The transfer of leadership and prophetic spirit from Moses to the seventy elders marks the historic establishment of the first Sanhedrin. It is a profound moment of delegating spiritual authority from the leader of the generation to his newly appointed partners. God reveals Himself in a cloud to inspire awe within the elders [ביאור יש"ר]. However, the fact that this cloud descends outside the Tent of Meeting signals a certain limitation and concealment of the Divine Presence, indicating that this revelation is a temporary measure for an immediate need [מלבי"ם]. God then speaks to Moses alone, keeping the actual content of His words hidden. Some commentators explain that this communication serves a purely functional purpose, facilitating the transfer of the prophetic spirit [אם למקרא, מלבי"ם]. Alternatively, God speaks with a tone of authority to demonstrate that the spirit is being distributed with Moses’s full consent, firmly establishing him as the master of all prophets [אור החיים]. Other scholars suggest that the unrecorded words hint at the Oral Torah, which would serve as the foundational guide for the Sanhedrin throughout history [רש"ר הירש, העמק דבר]. As God speaks to Moses, the elders suddenly begin to prophesy, spontaneously grasping the very words of that divine communication [ביאור יש"ר].
God actively draws upon the prophetic spirit and transfers it to the newly appointed leaders [ביאור שטיינזלץ, ברכת אשר על התורה]. This transfer does not diminish Moses’s own prophetic capacity in the slightest, as the ultimate source of prophecy is God Himself [אור החיים]. The nature of the spirit received by the elders is seen by some as a mere reflection or shadow of Moses’s immense spiritual stature [רש"ר הירש]. The selection process originally involved Moses choosing six men from each of the twelve tribes, totaling seventy-two candidates. Because the divine command specified exactly seventy, two men were inevitably left out of the official count [אבן עזרא, רבנו בחיי]. These two, Eldad and Medad, possess such profound humility that they intentionally remain behind in the camp, refusing to claim a position of greatness. Rewarded for their extreme modesty, they achieve a spiritual level even higher than the selected elders. They receive their prophecy directly from God, their prophetic state lasts longer, and they eventually merit entering the Land of Israel, whereas the seventy elders die in the wilderness [רבנו בחיי].
As the Divine Presence rests upon the elders—much like it rests upon the Ark of the Covenant [קיצור בעל הטורים]—there is an underlying note of sorrow. This suggests either that their inaugural prophecy is a severe warning urging the people to repent and prepare for punishment, or that the sadness stems from the fact that their prophetic experience is destined to end quickly [אור החיים]. Nevertheless, they immediately transform into worthy vessels, speaking with divine strength to guide the sinners away from their destructive paths [אור החיים, שד"ל]. This initial stage of prophecy requires them to actively make themselves receptacles for God's word [רש"ר הירש].
The duration of their prophetic state is a matter of broad interpretation. The primary approach among commentators is that the elders experience only a single, fleeting flash of prophecy on that specific day. This temporary display serves the sole purpose of publicly validating their new appointment and demonstrating their spiritual connection to Moses [רש"י, רלב"ג, אבן עזרא, מלבי"ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ, רש"ר הירש, ביאור יש"ר]. Conversely, another prominent perspective maintains the exact opposite: the elders never cease prophesying. According to this view, the prophetic spirit remains with them permanently, equipping them to lead the nation with enduring wisdom [רש"י, מזרחי, ברכת אשר על התורה, ביאור יש"ר, נתינה לגר]. A third approach suggests that their prophecy is defined by its strict adherence to Moses's message; they speak exactly what he has taught, without adding any original thoughts of their own [העמק דבר, חזקוני]. Finally, the description of their prophecy is also understood as a poetic tribute, emphasizing that never again would a group of seventy elders prophesy with such extraordinary power and divine might [שד"ל].