In response to Moses' plea for help, God directed Moses to gather "seventy men of the elders of Israel" who would be empowered to provide extra support for Moses (Num 11:16).
"I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them," God told Moses. Some have actually seen this as a punishment to Moses, as if the Spirit were some subtance that he possessed in a finite quantity and would subsequently possess in a lesser quantity. Instead, as Jewish commentator Joseph H. Hertz has observed, the situation can be likened to a candle, which can be used to ignite other candles and continue to burn as brightly as before.
When these elders received the Spirit, they prophesied (v. 25). The end of verse 25 has been translated in two different ways. Most translations say that the elders "did not continue doing it" (ESV). Others---KJV, Targums, Vulgate, Martin Luther---say instead that the elders did not cease prophesying. In any case, the elders were equipped to assist Moses.
The names of two who were not standing with Moses and also prophesied were given in verse 26---Eldad and Medad. Opinions differ as to whether Eldad and Medad were among the 70 or were in addition to the 70. One tradition proposes that six elders were chosen from each tribe, and that then 70 were chosen from those 72. In this scenario, Eldad and Medad were the two "extras."
Joshua expressed concern to Moses about what Eldad and Medad were doing. Apparently he was worried that they were undermining Moses' authority. Moses, however, was not concerned. He knew that the more people who were led by the Spirit, the better. In his wish that all of the Israelites could be led by the Spirit, he anticipated events prophesied later ( Deut 30:6; Jer 31:33-34; Ezek 11:19-20; Joel 2:28-29).
There is a parallel event in the ministry of Jesus, where Jesus' disciples worried about the fact that someone outside of their group was casting out demons in the name of Jesus (Luke 9:49). Jesus' response was, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you: (v 50).
Because of Joshua's concern about Eldad and Medad, there has been much speculation about the content of the prophecy of Eldad and Medad. For example, there is a (now lost) book called the Book of Eldad and Modad (Medad was also known in Greek as "Modad") that apparently discussed what they prophesied. We know about this book from the Shepherd of Hermas, a Christian work from the second century AD, which gives a quote from it: "The Lord is near to those who turn to him." This thought is similar to James 4:8: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."
We do know some Jewish traditions about what Eldad and Medad prophesied. One says that they called upon Israelites to repent of their gluttony. Another says that they were talking about Gog and Magog (i.e., end-time prophecy). A third tradition says that they predicted Moses would die before the Israelites reached the Promised Land and Joshua would be the one to lead them there. This third one is meant to explain why Joshua was upset.
If Eldad and Medad were calling for repentance, not everyone listened. God sent judgment against those consumed by gluttony (vv 31-35).
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