In the Hebrew Bible, what was Moses’ sister named?

In the Hebrew Bible, Moses’ sister was named Miriam. She appears in Exodus as the sister who watched over the infant Moses when he was placed in a basket on the Nile.

After the Israelites crossed the sea, Miriam is described as a prophet and leader who took a timbrel and led women in song and dance. Exodus 15 contains the short passage commonly called the Song of Miriam, beginning with praise to God for the destruction of the Egyptian forces.

Miriam was also the sister of Aaron, making her part of the family at the center of the Exodus narrative. The Book of Numbers later says that she and Aaron challenged Moses’ authority; Miriam was then afflicted with a skin condition and later restored.

She is sometimes confused with other prominent biblical women such as Deborah, Rachel, or Hannah. Miriam’s name is also associated with the tradition of a miraculous well that accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness, although that detail comes from later rabbinic interpretation.