Eldad (El´dad; Heb., “God has loved”?)

An Israelite elder. With his companion Medad, Eldad was chosen with sixty-eight others to receive God’s spirit around the tent of meeting. The two tarried in the camp and prophesied there. When Joshua learned of their unauthorized activity, he urged Moses to restrain them, but Moses rebuffed the complaint, saying: “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets!” (Num 11:16; Num 26-30:16).