Numbers 11:25

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but they never did so again.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

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

Transliteration

And yēred YHWH in-the-ʿānān and yədabbēr to-him, and yāʾṣel from-the-rûaḥ which upon-him and yittēn upon-seventy ʾîš the-zəqēnîm; and yəhî when-kənôaḥ upon-them the-rûaḥ and yitnabbəʾû and not yāsāpû.

Grammar Details

• *yēred*: qal imperfect third person masculine singular with waw consecutive - and he came down
• *YHWH*: proper noun - divine name
• *ʿānān*: masculine singular noun with definite article - the cloud
• *yədabbēr*: piel imperfect third person masculine singular with waw consecutive - and he spoke
• *yāʾṣel*: qal imperfect third person masculine singular with waw consecutive - and he took/reserved
• *rûaḥ*: feminine singular noun with definite article - the spirit
• *yittēn*: qal imperfect third person masculine singular with waw consecutive - and he gave
• *ʾîš*: masculine singular noun - men
• *zəqēnîm*: masculine plural adjective with definite article - the elders
• *yəhî*: qal imperfect third person masculine singular with waw consecutive - and it came to pass
• *kənôaḥ*: qal infinitive construct - as rested
• *yitnabbəʾû*: hitpael imperfect third person masculine plural with waw consecutive - and they prophesied
• *yāsāpû*: qal perfect third person common plural - they continued/did not cease

Word Meanings

• *yāʾṣel*: took away/withdrew/separated/reserved
• *rûaḥ*: spirit/breath/wind
• *yāsāpû*: they continued/ceased/added

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  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.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it to the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And the Lorde came doune in a cloude and spake vnto him ad toke of the sprete that was apon him ad put it apon the.lxx. elders. And as the spirite rested apon them they prophecied and did nought els.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Then came the LORDE downe in a cloude, & spake vnto him, & toke of the sprete yt was vpon him, & put it vpon the seuentie Elders. And whan the sprete rested vpon them, they prophecied, and ceassed not.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Then the Lord came downe in a cloude, and spake vnto him, and tooke of the Spirit that was vpon him, and put it vpon the seuentie Ancient men: & when the Spirit rested vpon them, then they prophecied, and did not cease.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And the Lord came downe in a cloude, and spake vnto him, and toke of the spirite that was vpon him, and gaue it vnto the threscore & ten elders: And when the spirite rested vpon them, they prophesied, and dyd not ceasse.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Yahweh came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders: and it happened that when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and Jehovah cometh down in the cloud, and speaketh unto him, and keepeth back of the Spirit which `is' on him, and putteth on the seventy men of the elders; and it cometh to pass at the resting of the Spirit on them, that they prophesy, and do not cease.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Then the Lord came down in the cloud and had talk with him, and put on the seventy men some of the spirit which was on him: now when the spirit came to rest on them, they were like prophets, but only at that time.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Yahweh came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders: and it happened that when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  And the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to them, and he took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but did not do so again.

Referenced Verses

• Num 11:17 : 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it alone.
• Num 12:5 : 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud. He stood at the entrance to the tent and called Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward,
• 1 Sam 10:10 : 10 When they arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets came to meet him. Then the Spirit of God came mightily upon Saul, and he began to prophesy among them.
• 1 Sam 19:20-24 : 20 Saul sent messengers to capture David. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they also began to prophesy. 21 When Saul was informed of this, he sent another group of messengers, but they too began to prophesy. Saul sent a third group, and they also prophesied. 22 Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah. He came to the great cistern at Secu and asked, 'Where are Samuel and David?' Someone answered, 'They are at Naioth in Ramah.' 23 So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. But the Spirit of God came upon him as well, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. 24 There he stripped off his robes and also prophesied in Samuel's presence. He lay down naked all that day and night. This is why people say, 'Is Saul also among the prophets?'
• 2 Kgs 2:15 : 15 The company of the prophets from Jericho saw him from a distance and said, 'The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.' And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
• Ps 99:7 : 7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud; they kept His testimonies and the statutes He gave them.
• Jer 36:5-6 : 5 Jeremiah then commanded Baruch, saying, "I am detained; I cannot go to the house of the LORD. 6 But you, go and read aloud from the scroll, which you have written at my dictation, the words of the LORD in the hearing of the people in the house of the LORD on a day of fasting. Also read them in the hearing of all Judah, who come from their cities.
• Joel 2:28-29 : 28 And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my male and female servants, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
• Luke 9:34-35 : 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, 'This is my beloved Son; listen to him.'
• Acts 2:17-18 : 17 ‘In the last days,’ says God, ‘I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
• Acts 11:28 : 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and, through the Spirit, predicted that a severe famine would spread across the entire world. This happened during the reign of Claudius.
• Acts 21:9-9 : 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. 10 After we had stayed there for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 He came to us, took Paul’s belt, and tied his own hands and feet with it. He said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
• 1 Cor 11:4-5 : 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head; it is the same as if her head were shaved.
• 1 Cor 14:1-3 : 1 Pursue love, and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, because no one understands; they speak mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort.
• 1 Cor 14:32 : 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.
• Jas 1:17 : 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
• 2 Pet 1:21 : 21 For prophecy was never produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
• 1 Sam 10:5-6 : 5 After that, you will come to the hill of God, where there are Philistine garrisons. As you approach the town, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be transformed into a different person.
• Exod 34:5 : 5 Then the LORD came down in a cloud, stood there with him, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
• Exod 40:38 : 38 For the cloud of the Lord was over the Tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their journeys.