John Calvin Commentary Numbers 20:1

"And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there." — Numbers 20:1 (ASV)

Then came the children of Israel. In the twenty-third chapter of this book, many intermediate stations are mentioned which are not referred to here: perhaps because, from the time God compelled them to draw back, they had made no advance for thirty whole years but had wandered about by circuitous paths.

Therefore, in connecting the history here, he relates that they passed from the desert of Paran to the desert of Sin; because they then began to direct their journey straight toward the land of Canaan and to advance more closely to it, so as finally to conclude their wanderings.

When he tells us that Miriam died here, we may infer from this that her life was greatly prolonged. It is probable that she was a girl of ten or twelve years of age when Moses was born, since she was able to provide skillfully for his safety (Exodus 2:4); for although her name is not actually given, it may reasonably be supposed that she was the person who fetched her mother to nurse the child that had been exposed.

She reached the age, then, of about 130 years,¹⁰⁷ an unusual length of life, and especially for a woman.

¹⁰⁷ “Ainsi elle a passe six vingts ans;” thus she was more than six-score years of age. — Fr.