Bible Strands
Numbers 12:11
and said to Moses, “My lord, please do not hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Aaron speaks to Moses immediately after the cloud lifts from the Tent of Meeting and Miriam’s leprosy is revealed. He addresses Moses as "my lord" while interceding for both of them regarding their joint transgression.
The words — אֲדֹנִי (‘a.do.Ni) translates literally to "my lord," and אַל־ נָא (‘al- na) combines the negative command "do not" with the particle "please" to form a direct plea for restraint.
The thread — This intercessory pattern appears in 2 Samuel 24:10 and 2 Samuel 19:19, where figures ask God or a king not to hold past sins against them, and in Proverbs 30:32 regarding the proper response to foolishness.
Why it lands — The text records a direct appeal for mercy following a confessed foolish act, requiring the reader to acknowledge shared guilt and the necessity of intercession before facing consequences.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 24:10 After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
- 2 Samuel 19:19 and said, “My lord, do not hold me guilty, and do not remember your servant’s wrongdoing on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king not take it to heart.
- Proverbs 30:32 If you have foolishly exalted yourself or if you have plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth.
- Exodus 12:32 Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”
- 1 Samuel 2:30 Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.
- 1 Samuel 12:19 They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”
- 1 Samuel 15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have transgressed the LORD’s commandment and your instructions, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
- 1 Kings 13:6 Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.
- 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.”
- Psalms 38:1 A Psalm of David, for remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.