To prohibit (כּלא kl’)

To prohibit (כּלא kl’), in Hebrew, this verb also means “to restrain”, “to stop”, “to refuse”, or “to close”, and in the Old Testament it usually occurs in narrative texts. It is about stopping someone from their actions. In these texts, the verb כּלא (kl’) is used to show caution.
In today’s first reading (Num 11), the verb כּלא (kl’) appears in Joshua’s request to Moses to prohibit (כּלא kl’) Eldad and Medad from prophesying. They had been chosen to serve with the other elders, but they were not with them but remained in the camp. When the spirit came upon the elders who had gone out with Moses, they were filled with prophetic zeal, confirming their mission. Moses responds to Joshua’s request with telling words: “Why are you jealous on my behalf? Who decides that any of the people may prophesy and that God may give to them his Spirit?”. Moses’ inclusive approach expresses the expectation that the entire nation would take responsibility for itself, and that it would not be solely the responsibility of him and the elders. It is worth noting that in the Greek translation, the Septuagint uses the Greek verb κωλύω.
The Lord Jesus encounters a similar situation in today’s Gospel (Mark 9). Here, too, the problem is those who cast out demons in the name of Jesus but do not belong to the group of apostles and His disciples. The apostle John tells Jesus to forbade them to do so because they did not go with them. Lord Jesus’ reaction is similar to Moses’: “Do not prohibit (κωλύω) him, for no one who does a miracle in My name will be able to speak badly of Me immediately” (v. 39). The Evangelist Mark uses the same verb κωλύω as the Greek translation of the Book of Numbers. Often our behavior is also exclusive, and we find it difficult to accept that others, even those who are not part of our group, can do good.