Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 11:25
And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spoke 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.
25. in the cloud ] See on Num 9:15-23.
they prophesied ] They were flung into an ecstatic condition of frenzy. Other instances are recorded in the case of Saul (1Sa 10:10-12; 1Sa 18:10; 1Sa 19:23 f.) and his messengers with the prophets at Naioth ( id. Num 19:20 f.). Probably also in the case of Elisha (2Ki 3:15). At an early stage of thought in Israel such sudden and mysterious attacks were reverently ascribed to divine action; but in process of time they were considered rather as madness, Hos 9:7, 2Ki 9:11, Jer 29:26. The true prophet was realised to be one who, by a deep spiritual insight and conversance with God, was able to declare the divine will with regard to matters both present and future.
but they did so no more ] The effect was purely temporary. It was not an imparting of wisdom and influence for the purpose of permanently helping Moses.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 25. When 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 naba is to pray, entreat, c. The prophet is called nabi, because he prays, supplicates, in reference to God exhorts, entreats, in reference to man. See Clarke on Ge 20:7.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Rested upon them, i.e. not only moved them for a time, but took up his settled abode with them, because the use and end of this gift was not temporary, but perpetual; they prophesied, i.e. discoursed of the word and works of God in a singular and marvellous manner, as the prophets did. So this word is used 1Sa 10:5,6; Joe 2:28; Act 2:17 1Co 14:3. Yet were they not hereby constituted prophets or teachers, but civil magistrates and rulers, who together with the Spirit of government, which is here sufficiently implied, received also the Spirit of prophecy, as a sign and seal, both to themselves and to the people, that God had called them to that employment, and would be with them in it, as it was with Saul upon the same occasion, 1Sa 10:10.
Did not cease, either for that day; they continued in that exercise all that day, and, it may be, all the night too, as it is said of Saul, 1Sa 19:24; or afterwards also, to note that this was a continued gift conferred upon them, to enable them the better to discharge their magistracy; which was more expedient for them than for the rulers of other people, because the Jews were under a theocracy, or the government of God, and even their civil controversies were decided out of that word of God which the prophets expounded; and in their wilderness condition they had frequent occasions of seeking counsel from God, which was the work of prophets, and they were to determine all things agreeably to the mind and will of God, which therefore they were obliged to study. Others translate the words, and they added not; so the sense is, They prophesied only this day for an assurance of vocation to and due qualification for their work, but afterwards they prophesied no more; the gift of prophecy ceased in them, and only the Spirit of government rested upon them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25. when the spirit rested uponthem, they prophesied, and did not ceaseAs those elders wereconstituted civil governors, their “prophesying” must beunderstood as meaning the performance of their civil and sacredduties by the help of those extraordinary endowments they hadreceived; and by their not “ceasing” we understand, eitherthat they continued to exercise their gifts uninterruptedly the firstday (see 1Sa 19:24), or thatthese were permanent gifts, which qualified them in an eminent degreefor discharging the duty of public magistrates.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the Lord came down in a cloud,…. In a cloud of glory, or a glorious one, as the Targums; either in the same that went before the people in the wilderness, or in one distinct from it, and only used on this occasion, as a visible token of the presence of God:
and spake unto him; to Moses, talked with him, as he said he would,
Nu 11:17;
and took of the Spirit which [was] upon him, and gave [it] unto the seventy elders; [See comments on Nu 11:17];
and it came to pass [that] when the Spirit rested upon them they prophesied; either they sung the praises of God, which is sometimes the sense of prophesying, 1Ch 25:1; blessing God for the honour done them, and the gift bestowed on them; or they opened and explained the laws of God, in virtue of the gifts they had received, according to which they were to assist Moses in the government of the people, or they foretold things come: the Jews say they prophesied of the quails, but that is not very likely:
and did not cease; from prophesying; the spirit of prophecy continued with them, which, in some cases, might be necessary: or, they ceased not to prophesy all that day, though they afterwards did: and in the Hebrew text it is, “they added not” q, that is, to prophesy, and Jarchi says they only prophesied that day, as it is interpreted in an ancient book of theirs, called Siphre: wherefore this spirit of prophecy is thought only to be given them as a temporary thing, for the confirmation of their having received the spirit of government, or gifts qualifying them for that, and to make them respectable among the people, and to show that they were appointed it by divine authority, and that this was not a device of Moses to ease himself.
q “et non addiderunt”, Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; “et non am lin”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(25) In a cloud.Hebrew, In the cloud.
And gave it unto . . . Better, and put it upon, as in Lev. 2:15.
They prophesied, and did not cease.Better, they prophesied, but did so no more. Comp. Gen. 8:12; Exo. 11:6; 2Sa. 2:28; so the LXX. The word prophesy does not necessarily denote the prediction of future events. It is elsewhere employed to denote the celebration of the praises of God, either with the voice or with instruments of music. (Comp. 1Sa. 10:6; 1Ki. 18:29; 1Ch. 25:1-3; Jer. 29:26.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
25. In a cloud Literally, in the cloud. This visible symbol of Jehovah’s presence, which stood above the tabernacle, descended and encompassed it and the seventy elders, and thus was the vehicle of the Spirit to them as the breath of Jesus was to the disciples. Joh 20:22.
And spake unto him The communication is not recorded, perhaps because it was private.
They prophesied The word , to bubble up, occurs here the first time in the Bible. Its most common use is of inspired human discourse. It is chiefly in the passive voice, implying that the prophet is not so much the speaker as the one through whom the divine afflatus, which possesses his faculties, speaks. Thus in the Greek we have the passive form of the verb , to divine, like , to be mad, and in the Latin vaticinari, to foretell. Hence prophecy has been regarded by all these peoples as beyond the range of the human mind, and as the work of God subsidizing human organs. This extraordinary utterance may not be limited to the prediction of future events: it may be employed in rebuke, testimony, instruction, exhortation, or comforting, 1Co 14:3. The Holy Spirit always loosens the tongue. It is fitting that the gift of speech, the crowning faculty of man as distinguished from the brutes, should be monopolized by its Giver when he takes exclusive possession of the body and soul as his temple. See 1Sa 10:6; 1Sa 19:20-23, notes; Act 2:18; Act 19:6. Under the Christian dispensation one in possession of the fulness of the Spirit naturally expresses himself in elevated language, or song. Eph 5:18-19. For the difference between the operations of the Spirit before the day of Pentecost and afterward, see Num 27:18, note.
And did not cease The Septuagint literally and correctly translates this by , and they did not add, (to prophecy.) They prophesied one day and ceased. Thus the R.V. This was sufficient to impress the people with their divine vocation to an office in which administration and not prophecy was the great function. The Targums, the Vulgate, and the Chaldee all read, they ceased not. This is explained by stone as a perpetual prophetic endowment, and by Patrick and others as covering only the time in which the elders surrounded the tabernacle.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Num 11:25. When the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied Concerning the meaning of the word prophet, we have spoken in the note on Gen 20:7. To prophesy, says Dr. Hammond, is a large word; and, besides the foretelling of future events, which is the ordinary notion of it, it signifies, SECONDLY, To work miracles; as when it is said of Elisha’s body, that, being dead, it prophesied. Compare Ecclesiassicus, Ecclesiassicus 48: 13 with 2Ki 13:21. THIRDLY, To declare the will of God to any, by revelation or mission from him: and grammarians have observed, that the word naturally signifies no more than this, of speaking from, or in the stead of another, i.e. of God; in which sense, as Christ’s prophetic office consisted in revealing the will of God to the world, so all, who have in any degree done the like, are styled prophets; all who have taught men their duties towards God and each other. Thus, when, Exo 7:1. God said to Moses, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet; the meaning is, that what God commanded, or should command Moses, Moses should (as God to a prophet, the oracle to the ) deliver to Aaron concerning Pharaoh; and Aaron should go as a prophet sent from God, and deliver it to Pharaoh: he shall be thy spokesman; he shall be to thee instead of a mouth. Exo 4:16. FOURTHLY, It signifies to expound or interpret Scripture; as in 1Co 14:1; 1Co 14:40. FIFTHLY, It is sometimes used to signify wild, raving, mad behaviour, or such speaking as the , or enthusiasts among the heathen, men possessed of diabolic feelings, were wont to use: so, when the evil spirit came upon Saul, he prophesied in the midst of the house; and, in the same fury, cast the javelin at David, 1Sa 18:10-11. The reason of this is clear: because prophets did ordinarily both speak and act in a manner far different from the ordinary practice of other men; and accordingly were, by many who looked on them, thought to be mad. So the prophet sent by Elisha to anoint Jehu is called this mad fellow. 2Ki 9:11. SIXTHLY, It signifies singing and praising God; forming of divine hymns, and singing them to God. Thus, 1Sa 10:5-6. Thou shalt meet a companya college of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp before them; and they shall prophesy: (where the Chaldee paraphrase reads, shall sing,) and the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy: where the Chaldee hath it, and thou shalt praise with them. So 1Ch 25:1. David separated the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, &c. and this, most probably, is the meaning of the word here; for, as, 1Sa 10:6. Saul’s prophesying was to be an effect of the Spirit of God coming upon him, and was a sign of his being set apart by God for the kingly office, and furnished with abilities for it, which is called turning him into another man; so here God takes of the spirit which was upon Moses,that is, the spirit of government with which he was endued, and gives it unto the seventy. And when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied; where, as the other circumstance agrees, i.e. the giving them the spirit, and fitting them for their office by that means, so the evidence of it, their prophesying, may agree also: though wherein their prophesying consisted is no where determined in Scripture. This only is unquestioned, that it was some extraordinary act: a testimony that the Spirit of God, in some extra-ordinary manner, rested upon them; and as such was discernible to all, and so fit to authorise them in the eyes of others as by miracle, and to declare to all that they were assumed to this office. To this notion of prophesying, Luk 1:67 must be interpreted: Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied; i.e. was stirred up in a very extraordinary manner, by the Spirit of God, to compose the divine hymn immediately following. See Hammond’s note on the place.
And did not cease The Hebrew here is velo iasapu, which signifies properly, and they added not; i.e. say some commentators, they prophesied not after that day. This, it must be owned, seems but an aukward mode of expression, and would therefore incline one to follow, with Houbigant, the reading of the Samaritan, which instead of , reads , (they were gathered,) and places the full stop after prophesied; so as to understand it thus: when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But two of the men were not gathered together, or assembled, but remained in the camp; that is to say, two men who had not assembled with the rest at the tabernacle, but were left in the camp, were also endued with the gift of prophesy. In confirmation of this criticism, Houbigant shews the impropriety both of our version and of that mentioned at the beginning of this note, which, indeed, must be very obvious to most readers. Many conjectures have been offered why these two men remained in the camp; but as this can only be conjecture, we shall not take up room on the subject: sickness, or some legal defilement, might probably hinder their approach to the tabernacle.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Num 11:25 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.
Ver. 25. Took of the spirit. ] See Trapp on “ Num 11:17 “
They prophesied.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
spake. See note on Num 1:1.
did not cease. So the Vulgate; but Hebrew =. “did not add” (so Septuagint and Syriac), i.e. did not add any more, or again, after that day. Compare Exo 11:6. Deu 5:22. Job 38:11. 1Sa 19:24.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
spirit that was upon him
There was no more power than before–only more machinery. Moses had murmured (Num 5:11) because of the burden that God had laid upon him. God, in distributing the burden, shows that Moses’ power had, all along, been in proportion to his burden.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
came down: Num 11:17, Num 12:5, Exo 34:5, Exo 40:38, Psa 99:7, Luk 9:34, Luk 9:35
took: Num 11:17, 2Ki 2:15, Jam 1:17
gave it: From this place, Origen and Theodoret take occasion to compare Moses to a lamp, at which seventy others were lighted, without any diminution of its lustre.
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, and to trust and confidence in the providence of God. 1Sa 10:5, 1Sa 10:6, 1Sa 10:10, 1Sa 19:20-24, Jer 36:5, Jer 36:6, Joe 2:28, Joe 2:29, Act 2:17, Act 2:18, Act 11:28, Act 21:9-11, 1Co 11:4, 1Co 11:5, 1Co 14:1-3, 1Co 14:32, 2Pe 1:21
Reciprocal: Exo 24:1 – seventy Lev 4:15 – the elders Num 16:25 – General Num 24:2 – the spirit Jdg 11:29 – the spirit 2Ki 2:9 – Elisha said 2Ch 20:14 – came the Spirit Neh 9:20 – gavest Isa 11:2 – the Spirit Isa 63:11 – where is he that put Eze 2:2 – General Eze 8:11 – seventy Eze 11:5 – the Spirit Hag 2:5 – so Luk 1:67 – filled Luk 2:25 – Holy Ghost Joh 3:34 – for God Act 2:4 – as 1Co 12:10 – prophecy 1Th 5:20 – General 1Pe 4:14 – for
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Num 11:25. Rested on them Not only moved them for a time, but took up his settled abode with them, because the use and end of this gift were perpetual. They prophesied Discoursed of the word and works of God in a marvellous manner, as the prophets did. So this word is used, 1Sa 10:5-6; Joe 2:28; 1Co 14:3. Yet were they not hereby constituted teachers, but civil magistrates, who, together with the spirit of government, received also the spirit of prophecy, as a sign and seal, both to themselves and to the people, that God had called them to that employment. They did not cease Either for that day, continuing in that exercise all that day, and, it may be, all the night too, as it is said of Saul, 1Sa 19:24; or, afterward also. For this was a continued gift, conferred upon them to enable them the better to discharge their magistracy; which was more expedient for them than for the rulers of other people, because the Jews were under a theocracy, or the government of God, and even their civil controversies were decided out of that word of God which the prophets expounded.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
11:25 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 {p} cease.
(p) From that day the spirit of prophecy did not settle them.