Numbers 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!”

Numbers 13:18

13:18 and see ³  what the land is like, ⁴  and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, few or many,

Numbers 15:30

Deliberate Sin

15:30 “‘But the person ⁵  who acts defiantly, ⁶  whether native-born or a resident foreigner, insults ⁷  the Lord. ⁸  That person ⁹  must be cut off ¹⁰  from among his people.

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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.

² tn Or “will happen” (TEV); KJV “shall come to pass unto thee.”

³ tn The form is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; the word therefore carries the volitional mood of the preceding imperatives. It may be either another imperative, or it may be subordinated as a purpose clause.

⁴ tn Heb “see the land, what it is.”

⁵ tn Heb “soul.”

⁶ tn The sin is described literally as acting “with a high hand” – בְּיָד רָמָה (bÿyad ramah). The expression means that someone would do something with deliberate defiance, with an arrogance in spite of what the Lord said. It is as if the sinner was about to attack God, or at least lifting his hand against God. The implication of the expression is that it was done in full knowledge of the Law (especially since this contrasts throughout with the sins of ignorance). Blatant defiance of the word of the Lord is dealt with differently. For similar expressions, see Exod 14:8 and Num 33:3.

⁷ tn The verb occurs only in the Piel; it means “to blaspheme,” “to revile.”

⁸ tn The word order in the Hebrew text places “Yahweh” first for emphasis – it is the Lord such a person insults.

⁹ tn Heb “soul.”

¹⁰ tn The clause begins with “and” because the verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. As discussed with Num 9:13, to be cut off could mean excommunication from the community, death by the community, or death by divine intervention.