites seek passage through Edom.
This passage introduces Miriam as a prophetess and leader who leads women in worship with tambourines, showing her significant spiritual role within Israel even before her death in Kadesh.
Psalm 78:15-16This psalm recalls God bringing water from a rock, mirroring the event in Numbers 20, and highlights God's power even when the people are in distress, providing for their needs.
Psalm 106:32-33This psalm directly references the incident at Meribah, explaining that Moses spoke rashly 'because they provoked his spirit,' offering insight into the emotional and spiritual state that led to his sin.
1 Corinthians 10:4Paul refers to the spiritual rock that followed Israel and that they drank from, identifying the water from the rock in the wilderness as spiritual drink, connecting this event to Christ.
Deuteronomy 1:46This verse describes the Israelites dwelling at Kadesh for 'a long time,' reinforcing that their stay in Kadesh, where Miriam died, was not a brief stop but a significant period of their wilderness journey.
calvinNumbers 20:1-13: "Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there."
And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there ally water to drink.
Et quare ascendere fecistis nos ex AEgypto, ut venire faceretis nos ad locum malum istum, n…
ellicottNumbers 20:1: "Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there."
XX. (1) Then came . . . —It would be better to translate thus: And (or, Now) the children of Israel came (or, had come) . . ., inasmuch as the interval of time between the events related in the preceding chapters and in this chapter is unknown. In the first month.—It has been commonly supposed that…
While the immediate context shifts to Israel's dire need for water, the placement of Miriam's death right at the start of this chapter isn't accidental. It highlights that even as they faced spiritual dryness and murmuring, the community was simultaneously grieving a significant leader, showing how life's personal losses and communal struggles often intertwine.
The people of Israel arrive at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, marking the beginning of their fortieth and final year in the desert. This marks a return to a place they had been decades earlier, but this time, with a new generation, they are poised to enter the Promised Land. Tragically, this chapter begins with the death and burial of Miriam, Moses and Aaron's sister, a significant leader in her own right.
The people of Israel arrive at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, marking the beginning of their fortieth and final year in the desert. This marks a return to a place they had been decades earlier, but this time, with a new generation, they are poised to enter the Promised Land. Tragically, this chapter begins with the death and burial of Miriam, Moses and Aaron's sister, a significant leader in her own right.
"And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there." — While the immediate context shifts to Israel's dire need for water, the placement of Miriam's death right at the start of this chapter isn't accidental. It highlights that even as they faced spiritua…
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Last reviewed October 2026