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H4140 · Hebrew · Old Testament
מוֹדַד
Mowdad
Proper Noun
Beloved (personal name)

Definition

Mowdad (or Modad) is a Hebrew proper name meaning "beloved" or "measured by love." It appears in Numbers 11:26–27 as one of two elders — Eldad and Medad — who prophesied in the camp of Israel rather than at the Tent of Meeting. Though they did not go to the tabernacle, the Spirit of God came upon them anyway.

Usage & Theological Significance

The episode of Eldad and Medad is one of the most striking examples of the Spirit's sovereign freedom in the Old Testament. When Joshua urges Moses to stop them, Moses replies: "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" (Numbers 11:29). Medad — "beloved" — prophesied because God willed it, not because he was in the "right" place. This anticipates Pentecost, where the Spirit was poured out on all flesh, not just the formally ordained.

Key Bible Verses

Numbers 11:26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them.
Numbers 11:27 And a young man ran and told Moses, 'Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.'
Numbers 11:29 But Moses said to him, 'Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets!'
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Acts 2:17 And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.

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External Resources

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