Eldad is a Hebrew proper name meaning "God has loved" or "beloved of God," combining el (God) and dad (love, uncle, beloved). The name appears in Numbers 11:26–29, where Eldad is one of seventy elders chosen to assist Moses. When the Spirit rested on him and Medad, they prophesied in the camp rather than at the Tent of Meeting.
The episode of Eldad and Medad is a landmark text in biblical pneumatology. Joshua urged Moses to stop them, but Moses responded: "I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" (Numbers 11:29). This passage foreshadows Joel 2:28–29 and Pentecost (Acts 2), where God's Spirit is poured out on all flesh. Eldad's name — "God has loved" — captures the heart of why God distributes His Spirit so generously: love. He is not stingy with grace but desires all His people to know and speak from His presence.