Leviticus 10:1-7

Nadab and Abihu

1 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu^[a] each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it,^[b] and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them [to do].

2 Then flames leaped from the Lord's presence and burned them to death before the Lord.^[c]

3 So Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord meant when He said: I will show My holiness^[d] to those who are near Me, and I will reveal My glory^{[e] [f]} before all the people." But Aaron remained silent.

4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel,^[g] and said to them, "Come here and carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to [a place] outside the camp."^[h]

5 So they came forward and carried them in their tunics outside the camp, as Moses had said.

6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair hang loose and do not tear your garments,^[i] or else you will die, and the Lord will become angry with the whole community. However, your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn over that tragedy when the Lord sent the fire.

7 You must not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, for the Lord's anointing oil is on you." So they did as Moses said.

Leviticus 10:1-7 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]. Lv 16:1; Ex 6:23; 24:1
• [b]. Lv 16:12; Ex 30:7-9; Nm 16:17,46
• [c]. Nm 26:61; Dt 4:24; 2 Sm 6:7
• [d]. Or will be treated as holy
• [e]. Or will be glorified
• [f]. Nm 20:13; Ezk 28:22; 39:13; Jn 12:28
• [g]. Ex 6:18,22
• [h]. Lv 21:1-4; Nm 5:1-3
• [i]. Lv 21:10