Numbers 11:27

And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Numbers 11:27-28. There ran a young man and told Moses — Fearing lest his authority should be diminished by their prophesying, and thereby taking power to themselves without his consent. Joshua, the servant of Moses — Who ministered to him as his constant attendant. One of his young men — Hebrew, מבחריו, mibechuraiv, one of his chosen ones; which may be emphatically added to signify that even great and good men may mistake about the works of God. My lord Moses, forbid them — It would seem that he thought their prophesying or teaching in the camp tended to make those gifts common, and to disparage Moses in the eyes of the people; or, perhaps, he thought it tended to breed a schism, by calling the people away from the tabernacle, the appointed place of public worship, where the rest of the seventy elders were regularly assembled. Thus the disciples forbade one who cast out devils in Christ’s name, because he followed not with them, Luke 9:49-50.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

11:24-30 We have here the fulfilment of God's word to Moses, that he should have help in the government of Israel. He gave of his Spirit to the seventy elders. They discoursed to the people of the things of God, so that all who heard them might say, that God was with them of a truth. Two of the elders, Eldad and Medad, went not out unto the tabernacle, as the rest, being sensible of their own weakness and unworthiness. But the Spirit of God found them in the camp, and there they exercised their gift of praying, preaching, and praising God; they spake as moved by the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God is not confined to the tabernacle, but, like the wind, blows where He listeth. And they that humble themselves shall be exalted; and those who are most fit for government, are least ambitious of it. Joshua does not desire that they should be punished, but only restrained for the future. This motion he made out of zeal for what he thought to be the unity of the church. He would have them silenced, lest they should occasion a schism, or should rival Moses; but Moses was not afraid of any such effects from that Spirit which God had put upon them. Shall we reject those whom Christ has owned, or restrain any from doing good, because they are not in every thing of our mind? Moses wishes all the Lord's people were prophets, that he would put his Spirit upon all of them. Let the testimony of Moses be believed by those who desire to be in power; that government is a burden. It is a burden of care and trouble to those who make conscience of the duty of it; and to those who do not, it will prove a heavier burden in the day of account. Let the example of Moses be followed by those in power; let them not despise the advice and assistance of others, but desire it, and be thankful for it. If all the present number of the Lord's people were rendered prophets, or ministers, by the Spirit of Christ, though not all agreed in outward matters, there is work enough for all, in calling sinners to repentance, and faith in our Lord Jesus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Of them that were written - i. e. enrolled among the Seventy. The expression points to a regular appointment duly recorded and permanent.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

26-29. But there remained two of the men in the camp—They did not repair with the rest to the tabernacle, either from modesty in shrinking from the assumption of a public office, or being prevented by some ceremonial defilement. They, however, received the gifts of the Spirit as well as their brethren. And when Moses was urged to forbid their prophesying, his answer displayed a noble disinterestedness as well as zeal for the glory of God akin to that of our Lord (Mr 9:39).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Fearing lest his authority should be diminished by their prophesying; and thereby, as by the signal given at this time, taking authority to themselves without his knowledge and consent.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And there ran a young man,.... From the camp to the tabernacle, who had heard Eldad and Medad prophesy; which he thought was not right, being done without the knowledge and approbation of Moses, and in a private tent in the tabernacle, not among the elders, but the common people: who this young than was is not material to know; some of the Rabbins, as Jarchi says, affirm he was Gershon the son of Moses; whoever he was, no doubt, it was with a good design, consulting the glory of God and the honour of Moses, and therefore in great haste ran to him with the information:

and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp; who seem by this, to be persons well known, and of some note and figure; since not only the young man could call them by their names, but there needed no other description of them to Moses and those with him.

Geneva Study Bible

And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 27. - And there ran a young man. Literally, "the young man," - הַנַּעַר; ὁ νεανἱσκος, Septuagint, - by which some understand the young men of the camp collectively, but this is doubtful in grammar and unsatisfactory in sense. If this book was compiled from previous records, of which there are many apparent traces, we may suppose that the name of this young man was there given, but here for some reason omitted. Numbers 11:27

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

This phenomenon in the camp itself produced such excitement, that a boy (הנּער, with the article like הפּליט in Genesis 14:13) reported the thing to Moses, whereupon Joshua requested Moses to prohibit the two from prophesying. Joshua felt himself warranted in doing this, because he had been Moses' servant from his youth up (see at Exodus 17:9), and in this capacity he regarded the prophesying of these men in the camp as detracting from the authority of his lord, since they had not received this gift from Moses, at least not through his mediation. Joshua was jealous for the honour of Moses, just as the disciples of Jesus, in Mark 9:38-39, were for the honour of their Lord; and he was reproved by Moses, as the latter afterwards were by Christ.