Leviticus 10

The Sin of Nadab and Abihu// Numbers 3:1–4

¹Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before Yahweh, contrary to His command. ²So fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them, and they died in the presence of Yahweh.

• LEV 10:1[MIRACLE]Fire from Yahweh consumes Nadab and Abihu
• LEV 10:1[NOTABLE]Aaron's sons killed on the spot for offering unauthorized fire/incense; warning that God is holy and His worship is not to be improvised
• LEV 10:1[NOTE]Unauthorized fire means fire God never asked for. The Hebrew says strange fire. Many think they used coals from somewhere other than the altar, or came in drunk, since God bans wine for priests right after, in 10:9.

³Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh meant when He said:

‘To those who come near Me

I will show My holiness,

and in the sight of all the people

I will reveal My glory.’”

But Aaron remained silent.

⁴Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.” ⁵So they came forward and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses had directed.

⁶Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and Yahweh will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that Yahweh has ignited. ⁷You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for Yahweh’s anointing oil is on you.”

So they did as Moses instructed.

Restrictions for Priests

⁸Then Yahweh said to Aaron, ⁹“You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come. ¹⁰You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean, ¹¹so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that Yahweh has given them through Moses.”

¹²And Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that remains from the food offerings to Yahweh and eat it without leaven beside the altar, because it is most holy. ¹³You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons’ share of the food offerings to Yahweh; for this is what I have been commanded.

¹⁴And you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution in a ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. ¹⁵They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering, together with the fat portions of the food offerings, to wave as a wave offering before Yahweh. It will belong permanently to you and your children, as Yahweh has commanded.”

¹⁶Later, Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked, ¹⁷“Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement for them before Yahweh. ¹⁸Since its blood was not brought inside the holy place, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.”

¹⁹But Aaron replied to Moses, “Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before Yahweh. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of Yahweh?”

²⁰And when Moses heard this explanation, he was satisfied.