Numbers 11:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Joshua, who served closely alongside Moses and held his trust as the chosen one, perceived it as a slight against Moses' honor that two individuals were prophesying without his awareness. There’s no indication that Joshua questioned their divine inspiration from the Holy Spirit; rather, he believed that if these men were consecrated to assist Moses by the Spirit’s guidance, they should exercise their prophetic gifts in his presence as a sign of their acknowledgment of his authority. Out of a deep respect for Moses, Joshua may have assumed that these two elders, who received their prophetic gifts outside the tabernacle and apart from Moses, would not stray from his leadership and lead the people astray.