Numbers 11:23 Explained

"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." — Numbers 11:23 (KJV)

God answers a leader's arithmetic with a question, not a calculation.

Read it in context: The Book of Numbers. Also gathered under verses about doubt.

Numbers 11:23 in context

What does Numbers 11:23 mean?

'Waxed short' is a hand drawn back, too short to reach. The question is not a rebuke for arithmetic; Moses' figures are correct. It is a question about which quantity is the limiting one. Then comes the harder half: 'thou shalt see now' — the answer is not argued, it is demonstrated, and Moses will have to wait to find out.

What is the context of Numbers 11:23?

The people have demanded meat in the desert. God promises a month of it. Moses, counting six hundred thousand men on foot, points out that the flocks and the sea together would not be enough — and this is the reply.

How do I pray Numbers 11:23?

Pray it when your objection to a thing is that the numbers do not work. State the numbers honestly, as Moses does, rather than pretending to a faith you have not got. Then ask the question back at yourself and leave it unresolved for a while; the verse does not offer proof in advance of the event.

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