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Leviticus 10

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The Death of Nadab and Abihu 1–7

1
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them. ​
2
And there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah. ​
3
Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that Jehovah spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. ​
4
And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Draw near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
5
So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.
6
And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Let not the hair of your heads go loose, neither rend your clothes; that ye die not, and that he be not wroth with all the congregation: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which Jehovah hath kindled. ​
7
And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest ye die; for the anointing oil of Jehovah is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. ​

Regulations for Priestly Conduct 8–11

8
And Jehovah spake unto Aaron, saying,
9
Drink no wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, that ye die not: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: ​
10
and that ye may make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean; ​
11
and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Jehovah hath spoken unto them by Moses.

Instructions Regarding Priestly Portions 12–20

12
And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meal-offering that remaineth of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy; ​
13
and ye shall eat it in a holy place, because it is thy portion, and thy sons’ portion, of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: for so I am commanded.
14
And the wave-breast and the heave-thigh shall ye eat in a clean place, thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they are given as thy portion, and thy sons’ portion, out of the sacrifices of the peace-offerings of the children of Israel.
15
The heave-thigh and the wave-breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave-offering before Jehovah: and it shall be thine, and thy sons’ with thee, as a portion for ever; as Jehovah hath commanded.
16
And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin-offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left, saying, ​
17
Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin-offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and he hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Jehovah? ​
18
Behold, the blood of it was not brought into the sanctuary within: ye should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.
19
And Aaron spake unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin-offering and their burnt-offering before Jehovah; and there have befallen me such things as these: and if I had eaten the sin-offering to-day, would it have been well-pleasing in the sight of Jehovah? ​
20
And when Moses heard that, it was well-pleasing in his sight. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Leviticus 10

Verse 1

strange fire — Zur means foreign or strange, and the verse defines it as fire 'which he commanded them not'. Num 3:4 and 26:61 recall the offence in the same words, and Num 3:4 adds that Nadab and Abihu 'had no children'. The coals for the censer are taken 'from off the altar before the LORD' (Lev 16:12).

Verse 2

fire from the LORD, and devoured them — The fire that 'consumed upon the altar the burnt offering' in Lev 9:24 now falls on two priests; the verb is the same, akal, to eat. They 'died before the LORD' in the act of offering. Num 3:4 records that Eleazar and Ithamar then ministered in the priest's office.

Verse 3

I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me — 'Sanctified' (qadash) is the verb of holiness, and 'glorified' (kabad) is the root of 'glory'. The warning to the priests who 'come near to the LORD' was given at Sinai (Ex 19:22). 'Held his peace' is damam, to be silent: Aaron makes no reply.

Verse 6

Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes — The usual signs of mourning are withheld from the priests, as the high priest is bidden elsewhere: he 'shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes' (Lev 21:10). The weeping (bakah) is left to 'the whole house of Israel', who 'bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled'.

Verse 7

the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you — The oil Moses sprinkled on Aaron and his sons at their consecration (Lev 8:30) is the reason they may not leave the door of the tabernacle. The high priest has the same ground in Lev 21:12: 'the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him'.

Verse 9

Do not drink wine nor strong drink — The command is spoken to Aaron himself (v.8), covers his sons 'when ye go into the tabernacle', and is 'a statute for ever'. Ezek 44:21 repeats it for the priests entering the inner court: 'Neither shall any priest drink wine'. Its purpose is given in the next verse.

Verse 10

put difference between holy and unholy — Badal, to separate, divides the holy from the common and the clean from the unclean; Lev 11:47 closes the food laws with the second pair. The priests' teaching office is stated in v.11 and in Ezek 44:23: 'they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane'. Ezek 22:26 charges priests who 'put no difference'.

Verse 12

eat it without leaven beside the altar — The remnant of the meat offering is the priests' share, 'most holy', eaten 'with unleavened bread … in the holy place' (Lev 6:16) and counted among 'the most holy things' (Num 18:9). One verb, yathar, is rendered 'left' of Aaron's sons and 'remaineth' of the offering.

Verse 16

diligently sought the goat of the sin offering — The goat is the people's sin offering of Lev 9:15; darash, to seek, is doubled for emphasis. It was burnt, though its blood had not been brought into the tent (v.18). Lev 6:30 required burning only for a sin offering 'whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle'.

Verse 17

to bear the iniquity of the congregation — Nasa avon, to lift or carry iniquity. The priests' eating of the sin offering 'in the holy place' (Lev 6:26) is how they bear it for the people, as Aaron's forehead plate bears 'the iniquity of the holy things' (Ex 28:38). The offering is 'most holy' and given to them by God.

Verse 19

such things have befallen me — Aaron answers that 'this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering', and then the deaths came upon him. Eating the offering in mourning risked pollution: 'the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted' (Hos 9:4); compare Deut 26:14, 'I have not eaten thereof in my mourning'.

Verse 20

he was content — Literally 'it was good in his eyes'. The verb yatab is the same one rendered 'accepted in the sight of the LORD' in v.19 (also 'good in the eyes'). Moses, who had said the offering should have been eaten (v.18), accepts Aaron's answer and sets no penalty.