Leviticus 10 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Leviticus 10

The Death of Nadab and Abihu

10:1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized¹ fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, 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 to them, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.” 5 So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the LORD has kindled. 7 And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them by Moses.”

12 Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his surviving sons: “Take the grain offering that is left of the LORD’s food offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy. 13 You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, from the LORD’s food offerings, for so I am commanded. 14 But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your sons’ due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel. 15 The thigh that is contributed and the breast that is waved they shall bring with the food offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering before the LORD, and it shall be yours and your sons’ with you as a due forever, as the LORD has commanded.”

16 Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, saying, 17 “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? 18 Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.” 19 And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the LORD have approved?” 20 And when Moses heard that, he approved.

Footnotes

[1] 10:1 Or strange

Commentary

v1-3: In ch 8 and Ex 24.9-10, Nadab and Abihu had enjoyed great privilege; now they abused their priestly office, for only Aaron could offer incense before the Lord. They did wrong, and they knew it to do wrong; the priests were not exempted from obeying the commands of God. There was no offering for such a serious sin, and they suffered immediate judgment. Aaron, having lost 2 sons, held his peace; what could he say? It is a solemn and serious thing to approach the all-holy God. God does invite people to come near to Him, but on His terms.

The Tabernacle worship had hardly begun, and the Lord God acted decisively to protect the purity of worship. In a similar way, in Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira were killed in the early days of the Church.

v4-5: Mishael and Elzaphan, Levites, were involved in the sad duty of sorting out the mess left by Nadab and Abihu. Their bodies were carried away from the camp.

v6-7: Eleazar and Ithamar had to continue their priestly duties. They were not to mourn the loss of their brothers; hence the reference to unkempt hair and torn clothes, which were signs of mourning.

v8-11: Specific instructions for the priests. The restrictions with regard to drink were for good reasons;

to maintain and promote discernment;
to be able to teach personal holiness;
to be able to teach others.

Leaders are expected to be more careful in their behaviour, as they are to set an example.

v12-15: The offerings to be eaten by the priests and their families.

v17: There was a problem with the sin offering (6.24-30) which should have been eaten.

v19-20: Aaron's answer hints at the need for a personal relationship with God, and maintaining that. Offerings were useless if there was personal rebellion , see 1 Sam 15..22; this theme recurs throughout the O.T.