Texts in Conversation
The Masoretic Hebrew text of Numbers 12:1 refers to Moses’ second wife as a “Cushite woman,” often interpreted as highlighting her foreign or African origin. The Samaritan Pentateuch instead interprets the word as “beautiful,” and shifts the reference to Zipporah, to avoid the implication that Moses had a second wife.
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Numbers 12:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married (for he had married an Ethiopian woman). 2 They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than any man on the face of the earth.)
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Samaritan Numbers 12:1
Samaritan Penteteuch
Samaritan
1 And Miriam and Aaron spoke about Moses because of the beautiful woman whom he had married: for he had married a beautiful woman. 2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Date: 130-120 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... 12:1 “The beautiful” — The standard translation and also Jewish commentary suggest “black woman” = “Cushi”. However, the Israelite Samaritans pronounce this word as “Kaashet”. Maryaam and Aahrron spoke about Seebbooraa, Mooshe’s only wife, who was sent back to her father’s house after the incident at the inn. The Israelite Samaritan sages made a comparison between the quality of Seebbooraa as beautiful = “Kaashet” and Deuteronomy 32:15, = “Kaasheetaa” = “You became handsome.” This attitude of the Israelite Samaritan sages came from the understanding that Mooshe married only one wife, and once he became absolutely devoted to his mission he never got married again ..."
Tsedaka, Benyamim
The Israelite Samaritan Version of the Torah: First English Translation Compared with the Masoretic Version
(p. 336) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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