Bilangan 11:23

11:23 And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? ¹  Now you will see whether my word to you will come true ²  or not!”

Bilangan 18:6

18:6 I myself have chosen ³  your brothers the Levites from among the Israelites. They are given to you as a gift from the Lord, to perform the duties ⁴  of the tent of meeting.

Bilangan 26:65

26:65 For the Lord had said of them, “They will surely die in the wilderness.” And there was not left a single man of them, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

[11:23]  ¹ sn This anthropomorphic expression concerns the power of God. The “hand of the Lord” is idiomatic for his power, what he is able to do. The question is rhetorical; it is affirming that his hand is not shortened, i.e., that his power is not limited. Moses should have known this, and so this is a rebuke for him at this point. God had provided the manna, among all the other powerful acts they had witnessed. Meat would be no problem. But the lack of faith by the people was infectious.

[11:23]  ² tn Or “will happen” (TEV); KJV “shall come to pass unto thee.”

[18:6]  ³ tn Heb “taken.”

[18:6]  ⁴ tn The infinitive construct in this sentence is from עָבַד (’avad), and so is the noun that serves as its object: to serve the service.