^11:27And a⁶² young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” ^11:28Joshua son of Nun, the servant⁶³ of Moses, one of his choice young men,⁶⁴ said,⁶⁵ “My lord Moses, stop them!”⁶⁶^11:29Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for me?⁶⁷ I wish that⁶⁸ all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

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Footnotes

62 The article indicates that the “young man” was definite in the mind of the writer, but indefinite in English.
63 The form is the Piel participle מְשָׁרֵת (mésharet), meaning “minister, servant, assistant.” The word has a loftier meaning than the ordinary word for slave.
64 The verb is בָּחַר (bakhar, “to choose”); here the form is the masculine plural participle with a suffix, serving as the object of the preposition מִן (min). It would therefore mean “[one of] his chosen men,” or “[one of] his choice men.”
65 Heb “answered and said.”
66 The effort of Joshua is to protect Moses’ prerogative as leader by stopping these men in the camp from prophesying. Joshua did not understand the significance in the Lord’s plan to let other share the burden of leadership.
67 The Piel participle מְקַנֵּא (méqanne’) serves as a verb here in this interrogative sentence. The word means “to be jealous; to be envious.” That can be in a good sense, such as with the translation “zeal,” or it can be in a negative sense as here. Joshua’s apparent “zeal” is questioned by Moses—was he zealous/envious for Moses sake, or for some other reason?
68 The optative is expressed by the interrogative clause in Hebrew, “who will give.…” Moses expresses here the wish that the whole nation would have that portion of the Spirit. The new covenant, of course, would turn Moses’ wish into a certainty.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”

But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

Joshua son of Nun, assistant to Moses since his youth, responded, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”

But Moses asked him, “Are you jealous on my account? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets and the Lord would place his Spirit on them!”

NLTNew Living Translation

A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!”

But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

So a boy ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from time of his youth, answered, “Moses, my lord, stop them.” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that he give all Yahweh’s people prophets, that Yahweh put his spirit on them!”

KJV 1900King James Version

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!

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