Bible Strands
Numbers 11:26
Two men, however, had remained in the camp—one named Eldad and the other Medad—and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes a moment immediately following Moses’ reception of the Spirit and its distribution to the seventy elders at the tent of meeting. Two men from the official list, Eldad and Medad, remain in the camp while the Spirit settles upon them.
The words — וַ/יִּשָּאֲר֣וּ (va/yi.sha.'a.ru) literally means "and they had remained," marking their physical separation from the tent gathering. שְׁנֵֽי־ אֲנָשִׁים (she.nei-'a.na.shim) translates as "two men," specifying the exact individuals who received the Spirit without traveling to the designated site.
The thread — The narrative of the Spirit resting on designated individuals outside formal settings recurs in 1 Samuel 10:5-6 and 19:20, where unlisted prophets are moved by the Spirit. It also establishes a direct link to Numbers 11:25 and 11:27, framing the Spirit's sovereign distribution across the community.
Why it lands — The text demonstrates that spiritual authority and prophetic gifting are not confined to controlled locations or official procedures. It requires the reader to recognize that divine empowerment operates independently of human organizational boundaries.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 36:5 Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, “I am restricted; I cannot enter the house of the LORD;
- 1 Samuel 20:26 Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”
- Exodus 3:11 But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
- Exodus 4:13 But Moses replied, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”
- 1 Samuel 10:22 So again they inquired of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD replied, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
- Jeremiah 1:6 “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”