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Eldad and Modad
Excerpt from the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the most advanced Bible dictionary.
Sometimes referred to as “Eldad and Modat” or “Eldad and Medad.” A lost, nonbiblical, pseudepigraphal story, likely written in Hebrew or Greek. It is supposed that the story contained four hundred lines and was composed prior to the compilation of the Mishnah, but only a short quotation is preserved in the mid-second century Shepherd of Hermas. The quotation reads: “ ‘The Lord is near to those who turn [to him],’ as it is written in the [book of] Eldad and Modad, who prophesied in the desert to the people.” The story of Eldad and Modad is rewritten in the Fragmentary Targum to Num 11:26, an apocalypse in which Eldad and Modad prophecy the victory of the Messiah (Evans, Ancient Texts, 54).The two prophets, Eldad and Modad, are known in Scripture for prophesying in the wilderness camp (Num 11:26–29). In the New Testament book of James, a quotation exists that claims to be from “what the Scripture says” but is nowhere in Scripture. Davila sees similarities to this quote in the Shepherd of Hermas, thus implying that it may be from the lost story of Eldad and Modad, or at least share a tradition with it (James 4:5; Davila, “Quotations from Lost Books,” 686).
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The Lexham Bible Dictionary
Eldad and Modad
Eldad and Modad, Text (אֶלְדָּד‎, eldad; מֵידָד‎, meidad). Sometimes referred to as “Eldad and Modat” or “Eldad and Medad.” A lost, nonbiblical, pseudepigraphal story, likely written in Hebrew or Greek. It is supposed that the story contained four hundred lines and was composed prior to the compilation
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
Eldad and Modad
ELDAD AND MODAD. Sometime prior to the compilation of the Mishnah, around 200 c.e., someone, probably a Jew, composed an apocryphal story about Eldad and Modad, the two prophets who prophesied in the camp during the wanderings in the wilderness after the Exodus (Num 11:26–29; MT Medad). The biblical
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised
Eldad and Modad
Eldad and Modad mōʹdad, BOOK OF. An apocryphal book that was supposed to contain the prophecy of Eldad and Medad (cf. Nu. 11:26–29; RSV “Medad”; LXX “Modad”). The nature of their prophecy is not recorded in the OT account, and thus it naturally became a good subject for the play of the imagination.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
Eldad and Modad, Book of
Eldad and Modad, Book of. An apocryphal book, forged on the basis of Num. 11:26–9. Though it no longer survives, it was quoted by *Hermas (Vis. 2. 3) and perhaps also (J. B. *Lightfoot) by *Clement of Rome (1 Clem. 23. 3 f.; cf. also ‘2 Clem.’ 11. 2 f.).A.-M. Denis, Introduction aux pseudépigraphes
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ELDAD AND MODAD, BOOK OF (Writing)
ELDAD AND MODAD, BOOK OF<el’-dad>, <mo’-dad>: In the Septuagint they are called Eldad and Modad. In the King James Version the names are given as Eldad and Medad; meaning “God has loved” (“God loves”) and “object of love” (?). They were two of the seventy elders chosen by Moses (Numbers 11:26),
A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels: Aaron–Zion
18. The Book of Eldad and Modad
18. The Book of Eldad and Modad.—These names [EV Medad] occur in Nu 11:26–29. A book bearing this name is mentioned in Hermas’ Shepherd (Vis. ii. 3), but nothing more is known of it with certainty.
The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Volume 2, D–G
Eldad and Medad (Modad), Book of (Writing)
An elder reads from the liturgies of the Feast of Shevuot (Pentecost) at the Western Wall of the temple mount.Eldad and Medad (Modad), Book of. All we know about Eldad and Medad is that they were among the seventy elders who were appointed by Moses and who prophesied after the Spirit of God rested
The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5
Eldad, and Modad, Book Of
ELDAD, elʹdad, AND MODAD, mōʹdad, BOOK OF: In the LXX they are called Eldad and Modad. In the AV the names are given as Eldad and Medad; meaning “God has loved” (“God loves”) and “object of love” (?). They were two of the seventy elders chosen by Moses (Nu 11:26), and while the others obeyed the summons
The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Volumes 1–5
ELDAD
ELDAD AND MEDAD el´dad, mee´dad. This apocryphal book whose remains have been lost, is about the two prophets who prophesied in the wilderness camp rather than accompanying the elders to the tent (Num 11:26–30). The only explicit quote in the apocryphal work Shepherd of Hermas is from this book: “ ‘The