Numbers 11:25

Numbers 11:25 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
• New International Version (NIV)Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.

Context of Numbers 11:25

23Adonai said to Moses, “Is Adonai’s arm too short? Now you will see whether My word will come true for you or not.” 24So Moses went out and told the people Adonai’s words. He gathered 70 of the elders of the people and had them stand around the Tent. Adonai descended in the cloud and spoke with him. He took some of the Ruach that was on him and placed it on each of the 70 elders. It so happened that when the Ruach first rested on them, they prophesied—but never again. 26Two men, however, had remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad and the name of the other was Medad. The Ruach rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the Tent. So they prophesied in the camp. 27A young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

Numbers 11:25 word by word

וַיֵּ֨רֶד יְהוָ֥ה׀ בֶּעָנָן֮ וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלָיו֒ וַיָּ֗אצֶל מִן־הָר֙וּחַ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָלָ֔יו וַיִּתֵּ֕ן עַל־שִׁבְעִ֥ים אִ֖ישׁ הַזְּקֵנִ֑ים וַיְהִ֗י כְּנ֤וֹחַ עֲלֵיהֶם֙ הָר֔וּחַ וַיִּֽתְנַבְּא֖וּ וְלֹ֥א יָסָֽפוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• came downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• in a cloudעָנָן‛ânân · cloudH6051
• and spakeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• unto him, and tookאָצַל'âtsal · to reserveH680
• of the spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
• upon him, and gaveנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
• unto the seventyשִׁבְעִיםshib‛îym · seventyH7657
• eldersאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
• restedנוּחַnûach · to restH5117
• upon them, they prophesiedנָבָאnâbâ' · to prophesyH5012
• and did not ceaseיָסַףyâsaph · to add: againH3254

Cross-references for Numbers 11:25

• Numbers 11:17Then I will come down and speak with you there, and, I will take some of the Ruach that is on you and will place it on them. They will carry with you the burden of the people, so you will not be carrying it alone.”
• Numbers 12:5Adonai descended in a column of cloud, stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and called to Aaron and Miriam. The two of them stepped forward.
• Exodus 34:5Then Adonai descended in the cloud, stood with him there, as he called on the Name of Adonai.
• Exodus 40:38For the cloud of Adonai was on the Tabernacle by day and a fire was there by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
• Psalms 99:7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud. They kept His testimonies, and the decree that He gave them.
• Luke 9:34While he was yet saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
• 2 Kings 2:15When the sons of the prophets at Jericho saw him some way off, they said, “The spirit of Elijah has rested on Elisha.” So they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
• James 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
• 1 Samuel 10:5After that, you will arrive at the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. It will come about, as soon as you enter the town, that you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by a harp, a tambourine and a flute, and they will be prophesying.
• 1 Samuel 19:20So Saul sent agents to seize David, but they saw a band of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing and presiding over them. Then the Ruach of God came upon Saul’s agents and they too prophesied.
• Jeremiah 36:5Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying: “I am detained; I cannot go into the House of Adonai.
• Acts 2:17‘And it shall be in the last days,’ says God, ‘that I will pour out My Ruach on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
• Acts 11:28One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted through the Ruach that there was going to be a great famine over all the world. (This took place during the reign of Claudius.)
• Acts 21:9Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
• 1 Corinthians 11:4Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered dishonors his head.

Commentaries on Numbers 11:25

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25When the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied - By prophesying here we are to understand their performing those civil and sacred functions for which they were qualified; exhorting the people to quiet and peaceable submission, to trust and confidence in the goodness and providence of God, would make no small part of the duties of their new office. The ideal meaning of the word נבא naba is to pray, entreat, etc. The prophet is called נביא nabi, because…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4-35Verses 4-35 Occurrences at Kibroth-hattavah. Numbers 11:4 The mixt multitude - The word in the original resembles our “riff-raff,” and denotes a mob of people scraped together. It refers here to the multitude of strangers (see Exodus 12:38) who had followed the Israelites from Egypt. Numbers 11:5 The natural dainties of Egypt are set forth in this passage with the fullness and relish which bespeak personal experience. Numbers 11:6-7 There is nothing at…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-30Verses 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25The text does not describe what happened when the Spirit rested on them and they prophesied. It only says that they spoke as the Spirit enabled them. Whatever took place, it may have included ecstatic speech (intense or Spirit-driven words spoken in a special way). Similar events appear later in Acts 2:4 and 1 Corinthians 14:2. However, the text suggests that this was a unique event.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease--As those elders were constituted civil governors, their "prophesying" must be understood as meaning the performance of their civil and sacred duties by the help of those extraordinary endowments they had received; and by their not "ceasing" we understand, either that they continued to exercise their gifts uninterruptedly the first day (see 1Sa 19:24), or that these were permanent…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 11:25

• Anthropomorphisms
• Cloud
• Government
• Inspiration
• Intolerance, Religious
• Jury
• Moses
• Prayer
• Prophets
• Seventy
• Trouble

In the dictionaries

• Cloud
• Complain
• Cry
• Eldad
• Exodus
• Fall
• Medad
• Prophet
• Sinai
• Talk

Commentaries on Numbers 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings