Exploring the enigma of Miriam, the woman Mary was called after

Abstract

In this article, the enigmatic figure of Miriam in the Pentateuch is examined. There are three instances (Ex 2:1–10; Ex 15:20–21; Nm 12:1–6) where Miriam plays a role in the history of the people of Israel as recorded in the Pentateuch. Each of these passages is investigated by paying attention to the literary features of each passages followed by an investigation of how Miriam is portrayed in each passage. Attention is devoted to the narrative structure of passages; literary devices detected, perspective and vocabulary among others. The relevant passages in the Pentateuch will be examined to point out the enigma of Miriam. The central question guiding this investigation is what do we gain from a literary reading combined with historical insights when reading these passages? Or, to put the same question in a different form, what is the picture of Miriam we gained from the texts she is mentioned in? Further, the question will be asked whether or not there are points of contact between Miriam from the Pentateuch and Mary from the gospels.

Contribution: Although there are little similarities between these two women other than sharing the same name, it remains something to note that Mary was named after Miriam. An appropriate way to formulate the relationship between Miriam of the Old Testament and Mary of the New Testament is that of contrast. Miriam and Mary can be juxtaposed to one another.