Two men prophesy in a desert camp while a silver-haired leader instructs a small group under the shade of an olive tree.

Elders

Who is on this listThe BSB calls the person an elder, or names the person among the elders.

The named people the Bible counts among the elders.

Scripture has many elders, but it names very few of them. When Moses gathered seventy of the elders around the Tent of Meeting, the Spirit rested on them (Numbers 11:24–25). "Two men, however, had remained in the camp—one named Eldad and the other Medad—and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those listed" (Numbers 11:26). Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp. When Joshua urged Moses to stop them, Moses wished that all the LORD’s people were prophets (Numbers 11:27–29).

In the New Testament, Peter writes as one of them: "As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you" (1 Peter 5:1).

The Seventy Elders of Israel, the Ephesian elders at Miletus and the twenty-four elders of Revelation appear as groups and have their own pages. No named person is called an overseer or deacon, so there are no lists for those words.

Everyone in this list

Oil-painting style portrait of Eldad, Elder who prophesied in the camp of Israel

Eldad

Elder who prophesied in the camp of Israel

Oil-painting style portrait of Medad, Elder who prophesied in the Israelite camp despite missing the Tabernacle assembly

Medad

Elder who prophesied in the Israelite camp despite missing the Tabernacle assembly

Oil-painting style portrait of Peter

Peter

Apostle who served as the spokesman for the Twelve and the leader of the early Church in Jerusalem

Related lists