That Cushite Woman

The murmuring of Aaron and Miriam

Numbers 12:1

When they were in Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against their brother, Moses, because of the Cushite woman he had married:

"He married a Cushite woman! Has Yah spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?"

Yahweh heard them.

Yahweh calls to them: Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting.

Then he calls out Aaron and Miriam and He said:

"Hear these words of Mine: when a prophet of Mine arises among you, I make Myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; he is trusted throughout My household.  With him I speak mouth to mouth, plainly  and not in riddles, and he beholds the likeness of Me.  How then did you not shrink from speaking against My servant Moses!"

Yahweh was incensed with them as He departed.  Miriam was struck with snow-white scales. Aaron pleads with Moses admitting their sin they committed in folly. Moses cried out to Yah to heal her, but He says:

If her father spat in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days?  Let her be shut out of the camp  for seven days then let her be readmitted.

Let us now refer to the historical accounts of Moses as they are written in the book called Jasher, beginning with the time Moses killed an Egyptian.

Moses was eighteen years old and desired to see his parents who were living in Goshen. On his way he came across a 'work place' where he saw an Egyptian hitting one of his Hebrew kin.  This man who was being beaten saw Moses and ran to him for help, as Moses was greatly respected in the house of Pharaoh.  He tells Moses that this Egyptian came to his house at night, tied him up and then had his way with his wife in his presence, and now intended to kill him.  Moses was angered and struck the Egyptian, which killed him. Eventually Pharaoh found out about this and sent his guards to kill Moses. Yah sent a Messenger/angel who guided Moses from Egypt, 40 days journey from the border.

Moses ends up in the camp of King Kikianus of Cush and remained with them for nine years.  The king and princes and all the fighting men loved Moses, for he was great and worthy, his stature was like a noble lion, his face like the sun and his strength was like that of a lion - he became counsellor to the king.

When the king died, his men found no other choice but to make Moses their new king - he was now 27 years old and reigned 40 years.  Yahweh granted him favor and grace in the eyes of all the children of Cush.

The people gave to Moses for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus.  Here it is mentioned that Moses feared Yahweh the Elohim of his fathers, so he did not go to her nor look her in the eyes.  He remembered how Abraham made his servant Eliezer swear not to take a woman from the daughters of Canaan for his son Isaac. Therefore, Moses did not turn his heart to nor take the wife of Kikianus as his own.  But he did strengthen himself in the kingdom of Cush and guided them with his usual wisdom and he prospered.

In the fortieth year of his reign, Adoniah the queen has had enough of pretending.  She speaks in front of Moses, the nobles and princes saying, "What is it you have done for all this time?  This man (Moses) has not approached me nor has he served the gods of the children of Cush.  Therefore, let him reign no more. My son (from Kikianus) is grown up and it is better for you to serve him than a stranger, slave of the king of Egypt.

The people gave in but were afraid to go against Moses - they knew his Elohim was with him - and they remembered the oath they swore to Moses so they did him no harm and sent him packing.  He was sixty six years old when he left the land of Cush and traveled to Midian. He was afraid to go back to Egypt on account of Pharaoh.  This is when he comes upon a well and meets the seven daughters of Reuel the Midianite. (Exodus 2:16)

Having this information helps explain why Yah got so angry with Miriam and Aaron for speaking out 'falsely' against their brother.   He was not married to the queen of Cush - she was given to him but he stayed true to Yahweh Elohim.