And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The young man who runs to tell Moses is not just a messenger; his urgency highlights a common human reaction: fear that something new or unexpected is a threat to established order, even when it's clearly from God. He instinctively runs to Moses to have Eldad and Medad "forbidden," revealing a deep-seated tendency to control or even stifle God's Spirit when it doesn't conform to our expectations.
And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just prior to this, Moses had been overwhelmed by the immense burden of leading the Israelites and had asked God for help. God responded by choosing seventy elders to share the leadership burden, imparting some of His Spirit to them so they could prophesy. However, two of these chosen elders, Eldad and Medad, did not go to the tabernacle to receive the Spirit with the others, yet the Spirit still came upon them in the camp, causing them to prophesy.
When God's Spirit moves, who gets to decide where and how it flows? This story challenges our assumptions about where spiritual gifts should be found.
In Numbers 11, God's Spirit is poured out on seventy elders. But something amazing happens: two men, Eldad and Medad, who weren't even present at the tabernacle, also receive the Spirit and begin to prophesy.
This shows us that the Holy Spirit isn't confined to sacred spaces or official gatherings. God can choose to empower anyone, anywhere, to speak His truth. It's a powerful reminder that His work isn't limited by our structures or our understanding.
Why would someone rush to report Eldad and Medad? Discover the tension between protecting human authority and trusting God's sovereign actions.
The young man who ran to Moses, and even Joshua, reacted with concern. Their immediate thought was to 'forbid them' (Numbers 11:28). This reaction stemmed from a desire to protect Moses' authority and maintain order.
They feared that Eldad and Medad prophesying outside the recognized leadership structure could cause division or diminish Moses' unique position. However, Moses, with a far greater spiritual perspective, saw beyond this fear. He recognized that the Spirit's work was from God and desired that all God's people would prophesy. This highlights a crucial distinction: true spiritual leadership doesn't fear God's Spirit working through others; it rejoices in it.
Ask a follow-up
What was Moses' radical response to the news of unauthorized prophecy? His answer reveals a profound and generous heart for God's people.
Instead of rebuking Eldad and Medad, Moses offers a prayer that is astonishing in its generosity: 'Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them!' (Numbers 11:29).
Moses, despite being the central figure chosen by God, didn't cling to his unique gifting. He understood that the Spirit's power was not meant to be hoarded or exclusive. His desire was for the empowerment of all God's people, recognizing that true leadership isn't about exclusivity but about the abundant multiplication of God's presence and gifting throughout the community.
This event occurs during the Israelites' wilderness journey, a time of testing and transition where God is establishing His leadership structure and preparing His people for the land He promised.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt under Moses' leadership, beginning their journey to the Promised Land.
c. 1446 BC
Rebellion at Taberah
The Israelites complain about their hardships, and God sends fire that consumes some in the camp.
c. 1446 BC
Complaints about Food
The people grumble for meat, leading to God sending quails and a subsequent plague.
c. 1446 BC
Appointment of Seventy Elders
God instructs Moses to gather seventy elders to share the burden of leadership. The Spirit falls upon them, and they prophesy.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Eldad and Medad Prophesy
Two elders, Eldad and Medad, who did not go to the Tabernacle, prophesy in the camp, prompting a report to Moses.
c. 1446 BC
Moses' Response
Moses rebukes Joshua's desire to silence Eldad and Medad, expressing a wish for all God's people to be prophets.
This passage speaks about the diversity of spiritual gifts given by the same Spirit, paralleling how Eldad and Medad received the Spirit to prophesy, even though they weren't with the seventy elders.
Luke 9:49-50Here, a disciple wanted to stop someone from casting out demons in Jesus' name because he wasn't part of their group. This mirrors Joshua's reaction to Eldad and Medad, showing a common human tendency to restrict God's work to familiar channels.
Galatians 3:28This verse emphasizes unity in Christ, where distinctions like 'young man' or 'elder' are less important than spiritual identity. It echoes Moses' expansive view that he wished all the Lord's people could be prophets, transcending rigid boundaries.
John 3:8Jesus likens the Spirit to the wind that blows where it wills, and we cannot tell its origins or destination. This directly relates to Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp, outside the appointed gathering, showing the Spirit's unpredictable movement.
pulpitNumbers 11:27: "And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp."
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, bu…
clarkeNumbers 11:27: "And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp."
Eldad and Medad do prophesy, etc. - Eldad, they said, and Medad there, Irregularly bold, By Moses uncommission'd, dare A separate meeting hold! And still whom none but heaven will own. Men whom the world decry, Men authorized by God alone, Presume to prophesy!
The young man who runs to tell Moses is not just a messenger; his urgency highlights a common human reaction: fear that something new or unexpected is a threat to established order, even when it's clearly from God. He instinctively runs to Moses to have Eldad and Medad "forbidden," revealing a deep-seated tendency to control or even stifle God's Spirit when it doesn't conform to our expectations.
Just prior to this, Moses had been overwhelmed by the immense burden of leading the Israelites and had asked God for help. God responded by choosing seventy elders to share the leadership burden, imparting some of His Spirit to them so they could prophesy. However, two of these chosen elders, Eldad and Medad, did not go to the tabernacle to receive the Spirit with the others, yet the Spirit still came upon them in the camp, causing them to prophesy.
Just prior to this, Moses had been overwhelmed by the immense burden of leading the Israelites and had asked God for help. God responded by choosing seventy elders to share the leadership burden, imparting some of His Spirit to them so they could prophesy. However, two of these chosen elders, Eldad and Medad, did not go to the tabernacle to receive the Spirit with the others, yet the Spirit still came upon them in the camp, causing them to prophesy.
"And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”" — The young man who runs to tell Moses is not just a messenger; his urgency highlights a common human reaction: fear that something new or unexpected is a threat to established order, even when it's cl…
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Last reviewed October 2026