If you look in the pantheon of great Old Testament Biblical figures, Miriam the Prophetess doesn’t stir up much excitement. Some have attributed that to a claim that the Bible is rooted in patriarchy; in that view, women are second-rate citizens in Scripture.
Not only do I disagree with that idea, but I personally find it offensive. Throughout the Bible, women have an incredibly distinguished role: Ruth, Mary, Deborah, Sarah, Hannah, and Priscilla are all highly valued people of faith. The reason not much is known about Miriam the Prophetess is because she simply doesn’t do much in the story.
Miriam’s name appears four times total throughout her life. The first time we meet her is in Exodus 2, when Pharaoh decides to kill all the boy babies in Egypt. Miriam (unnamed in that chapter) puts baby Moses in the Nile, then watches as Pharaoh’s daughter later adopts him. At Miriam’s suggestion, Moses’ own mother is made his nurse.
The next time Miriam makes an appearance is here in Exodus 15, where she grabs the tambourine and praises God for “throwing the horse and rider [of Egypt] into the Sea” (Exodus 15:20-21). It’s actually a truncated version of Moses’ song that makes up most of the chapter, repeating a very similar refrain. It’s also the first time corporate worship in Israel is ever mentioned.
It’s curious to me then that Miriam, despite heading the worship for the ladies in this instance, is credited as being a prophetess. After all, isn’t prophecy (speaking for God) different than leading worship?
Not really. According to Colossians 3:16, singing songs in worship is an act of teaching in itself. Indeed, you could even make the argument that songs of worship that are shallow, repetitive, meaningless (even if they sound pretty) are not really Scriptural. If we’re not giving glory to God and not teaching each other, what are we really doing?
That’s why Miriam is described as a prophetess—not because she spoke of future events, but because her words taught the nation to fear and respect God. Just like all good psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are supposed to do.
