Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men who were on the surface of the earth.
- KJV (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
- NKJV (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)
- NASB (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any person who was on the face of the earth.)
- NLT (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses is described as the humblest man on earth. His meekness, not self-defense, sets up God's vindication of him.
Overview
The narrative notes Moses' extraordinary humility, contrasting his silence with his siblings' pride. Because Moses does not defend himself, God rises to defend him. His meekness foreshadows Christ, the gentle and lowly servant who entrusted himself to the Father who judges justly (Matt. 11:29; 1 Pet. 2:23).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Matt 11:29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- Jas 3:13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
- 2 Cor 11:5I consider myself in no way inferior to those “super-apostles.”
- 2 Cor 12:11I have become a fool, but you drove me to it. In fact, you should have commended me, since I am in no way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.
- Matt 5:5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
- 1 Th 2:7On the contrary, we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children.
- Matt 21:5“Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
- 1 Pet 3:4but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.
- Ps 149:4For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the afflicted with salvation.
- Num 20:10–12Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
- Num 11:10–15Then Moses heard the people of family after family weeping at the entrances to their tents, and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was also displeased.
- Ps 147:6The LORD sustains the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground.
- Jas 3:2–3We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.
- Ps 106:32–33At the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them.
- 2 Cor 10:1Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 12:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.