16 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou hast known that they are elders of the people, and its authorities; and thou hast taken them unto the tent of meeting, and they have stationed themselves there with thee, 17 and I have come down and spoken with thee there, and have kept back of the Spirit which 'is' upon thee, and have put on them, and they have borne with thee some of the burden of the people, and thou dost not bear 'it' thyself alone. 18 'And unto the people thou dost say, Sanctify yourselves for to-morrow, and ye have eaten flesh (for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who doth give us flesh? for we 'had' good in Egypt)—and Jehovah hath given to you flesh, and ye have eaten. 19 Ye do not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days;— 20 unto a month of days, till that it come out from your nostrils, and it hath become to you an abomination; because that ye have loathed Jehovah, who 'is' in your midst, and weep before Him, saying, Why is this?—we have come out of Egypt!' 21 And Moses saith, 'Six hundred thousand footmen 'are' the people in whose midst I 'am'; and Thou, Thou hast said, Flesh I give to them, and they have eaten, a month of days! 22 Is flock and herd slaughtered for them, that one hath found for them?—are all the fishes of the sea gathered for them—that one hath found for them?' 23 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Is the hand of Jehovah become short? now thou dost see whether My word meeteth thee or not.'

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Numbers 11:16-23

Commentary on Numbers 11:16-23

(Read Numbers 11:16-23)

Moses is to choose such as he knew to be elders, that is, wise and experienced men. God promises to qualify them. If they were not found fit for the employ, they should be made fit. Even the discontented people shall be gratified too, that every mouth may be stopped. See here, I. The vanity of all the delights of sense; they will cloy, but they will not satisfy. Spiritual pleasures alone will satisfy and last. As the world passes away, so do the lusts of it. 2. What brutish sins gluttony and drunkenness are! they make that to hurt the body which should be its health. Moses objects. Even true and great believers sometimes find it hard to trust God under the discouragements of second causes, and against hope to believe in hope. God here brings Moses to this point, The Lord God is Almighty; and puts the proof upon the issue, Thou shalt see whether my word shall come to pass or not. If he speaks, it is done.