Leviticus 10:8-20

Regulations for Priests

8 The Lord spoke to Aaron:

9 "You and your sons are not to drink wine or beer^[a] when you enter the tent of meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute throughout your generations.

10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, and the clean and the unclean,

11 and teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given to them through Moses."

12 Moses spoke to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: "Take the grain offering that is left over from the fire offerings to the Lord, and eat it prepared without yeast beside the altar, because it is especially holy.^[b]

13 You must eat it in a holy place because it is your portion^[c] and your sons' from the fire offerings to the Lord,^[d] for this is what I was commanded.

14 But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution in any ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the Israelites' fellowship sacrifices.

15 They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the presentation offering, together with the offerings of fat portions made by fire, to wave as a presentation offering before the Lord. It will belong permanently to you and your children, as the Lord commanded."

16 Later, Moses inquired about the male goat of the sin offering, but it had already been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's surviving sons, and asked,

17 "Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area?^[e] For it is especially holy, and He has assigned it to you to take away the guilt of the community^[f] and make atonement for them before the Lord.

18 Since its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary [area], as I commanded."^[g]

19 But Aaron replied to Moses, "See, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the Lord's sight?"

20 When Moses heard this, it was acceptable to him.^[h]

Leviticus 10:8-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 10

This chapter begins with the sin and punishment of two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Le 10:1-5 for whose death Aaron and his sons are commanded not to mourn, nor to depart from the tabernacle, Le 10:6,7 and an order is given, prohibiting the priests from drinking wine when they went into it, Le 10:8-11 the law of eating holy things, both those that were more, and those that were less holy, is enjoined, Le 10:12-15 and the flesh of the sin offering not being eaten, but burnt, Aaron's sons are blamed for it, for which he makes an apology to the satisfaction of Moses, Le 10:16-20.

Footnotes

• [a]. Nm 6:3; Pr 20:1; Ezk 44:21; 1 Tm 3:3,8
• [b]. Lv 6:16,18; 8:31; 1 Co 9:13-14
• [c]. Or statute
• [d]. Heb 13:10
• [e]. Lv 6:26,29
• [f]. Lv 16:22; Nm 14:18; Hs 14:2; Jn 1:29
• [g]. Lv 6:26,29-30
• [h]. Lit acceptable in his sight