Was Miriam Hebrew?

MIRIAM THE PROPHETESS

The song tells us nothing in particular about this person "Miriam" and verse 20 of the text only informs us that she was "a prophetess," that she was the "sister of Aaron" (oddly enough, Moses himself is not mentioned), and that she took up the leadership of many women, who in sang and danced, accompanied by the distinctive sound of the timbrel. From the place of this scene in context of the exodus-wilderness narrative we can guess that Miriam was among the "mixed multitude" that had recently come out of Egypt and fled into the desert of Sinai. Other biblical passages inform us that she was the sister of Moses and Aaron, ostensibly all members of the Hebrew speaking, Israelite tribe of Levi. However, strangely enough, none of these three people have a Hebrew name. Moses (properly "Mose") is a common element in Egyptian nomenclature -- even some kings had the syllable attached to their names (i. e. "Tutmose," etc.). Like that of her supposed brother, Moses, Miriam's non-Hebrew name appears to have come from the Egyptian language. The syllable "Meri" (loved one) was generally joined with that of some god to form a name such as "Meri-aten" (beloved of the god Aten) or "Meri-amun" (beloved of the god Amun).
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