21Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month.’22Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?”
23Yahweh said to Moses, “Has Yahweh’s hand grown short? Now you will see whether my word will happen to you or not.”
21 Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month.’
22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?”
23 Yahweh said to Moses, “Has Yahweh’s hand grown short? Now you will see whether my word will happen to you or not.”
KJVKing James Version
21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’s hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
Show all 3 translations
JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
21 And Moses said: 'The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and yet Thou hast said: I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month!
22 If flocks and herds be slain for them, will they suffice them? or if all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, will they suffice them?'
23 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether My word shall come to pass unto thee or not.'
Genesis 18:14(v23)Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son.”
Isaiah 50:2(v23)Why, when I came, was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t redeem? Or…
Isaiah 59:1(v23)Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear.
Matthew 19:26(v23)Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Luke 1:37(v23)For nothing spoken by God is impossible.”
Show all 26 cross-references
Numbers 23:19(v23)God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and…
Ezekiel 12:25(v23)For I am Yahweh. I will speak, and the word that I speak will be performed. It will be no more deferred; for in your days, rebellious…
Ezekiel 24:14(v23)I, Yahweh, have spoken it. It will happen, and I will do it. I won’t go back. I won’t spare. I won’t repent. According to your ways, and…
Matthew 24:35(v23)Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Micah 2:7(v23)Shall it be said, O house of Jacob: “Is Yahweh’s Spirit angry? Are these his doings? Don’t my words do good to him who walks blamelessly?”
Jeremiah 44:28-29(v23)Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah few in number. All the remnant of Judah, who have…
2 Kings 7:17-19(v23)The king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to be in charge of the gate; and the people trampled over him in the gate, and he…
Psalms 78:41(v23)They turned again and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
2 Kings 7:2(vv22–23)Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, “Behold, if Yahweh made windows in heaven, could this…
Exodus 12:37(v21)The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, in addition to children.
Numbers 1:46(v21)all those who were counted were six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty.
Genesis 12:2(v21)I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.
Exodus 38:26(v21)a beka a head, that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those who were counted,…
Matthew 15:33(v22)The disciples said to him, “Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?”
Numbers 2:32(v21)These are those who were counted of the children of Israel by their fathers’ houses. All who were counted of the camps according to their…
Mark 6:37(v22)But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They asked him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give…
Mark 8:4(v22)His disciples answered him, “From where could one satisfy these people with bread here in a deserted place?”
Luke 1:18(v22)Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
Luke 1:34(v22)Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”
John 6:6-7(v22)He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient…
John 6:9(v22)“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these among so many?”
26 distinct cross-references across this passage (27 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (15 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn v21Of whom I have the charge.
Of whom I have the charge.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv21–23Num 11:21 And Moses said, The people, among whom…
Num 11:21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I [am], [are] six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
Ver. 21. Six hundred thousand footmen.] In the conquest of Canaan, there is no mention of horsemen. The adversaries, both Egyptians and Canaanites, had horses and chariots; not so this people of Israel. See Psa 33:17.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv21–23Six hundred thousand footmen, fit for war, Exo 12:37,…
Six hundred thousand footmen, fit for war, Exo 12:37, besides women, children, &c. That Moses speaks this as doubting or distrusting God’s words is evident enough from Num 11:22,23. And that Moses was not remarkably punished for this as he was afterward for the same sin, Num 20 next to God’s good pleasure may be imputed to the different circumstances of this and that sin: this was the first great offence of this kind, and therefore more easily passed by; that was after warning, and against more light and experience. This seems to have been spoken secretly in Moses’s breast; that openly and publicly before the people, and to their scandal, and therefore it was fit to be openly and severely punished to prevent the contagion of that example.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv21–23And Moses said,.... By way of objection to what…
And Moses said,.... By way of objection to what God had promised, distrusting his power to perform:
the people amongst whom I am; among whom he dwelt, of whom he was a part, and over whom he was a ruler:
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are six hundred thousand footmen; that were able to travel on foot, and were fit for war: this was the number of them when they came out of Egypt, Exo 12:37; they amounted in their last numbering to 3,550 more, which lesser number is here omitted, as Aben Ezra and Jarchi observe, and only the round number given: some say that all above the six hundred thousand were destroyed by the fire at Taberah, Num 11:1,
and thou hast said, one will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month; this Moses could not tell how to credit.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn v21Six hundred thousand footmen - Fit for war, besides…
Six hundred thousand footmen - Fit for war, besides women and children. That Moses speaks this as distrusting God's word is evident; and that Moses was not remarkably punished for this as he was afterward for the same sin, chap. xx, 12, may be imputed to the different circumstances of this and that sin: this was the first offense of the kind, and therefore more easily passed by; that was after warning and against more light and experience. This seems to have been spoken secretly: that openly before the people; and therefore it was fit to be openly and severely punished to prevent the contagion of that example.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv22–23Verse 22. Shall the flocks and the herds be…
Verse 22. Shall the flocks and the herds be slain] There is certainly a considerable measure of weakness and unbelief manifested in the complaints and questions of Moses on this occasion; but his conduct appears at the same time so very simple, honest, and affectionate, that we cannot but admire it, while we wonder that he had not stronger confidence in that God whose miracles he had so often witnessed in Egypt.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv21, 23Num 11:21. Six hundred thousand footmen — Fit for…
Num 11:21. Six hundred thousand footmen — Fit for war, besides women and children. That Moses speaks this as distrusting God’s word, is evident; and that Moses was not remarkably punished for this as he was afterward for the same sin, (Numbers 20.,) may be imputed to the different circumstances of this and that sin; this was the first offence of the kind, and therefore more easily passed by; that was after warning, and against more light and experience. This seems to have been spoken secretly; that openly, before the people; and therefore it was fit to be openly and severely punished, to prevent the contagion of that example.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv21–23People, able to bear arms. (Haydock) --- In all…
People, able to bear arms. (Haydock) --- In all there were above two millions. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn v21Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are…
Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand . . . Shall the flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them?--The great leader, struck with a promise so astonishing as that of suddenly furnishing, in the midst of the desert, more than two millions of people with flesh for a whole month, betrayed an incredulous spirit, surprising in one who had witnessed so many stupendous miracles. But it is probable that it was only a feeling of the moment--at all events, the incredulous doubt was uttered only to himself--and not, as afterwards, publicly and to the scandal of the people. (See on Num 20:10). It was, therefore, sharply reproved, but not punished.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv21–2321. Six hundred thousand footmen — This, in round…
21. Six hundred thousand footmen — This, in round numbers, is the census of men fit for military service. See Num_1:21-46, notes. Hence the entire population must have exceeded two millions. “In view of the demands of such an immense host the faith of Moses seems to have wavered. Either from the discomposure of his spirit by reason of the affronts of the people, or from a fear that they might be commanded to feed upon the cattle required for sacrifice, or from sheer incredulity, he is prompted to enquire how it can be possible that so many mouths should be fed with flesh for a whole month together.” — Bush. Reason looks at natural causes alone. Faith brings God into the scene, and therefore knows absolutely nothing of difficulties; yea, she laughs at impossibilities.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn v2121. footmen] on foot. Exo_12:37.
21. footmen] on foot. Exo_12:37.
(III) 24b–30. The Elders.
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24b. and he gathered &c.] With the second half of this verse the narrative begun in Num_11:16-17 a is continued.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv21–22(21) Six hundred thousand footmen.—In Num_1:46 the number is…
(21) Six hundred thousand footmen.—In Num_1:46 the number is stated to be 603,550; but here, as elsewhere, a round number is mentioned.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv21–23And Moses said. Moses had not recovered from the…
And Moses said. Moses had not recovered from the impatient and despairing temper into which the ill-behaviour of the people had betrayed him. He could not really have doubted the Divine power to do this, after what he had seen in the desert of Sin, (Exo_16:13) but he spoke petulantly, and indeed insolently, out of the misery which was yet in his heart.
Vers. 21-23. Deeper in unbelief.
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I MOSES IN HIS REPLY SNOWS AN IMPERFECT APPRECIATION OF WHAT GOD HAD SAID.
1. As to God"s purpose. He had spoken in holy anger, promising flesh, but threatening retribution along with it. The threat is quite as emphatic,s the promise, but somehow Moses does not heed. At Sinai, when the people made the golden calf, he was so oppressed with the sense of their great sin, and so solicitous for their pardon, as to beg if the pardon were not granted that he might himself be blotted out of God"s book. Where was this anxiety now? His great concern is, not how God may be propitiated and the people spared, but how the people may be propitiated and he himself spared. Contrast Moses here with Christ at all times. Think of the Son"s never-failing remembrance of the Father"s glory. The Son saw and appreciated all things the Father showed him; hence the confidence with which we look to Christ for a revelation of all God"s purposes concerning us, so far as it is right for us to know them. Jesus could ever go out and declare in fitting words and with proper emphasis all the will of God, for he had a perfect appreciation of that will himself. But how was Moses to go out and speak properly to the people when he himself had only half-heard, as it were, what God had said to him? Doubtless he repeated the message of God in the very same words; but one fears that while he made it quite clear to the people they should have flesh, he made it not quite so clear that God was sending it in anger. Let us ever get to the spirit of God"s messages to us; never content till their fullness of meaning has passed into our heart, so that something like the fullness of service may pass out of it again.
2. As to God"s power. History repeats itself. Unbelief, natural ignorance of God, slowness of heart to take in what he has spoken, these repeat themselves in their manner of receiving God"s promises. Moses talks here as the disciples did at the feeding of the five thousand. (Mat_14:15) And yet, after all his wonderful experiences, there should not have been the slightest difficulty in receiving what God had said. Of all possible convictions, this should have rested on solid ground that what God had promised he assuredly had power to perform. Is not this one of the great differences between God and men? Men promise and forget, or fall short; God is always better than his promises, for they have to be spoken in defective human words, while they are fulfilled in complete Divine actions.
II THE CAUSE OF THIS IMPERFECT APPRECIATION. Can we not detect, and especially in the light of his subsequent language, something like doubt, something like leaning upon creature supports instead of God, in the invitation which he gave to Hobab? If this be so, we wonder little at his language of bitter complaint and despair (verses 11-15); and we wonder less that he so soon showed himself out of sympathy with the Divine purposes. The eye of faith had become dim; self-preservation, escape from an intolerable burden, occupied his thoughts. Was it astonishing that, unbelief having found a temporary lodgment in the heart of the leader, the followers should have failed to take in all the purport of God"s message? Learn from this how carefully spirituality of mind needs to be guarded. We must not be seduced into leaning upon men instead of trusting in God. Men may solace and encourage us as companions; they are never to take the place of Providence. So neither are we to be terrified and paralyzed by sudden and stupendous revelations of human wickedness. In the midst of them all we hear the one voice speaking, "Be still, and know that I am God. Y.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn v23Is the Lords hand waxed short?
Num_11:23
Is the Lords hand waxed short?
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Gods challenge to the faith and co-operation of His people
I. These words have special reference to a divinely-revealed purpose which staggers human reason.
1. Let us look at this purpose. God hath sent His Son into the world,. . . that the world through Him might be saved.
2. The difficulties in the way of this gracious purpose, which excite mens fears. There is the inveterate carnality of the human heart, the stubborn resistance of the human will to the Divine; there is the stolid indifference ,of great masses in Christian lands to the practical duties and claims of religion; and the growing scepticism of the day regarding the verities of the gospel. Consider also the prevalence of idolatrous systems and heathen superstitions among great masses of mankind. Take also the subtle rationalism and keen-witted infidelity which prevail in civilised and semi-Christianised countries. It requires strong faith in a man to calmly survey this formidable host of evil in the world and then take his stand by the side of Christ, confident that His cause will triumph.
II. We have in these words an assertion of divine power which warrants human confidence. Gods purpose is a promise. He stakes His character on the fulfilment of His Word.
1. He cannot forget.
2. He cannot fail through insincerity.
3. He cannot fail through inadequate power to perform.
III. In these words we have Gods challenge to the earnest faith, prayer, and co-operation of his people.
1. The true attitude of the Christian labourer or the Church is to stand, with one hand of believing prayer taking hold of God, and the other hand of loving labour taking hold of fallen man, that the fallen may be raised, and the lost saved.
2. When we are ready for a blessing, God will not fail to bestow it. (John Innocent.)
The glorious right hand of God
I. With regard to the church as a whole, how often is it true that she so behaveth herself as if she had a question in her mind as to whether the Lords hand had waxed short? The mass of us would be afraid to go out trusting in God to supply our needs. We should need first that everything should be prepared for us, and that the way should be paved; but we are not ready to leap as champions upon the wall of the citadel, leading the forlorn hope and planting the standard where it never stood before. No, we can follow in the track of others. We have few Careys and few Knibbs, few men who can go first and foremost saying, This is Gods cause; Jehovah is the only God, and in the name of the Eternal let the idols be abolished. Oh, for more anointed ones to preach the gospel believing in its intrinsic might, assured that where it is preached faithfully, the Spirit of God is never absent! O Zion! get thee up, get thee up! Count no more thy hosts, for their strength is thy weakness; measure no longer thy wealth, for thy wealth has often been thy poverty, and thy poverty thy wealth; think not of the learning or the eloquence of thy ministers and missionaries, for full often these things do but stand in the way of the Eternal God. But come thou forth in simple confidence in His promise, and thou shalt see whether He will not do according to His Word.
II. When believers doubt their God with regard to providence, the question might well be asked of them, Is the Lords hand waxed short? I do not doubt that I am speaking to some who have had many losses and crosses in their business. Instead of getting forward they are going back, and perhaps even bankruptcy stares them in the face. Or possibly, being hard-working men, they may have been long out of employment, and nothing seems now to be before their eyes but the starvation of themselves and their little ones. It is hard to bear this. But dost thou doubt, O believer, dost thou doubt as to whether God will fulfil His promise wherein He said, His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure? Thy God heareth the young ravens when they cry, and giveth liberally to all the creatures that His hands hath made, and will He forget His sons and His daughters--His people bought with blood, His own peculiar heritage? No; dare to believe Him now. His hand has not waxed short. Please not Satan, and vex not thyself by indulging any more those hard thoughts of Him. Say, My Father, Thou wilt hear my cry; Thou wilt supply all my needs; and according to thy faith, so shall it be done unto thee.
III. There is a third way by which this question might be very naturally suggested, and that is when a man who has faith in christ is exercised with doubts and fears with regard to his own final perseverance or his own present acceptance in Christ.
IV. This is a question which I may well ask of any here present who are convinced of sin, but are afraid to trust their souls now, at this very hour, in the hand of a loving Saviour. Oh, He cannot save me, I am so guilty, so callous! Could I repent as I ought, could I but feel as I ought, then He could save me; but I am naked and poor and miserable. How can He clothe, enrich, and bless me? I am cast out from His presence. I have grieved away His Spirit; I have sinned against light and knowledge--against mercy--against constant grace received. He cannot save me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lords hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether My word shall come to pass unto thee or not. Did He not save the chief of sinners, Saul of Tarsus? Why, then, can He not save you? Is it not written, The blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanseth us from all sin? Has that blood lost its efficacy?
V. And you say, do you, that God will not avenge your sins upon you, that ye may go on in your iniquities and yet meet with no punishment; that ye may reject Christ and do it safely. Well, soul, thou shalt see whether His word shall come to pass or not. But let me tell thee His hand is not waxed short; He is as strong to punish as when He bade the floods cover the earth; as powerful to avenge as when He rained hail out of heaven upon the cities of the plain. He is to-day as mighty to overtake and punish His enemies as when He sent the angel through the midst of Egypt, or afterwards smote the hosts of Sennacherib. Thou shalt see whether He will keep His word or not. Go on in the neglect of His great salvation; go to thy dying bed, and buoy thyself up with the false hope that there is no hereafter; but, sinner, thou shalt see; thou shalt see. This point in dispute shall not long be a matter of question to be cavilled at on the one side, and to be taught with tears on the other. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
A strange question
It is a singular thing that such a question as this should ever be asked at all: Has the Lords hand waxed short? If we look anywhere and everywhere, apart from the conduct of man, there is nothing to suggest the suspicion.
1. Look to Gods creation! Is there anything there which would make you say, Is the Lords hand waxed short? What pillar of the heavens hath begun to reel? What curtain of the sky hath been rent or moth-eaten? Have the foundations of the earth begun to start? Hath the sun grown dim with age? or have the starry lamps flickered or gone out in darkness? Are there signs of decay to-day upon the face of Gods creation? Have not howling tempests, the yawning ocean, and death-bearing hurricanes, asserted but yesterday their undiminished might? Say, is not the green earth as full of vitality, as ready to yield us harvests now, as it ever hath been? Do the showers fall less frequently? No; journey where you will, you will see God as potent upon the face of the earth, and in the very bowels of the globe, as He was when He first said, Let there be light and there was light. There is nothing which would tempt us to the surmise or the suspicion that the Lords hand hath waxed short.
2. And look ye too in providence; is there aught there that would suggest the question? Are not His prophecies still fulfilled? Does He not cause all things to work together for good? Do the cattle on a thousand hills low out to Him for hunger? Do you meet with the skeletons of birds that have fallen to the ground from famine? Doth He neglect to give to the fish their food, or do the sea-monsters die? Doth not God still open His hand and supply the want of every living thing? Is He less bounteous to-day than He was in the time of Adam? Is not the cornucopia still as full? Doth He not still scatter mercies with both His hands right lavishly? Are there any tokens in providence any more than in nature, that Gods arm hath waxed short?
3. And look ye too in the matter of grace; is there any token in She work of grace that Gods power is failing? Are not sinners still saved? Are not profligates still reclaimed? Are not drunkards still uplifted from their sties to sit upon the throne with princes? Is not the Word of God still quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword? Where have ye seen the sword of the Lord snapped in twain? When hath God assayed to melt a h-art and failed in the attempt? Which of His people has found the riches of His grace drained dry? Which of His children has had to mourn that the unsearchable riches of Christ had failed to supply his need? How is it, then, that such a question as this ever came from the lips of God Himself? What could there have been that should lead Him or any of His creatures to say, Is the Lords hand waxed short? We answer, there is but one creature that God has made that ever doubts Him. The little sparrows doubt not: though they have no barn nor field, yet they sweetly sing at night as they go to their roosts, though they know not where to-morrows meal shall be found. The very cattle trust Him; and even in days of drought, ye have seen them when they pant for thirst, how they expect the water; how the very first token of it makes them show in their very animal frame, by some dumb language, that they felt that God would not leave them to perish. The angels never doubt Him, nor the devils either: devils believe and tremble. But it was left for man, the most favoured of all creatures, to mistrust his God. This high, this black, this infamous sin of doubting the power and faithfulness of Jehovah, was reserved for the fallen race of rebellious Adam; and we alone, out of all the beings that God has ever fashioned, dishonour Him by unbelief and tarnish His honour by mistrust. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
No failure of Tower with God
Amongst all the gods of the heathen Jupiter was in the greatest esteem, as the father and king of gods and was called Jupiter, quasi juvans pater, a helping father, yet (as the poets feign) be wept when he could not set Sarpedon at liberty; such was the imbecility and impotency of this master-god of the heathen. But the hand of our God is never shortened that it cannot help, He is ever able to relieve us, always ready to deliver us. Amongst all the gods there is none like unto Him, none can do like unto His works, He is God Omnipotent. (J. Spencer.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v21600,000 people
600,000 people
"six hundred thousand people" (See: Numbers)
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Should we kill flocks and herds to satisfy them? Should we catch all the fish in the sea to satisfy them?
Moses uses these questions to express his doubt that there could be enough meat to feed all of the people. AT: "We would have to kill entire flocks and herds and catch all the fish in the sea to satisfy them!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
flocks and herds
These two words mean basically the same thing. Together they emphasize a great number of animals. (See: Doublet)
all the fish in the sea
The word "all" is an exaggeration to show how impossible it was to provide food for all the people of Israel. (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)
to satisfy them
"to satisfy their hunger"
Is my hand short?
Here the word "hand" represents God's power. God uses this question to rebuke Moses for thinking that God did not have the power to provide enough meat for the people. AT: "Do you think that I am not powerful enough to do this?" or "You should know I am more than strong enough to do this." (See: Metonymy and Rhetorical Question)
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v21 Of whom I have the charge.
Of whom I have the charge.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv21–23 Num 11:21 And Moses said, The people, among whom…
Num 11:21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I [am], [are] six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
Ver. 21. Six hundred thousand footmen.] In the conquest of Canaan, there is no mention of horsemen. The adversaries, both Egyptians and Canaanites, had horses and chariots; not so this people of Israel. See Psa 33:17.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv21–23 Six hundred thousand footmen, fit for war, Exo 12:37,…
Six hundred thousand footmen, fit for war, Exo 12:37, besides women, children, &c. That Moses speaks this as doubting or distrusting God’s words is evident enough from Num 11:22,23. And that Moses was not remarkably punished for this as he was afterward for the same sin, Num 20 next to God’s good pleasure may be imputed to the different circumstances of this and that sin: this was the first great offence of this kind, and therefore more easily passed by; that was after warning, and against more light and experience. This seems to have been spoken secretly in Moses’s breast; that openly and publicly before the people, and to their scandal, and therefore it was fit to be openly and severely punished to prevent the contagion of that example.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv21–23 And Moses said,.... By way of objection to what…
And Moses said,.... By way of objection to what God had promised, distrusting his power to perform:
the people amongst whom I am; among whom he dwelt, of whom he was a part, and over whom he was a ruler:
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are six hundred thousand footmen; that were able to travel on foot, and were fit for war: this was the number of them when they came out of Egypt, Exo 12:37; they amounted in their last numbering to 3,550 more, which lesser number is here omitted, as Aben Ezra and Jarchi observe, and only the round number given: some say that all above the six hundred thousand were destroyed by the fire at Taberah, Num 11:1,
and thou hast said, one will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month; this Moses could not tell how to credit.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v21 Six hundred thousand footmen - Fit for war, besides…
Six hundred thousand footmen - Fit for war, besides women and children. That Moses speaks this as distrusting God's word is evident; and that Moses was not remarkably punished for this as he was afterward for the same sin, chap. xx, 12, may be imputed to the different circumstances of this and that sin: this was the first offense of the kind, and therefore more easily passed by; that was after warning and against more light and experience. This seems to have been spoken secretly: that openly before the people; and therefore it was fit to be openly and severely punished to prevent the contagion of that example.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv22–23 Verse 22. Shall the flocks and the herds be…
Verse 22. Shall the flocks and the herds be slain] There is certainly a considerable measure of weakness and unbelief manifested in the complaints and questions of Moses on this occasion; but his conduct appears at the same time so very simple, honest, and affectionate, that we cannot but admire it, while we wonder that he had not stronger confidence in that God whose miracles he had so often witnessed in Egypt.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv21, 23 Num 11:21. Six hundred thousand footmen — Fit for…
Num 11:21. Six hundred thousand footmen — Fit for war, besides women and children. That Moses speaks this as distrusting God’s word, is evident; and that Moses was not remarkably punished for this as he was afterward for the same sin, (Numbers 20.,) may be imputed to the different circumstances of this and that sin; this was the first offence of the kind, and therefore more easily passed by; that was after warning, and against more light and experience. This seems to have been spoken secretly; that openly, before the people; and therefore it was fit to be openly and severely punished, to prevent the contagion of that example.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv21–23 People, able to bear arms. (Haydock) --- In all…
People, able to bear arms. (Haydock) --- In all there were above two millions. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v21 Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are…
Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand . . . Shall the flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them?--The great leader, struck with a promise so astonishing as that of suddenly furnishing, in the midst of the desert, more than two millions of people with flesh for a whole month, betrayed an incredulous spirit, surprising in one who had witnessed so many stupendous miracles. But it is probable that it was only a feeling of the moment--at all events, the incredulous doubt was uttered only to himself--and not, as afterwards, publicly and to the scandal of the people. (See on Num 20:10). It was, therefore, sharply reproved, but not punished.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv21–23 21. Six hundred thousand footmen — This, in round…
21. Six hundred thousand footmen — This, in round numbers, is the census of men fit for military service. See Num_1:21-46, notes. Hence the entire population must have exceeded two millions. “In view of the demands of such an immense host the faith of Moses seems to have wavered. Either from the discomposure of his spirit by reason of the affronts of the people, or from a fear that they might be commanded to feed upon the cattle required for sacrifice, or from sheer incredulity, he is prompted to enquire how it can be possible that so many mouths should be fed with flesh for a whole month together.” — Bush. Reason looks at natural causes alone. Faith brings God into the scene, and therefore knows absolutely nothing of difficulties; yea, she laughs at impossibilities.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On v21 21. footmen] on foot. Exo_12:37.
21. footmen] on foot. Exo_12:37.
(III) 24b–30. The Elders.
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24b. and he gathered &c.] With the second half of this verse the narrative begun in Num_11:16-17 a is continued.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv21–22 (21) Six hundred thousand footmen.—In Num_1:46 the number is…
(21) Six hundred thousand footmen.—In Num_1:46 the number is stated to be 603,550; but here, as elsewhere, a round number is mentioned.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv21–23 And Moses said. Moses had not recovered from the…
And Moses said. Moses had not recovered from the impatient and despairing temper into which the ill-behaviour of the people had betrayed him. He could not really have doubted the Divine power to do this, after what he had seen in the desert of Sin, (Exo_16:13) but he spoke petulantly, and indeed insolently, out of the misery which was yet in his heart.
Vers. 21-23. Deeper in unbelief.
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I MOSES IN HIS REPLY SNOWS AN IMPERFECT APPRECIATION OF WHAT GOD HAD SAID.
1. As to God"s purpose. He had spoken in holy anger, promising flesh, but threatening retribution along with it. The threat is quite as emphatic,s the promise, but somehow Moses does not heed. At Sinai, when the people made the golden calf, he was so oppressed with the sense of their great sin, and so solicitous for their pardon, as to beg if the pardon were not granted that he might himself be blotted out of God"s book. Where was this anxiety now? His great concern is, not how God may be propitiated and the people spared, but how the people may be propitiated and he himself spared. Contrast Moses here with Christ at all times. Think of the Son"s never-failing remembrance of the Father"s glory. The Son saw and appreciated all things the Father showed him; hence the confidence with which we look to Christ for a revelation of all God"s purposes concerning us, so far as it is right for us to know them. Jesus could ever go out and declare in fitting words and with proper emphasis all the will of God, for he had a perfect appreciation of that will himself. But how was Moses to go out and speak properly to the people when he himself had only half-heard, as it were, what God had said to him? Doubtless he repeated the message of God in the very same words; but one fears that while he made it quite clear to the people they should have flesh, he made it not quite so clear that God was sending it in anger. Let us ever get to the spirit of God"s messages to us; never content till their fullness of meaning has passed into our heart, so that something like the fullness of service may pass out of it again.
2. As to God"s power. History repeats itself. Unbelief, natural ignorance of God, slowness of heart to take in what he has spoken, these repeat themselves in their manner of receiving God"s promises. Moses talks here as the disciples did at the feeding of the five thousand. (Mat_14:15) And yet, after all his wonderful experiences, there should not have been the slightest difficulty in receiving what God had said. Of all possible convictions, this should have rested on solid ground that what God had promised he assuredly had power to perform. Is not this one of the great differences between God and men? Men promise and forget, or fall short; God is always better than his promises, for they have to be spoken in defective human words, while they are fulfilled in complete Divine actions.
II THE CAUSE OF THIS IMPERFECT APPRECIATION. Can we not detect, and especially in the light of his subsequent language, something like doubt, something like leaning upon creature supports instead of God, in the invitation which he gave to Hobab? If this be so, we wonder little at his language of bitter complaint and despair (verses 11-15); and we wonder less that he so soon showed himself out of sympathy with the Divine purposes. The eye of faith had become dim; self-preservation, escape from an intolerable burden, occupied his thoughts. Was it astonishing that, unbelief having found a temporary lodgment in the heart of the leader, the followers should have failed to take in all the purport of God"s message? Learn from this how carefully spirituality of mind needs to be guarded. We must not be seduced into leaning upon men instead of trusting in God. Men may solace and encourage us as companions; they are never to take the place of Providence. So neither are we to be terrified and paralyzed by sudden and stupendous revelations of human wickedness. In the midst of them all we hear the one voice speaking, "Be still, and know that I am God. Y.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v23 Is the Lords hand waxed short?
Num_11:23
Is the Lords hand waxed short?
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Gods challenge to the faith and co-operation of His people
I. These words have special reference to a divinely-revealed purpose which staggers human reason.
1. Let us look at this purpose. God hath sent His Son into the world,. . . that the world through Him might be saved.
2. The difficulties in the way of this gracious purpose, which excite mens fears. There is the inveterate carnality of the human heart, the stubborn resistance of the human will to the Divine; there is the stolid indifference ,of great masses in Christian lands to the practical duties and claims of religion; and the growing scepticism of the day regarding the verities of the gospel. Consider also the prevalence of idolatrous systems and heathen superstitions among great masses of mankind. Take also the subtle rationalism and keen-witted infidelity which prevail in civilised and semi-Christianised countries. It requires strong faith in a man to calmly survey this formidable host of evil in the world and then take his stand by the side of Christ, confident that His cause will triumph.
II. We have in these words an assertion of divine power which warrants human confidence. Gods purpose is a promise. He stakes His character on the fulfilment of His Word.
1. He cannot forget.
2. He cannot fail through insincerity.
3. He cannot fail through inadequate power to perform.
III. In these words we have Gods challenge to the earnest faith, prayer, and co-operation of his people.
1. The true attitude of the Christian labourer or the Church is to stand, with one hand of believing prayer taking hold of God, and the other hand of loving labour taking hold of fallen man, that the fallen may be raised, and the lost saved.
2. When we are ready for a blessing, God will not fail to bestow it. (John Innocent.)
The glorious right hand of God
I. With regard to the church as a whole, how often is it true that she so behaveth herself as if she had a question in her mind as to whether the Lords hand had waxed short? The mass of us would be afraid to go out trusting in God to supply our needs. We should need first that everything should be prepared for us, and that the way should be paved; but we are not ready to leap as champions upon the wall of the citadel, leading the forlorn hope and planting the standard where it never stood before. No, we can follow in the track of others. We have few Careys and few Knibbs, few men who can go first and foremost saying, This is Gods cause; Jehovah is the only God, and in the name of the Eternal let the idols be abolished. Oh, for more anointed ones to preach the gospel believing in its intrinsic might, assured that where it is preached faithfully, the Spirit of God is never absent! O Zion! get thee up, get thee up! Count no more thy hosts, for their strength is thy weakness; measure no longer thy wealth, for thy wealth has often been thy poverty, and thy poverty thy wealth; think not of the learning or the eloquence of thy ministers and missionaries, for full often these things do but stand in the way of the Eternal God. But come thou forth in simple confidence in His promise, and thou shalt see whether He will not do according to His Word.
II. When believers doubt their God with regard to providence, the question might well be asked of them, Is the Lords hand waxed short? I do not doubt that I am speaking to some who have had many losses and crosses in their business. Instead of getting forward they are going back, and perhaps even bankruptcy stares them in the face. Or possibly, being hard-working men, they may have been long out of employment, and nothing seems now to be before their eyes but the starvation of themselves and their little ones. It is hard to bear this. But dost thou doubt, O believer, dost thou doubt as to whether God will fulfil His promise wherein He said, His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure? Thy God heareth the young ravens when they cry, and giveth liberally to all the creatures that His hands hath made, and will He forget His sons and His daughters--His people bought with blood, His own peculiar heritage? No; dare to believe Him now. His hand has not waxed short. Please not Satan, and vex not thyself by indulging any more those hard thoughts of Him. Say, My Father, Thou wilt hear my cry; Thou wilt supply all my needs; and according to thy faith, so shall it be done unto thee.
III. There is a third way by which this question might be very naturally suggested, and that is when a man who has faith in christ is exercised with doubts and fears with regard to his own final perseverance or his own present acceptance in Christ.
IV. This is a question which I may well ask of any here present who are convinced of sin, but are afraid to trust their souls now, at this very hour, in the hand of a loving Saviour. Oh, He cannot save me, I am so guilty, so callous! Could I repent as I ought, could I but feel as I ought, then He could save me; but I am naked and poor and miserable. How can He clothe, enrich, and bless me? I am cast out from His presence. I have grieved away His Spirit; I have sinned against light and knowledge--against mercy--against constant grace received. He cannot save me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lords hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether My word shall come to pass unto thee or not. Did He not save the chief of sinners, Saul of Tarsus? Why, then, can He not save you? Is it not written, The blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanseth us from all sin? Has that blood lost its efficacy?
V. And you say, do you, that God will not avenge your sins upon you, that ye may go on in your iniquities and yet meet with no punishment; that ye may reject Christ and do it safely. Well, soul, thou shalt see whether His word shall come to pass or not. But let me tell thee His hand is not waxed short; He is as strong to punish as when He bade the floods cover the earth; as powerful to avenge as when He rained hail out of heaven upon the cities of the plain. He is to-day as mighty to overtake and punish His enemies as when He sent the angel through the midst of Egypt, or afterwards smote the hosts of Sennacherib. Thou shalt see whether He will keep His word or not. Go on in the neglect of His great salvation; go to thy dying bed, and buoy thyself up with the false hope that there is no hereafter; but, sinner, thou shalt see; thou shalt see. This point in dispute shall not long be a matter of question to be cavilled at on the one side, and to be taught with tears on the other. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
A strange question
It is a singular thing that such a question as this should ever be asked at all: Has the Lords hand waxed short? If we look anywhere and everywhere, apart from the conduct of man, there is nothing to suggest the suspicion.
1. Look to Gods creation! Is there anything there which would make you say, Is the Lords hand waxed short? What pillar of the heavens hath begun to reel? What curtain of the sky hath been rent or moth-eaten? Have the foundations of the earth begun to start? Hath the sun grown dim with age? or have the starry lamps flickered or gone out in darkness? Are there signs of decay to-day upon the face of Gods creation? Have not howling tempests, the yawning ocean, and death-bearing hurricanes, asserted but yesterday their undiminished might? Say, is not the green earth as full of vitality, as ready to yield us harvests now, as it ever hath been? Do the showers fall less frequently? No; journey where you will, you will see God as potent upon the face of the earth, and in the very bowels of the globe, as He was when He first said, Let there be light and there was light. There is nothing which would tempt us to the surmise or the suspicion that the Lords hand hath waxed short.
2. And look ye too in providence; is there aught there that would suggest the question? Are not His prophecies still fulfilled? Does He not cause all things to work together for good? Do the cattle on a thousand hills low out to Him for hunger? Do you meet with the skeletons of birds that have fallen to the ground from famine? Doth He neglect to give to the fish their food, or do the sea-monsters die? Doth not God still open His hand and supply the want of every living thing? Is He less bounteous to-day than He was in the time of Adam? Is not the cornucopia still as full? Doth He not still scatter mercies with both His hands right lavishly? Are there any tokens in providence any more than in nature, that Gods arm hath waxed short?
3. And look ye too in the matter of grace; is there any token in She work of grace that Gods power is failing? Are not sinners still saved? Are not profligates still reclaimed? Are not drunkards still uplifted from their sties to sit upon the throne with princes? Is not the Word of God still quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword? Where have ye seen the sword of the Lord snapped in twain? When hath God assayed to melt a h-art and failed in the attempt? Which of His people has found the riches of His grace drained dry? Which of His children has had to mourn that the unsearchable riches of Christ had failed to supply his need? How is it, then, that such a question as this ever came from the lips of God Himself? What could there have been that should lead Him or any of His creatures to say, Is the Lords hand waxed short? We answer, there is but one creature that God has made that ever doubts Him. The little sparrows doubt not: though they have no barn nor field, yet they sweetly sing at night as they go to their roosts, though they know not where to-morrows meal shall be found. The very cattle trust Him; and even in days of drought, ye have seen them when they pant for thirst, how they expect the water; how the very first token of it makes them show in their very animal frame, by some dumb language, that they felt that God would not leave them to perish. The angels never doubt Him, nor the devils either: devils believe and tremble. But it was left for man, the most favoured of all creatures, to mistrust his God. This high, this black, this infamous sin of doubting the power and faithfulness of Jehovah, was reserved for the fallen race of rebellious Adam; and we alone, out of all the beings that God has ever fashioned, dishonour Him by unbelief and tarnish His honour by mistrust. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
No failure of Tower with God
Amongst all the gods of the heathen Jupiter was in the greatest esteem, as the father and king of gods and was called Jupiter, quasi juvans pater, a helping father, yet (as the poets feign) be wept when he could not set Sarpedon at liberty; such was the imbecility and impotency of this master-god of the heathen. But the hand of our God is never shortened that it cannot help, He is ever able to relieve us, always ready to deliver us. Amongst all the gods there is none like unto Him, none can do like unto His works, He is God Omnipotent. (J. Spencer.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v21 600,000 people
600,000 people
"six hundred thousand people" (See: Numbers)
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Should we kill flocks and herds to satisfy them? Should we catch all the fish in the sea to satisfy them?
Moses uses these questions to express his doubt that there could be enough meat to feed all of the people. AT: "We would have to kill entire flocks and herds and catch all the fish in the sea to satisfy them!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
flocks and herds
These two words mean basically the same thing. Together they emphasize a great number of animals. (See: Doublet)
all the fish in the sea
The word "all" is an exaggeration to show how impossible it was to provide food for all the people of Israel. (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)
to satisfy them
"to satisfy their hunger"
Is my hand short?
Here the word "hand" represents God's power. God uses this question to rebuke Moses for thinking that God did not have the power to provide enough meat for the people. AT: "Do you think that I am not powerful enough to do this?" or "You should know I am more than strong enough to do this." (See: Metonymy and Rhetorical Question)
translationWords
flocks
hand
word of God
true
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.