Two men stayed behind in the camp when the others went out to the tabernacle, and the Spirit came upon them anyway. Their names were Eldad and Medad, and “they prophesied in the camp.” A young man ran to tell Moses, and Joshua said, “My lord Moses, forbid them.” Moses answered, “Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets.” It is a small scene about generosity, from a leader who is not worried about his own standing. It takes up only a few lines at the end of Numbers 11.
4 verses
But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.
And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!
Matthew George Easton, 1897
Whom God has loved, one of the seventy elders whom Moses appointed (Num. 11:26, 27) to administer justice among the people. He, with Medad, prophesied in the camp instead of going with the rest to the tabernacle, as Moses had commanded. This incident was announced to Moses by Joshua, who thought their conduct in this respect irregular. Moses replied, “Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets” (Num. 11:24-30; comp. Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49).
William Smith, 1884
(favored of God) and Me’dad (love), two of the seventy elders to whom was communicated the prophetic power of Moses. (Numbers 11:16,26) (B.C. 1490.) Although their names were upon the last which Moses had drawn up, (Numbers 11:26) they did not repair with the rest of their brethren to the tabernacle, but continued to prophesy in the camp. moses, being requested by Joshua to forbid this, refused to do so, and expressed a wish that the gift of prophecy might be diffused throughout the people.