And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
Gather unto me seventy men of the elders - (see Exodus 3:16; Exodus 5:6; Exodus 24:9; Exodus 18:21; Exodus 18:24; Leviticus 4:15.) An order of 70 was to be created, either by a selection from the existing staff of elders, or by the appointment of new ones, empowered to assist him, by their collective wisdom and experience, in the onerous cares of government. The Jewish writers say that this was the origin of the Sanhedrim, or supreme appellate court of their nation. But there is every reason to believe that it was only a temporary expedient, adopted to meet a trying exigency.
Verse 17. I will come down - i:e., not in a visible manner, or by local descent, but by the tokens of the divine presence and operations, and ... take of the spirit which is upon thee. The spirit means the gifts and influences of the Spirit (Numbers 27:18; Joel 2:28; John 7:39; 1 Corinthians 14:12), and by 'taking the spirit of Moses, and putting it upon them,' is not to be understood that the qualities the great leader were to be in any degree impaired, but that the elders would be endowed with a portion of the same gifts, especially of prophecy (Numbers 11:25) - i:e., an extraordinary penetration in discovering hidden, and settling difficult things.