Why does it say that Miriam was a prophet?

Question

Exodus 15:20
If she was a prophet, what did she phophecy, and was she the only prophet in the family? Or were her brothers, Moses and Aaron, also prophets?

Answer 1

I really don't believe in prophets or the bible for that matter.

Answer 2

The Terminology of Prophecy. The most common term for prophet (occurring over three hundred times in the Old Testament) is nabi [ayib"n]. The feminine form of this noun, nab"a(h) [h'ayibn], is used six times of women who performed the same task of receiving and proclaiming the message given by God. These women include Miriam, Aaron and Moses' sister (Exod 15:20); Deborah (Judges 4:4); the prophet Isaiah's wife (Isa 8:3); and Huldah, the one who interpreted the Book of the Law discovered in the temple during the days of Josiah (2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chron 34:22). There were false prophetesses just as there were false prophets. The prophetess Noadiah was among those who tried to intimidate Nehemiah (Neh 6:14).
It is someone that is given the "authority" by the Lord God to speak for Him...either by visions or dreams or by hearing directly from the Lord by His audible voice.
All those who descended from the Levite line have a high degree of becoming a prophet/prophetess.

Answer 3

She is the mother of the Prophet Jesus and God favoured her above all the other women.

The Virtue of Maryam Over the Women of Her Time

Allah states that the angels spoke to Maryam by His command and told her that He chose her because of her service to Him, because of her modesty, honor, innocence, and conviction. Allah also chose her because of her virtue over the women of the world. At-Tirmidhi recorded that `Ali bin Abi Talib said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah say,

«خَيْرُ نِسَائِهَا مَرْيَمُ بِنْتُ عِمْرَانَ، وَخَيْرُ نِسَائِهَا خَدِيجَةُ بِنْتُ خُوَيْلِد»

(The best woman (in her time) was Maryam, daughter of `Imran

Allah states that the angels commanded Maryam to increase acts of worship, humbleness, submission, prostration, bowing, and so forth, so that she would acquire what Allah had decreed for her, as a test for her. Yet, this test also earned her a higher grade in this life and the Hereafter, for Allah demonstrated His might by creating a son inside her without male intervention. Allah said,

[يمَرْيَمُ اقْنُتِى لِرَبِّكِ وَاسْجُدِى وَارْكَعِى مَعَ الرَكِعِينَ ]

("O Maryam! Submit yourself with obedience (Aqnuti) and prostrate yourself, and bow down along with Ar-Raki`in.[those who bow down])." )

As for Qunut (Aqnuti in the Ayah), it means to submit with humbleness.

From a Qu'ranic perspective we cannot call her a Prophet rather an elevated women would be more suitable.

Answer 4

She wasn't a prophet but a prophetess which measn...Feminine of H5030; a prophetess or (generally) inspired woman; by implication a poetess; by association a prophet's wife: - prophetess.

Answer 5

Her prophecy was that she was a Virgin that became impregnated with out ever being married or sleeping with anyone, its just one of God miracles. She deserves the respect when her name is stated just like any other prophet!

Answer 6

Miriam
Miriam, in the Old Testament, prophetess and poetess, sister of Moses, who led the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, and of Aaron, the first Jewish high priest. Miriam was born in Egypt and died in the wilderness (see Numbers 20:1) during the exodus from Egypt. When Miriam was young, she watched as her mother put baby Moses in a basket and sent him down the Nile River to escape Pharaoh’s decree that all newborn Hebrew male children be put to death. Later, after reuniting during the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, Miriam criticized Moses for marrying a Cushite woman. For this criticism, she was stricken with leprosy and was excluded from the camp for seven days (see Numbers 12).

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Numbers 12 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society



Numbers 12
Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses
1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

4 At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6 he said, "Listen to my words:
"When a prophet of the LORD is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.

7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.

8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"

9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.

10 When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam—leprous, [a] like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; 11 and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."

13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, "O God, please heal her!"

14 The LORD replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back." 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

16 After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.

Footnotes:

Numbers 12:10 The Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin-not necessarily leprosy.

Numbers 20:1 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society



Numbers 20
Water From the Rock
1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

20 Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.

Answer 7

They were the Levites tribe. All Levites were to be holy and priests for God. That let's me know that women are absolutely quailified to spread the news of Jesus

Answer 8

She was given visions of the future

Answer 9

She prophesied sucking my tally-wacker.