New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Leviticus 10
1
Nadab and Abihu were two of Aaron's sons. They got their shallow cups for burning incense. They put fire in them. They added incense to it. They made an offering to the Lord by using fire that wasn't allowed. They did it against his command.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 12:32
Exodus 6:23
Psalm 141:2
Exodus 28:1
Exodus 24:9
References Lord
Numbers 26:61
Leviticus 16:12
Numbers 16:46
Exodus 24:1
Leviticus 22:9
3
Then Moses spoke to Aaron. He said, "That's what the Lord was talking about when he said, " 'Among those who approach me I will show that I am holy. In the sight of all of the people I will be honored.' "So Aaron remained silent.
Reference
Glory
Isaiah 49:3
Holy
Leviticus 21:6
Psalm 89:7
Deuteronomy 32:51
References Lord
Exodus 19:22
Numbers 20:12
1 Samuel 2:30
Isaiah 52:11
Leviticus 21:21
Leviticus 8:35
4
Moses sent for Mishael and Elzaphan. They were sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel. Moses said to them, "Come here. Carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp. Take them away from in front of the Holy Room."
Reference
5
So they came and carried them outside the camp. It was just as Moses had ordered. The bodies of Nadab and Abihu still had their inner robes on them.
6
Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar. They were Aaron's sons. Moses said, "Don't let your hair hang loose. Don't tear your clothes. If you do, you will die. And the Lord will be angry with the whole community. "But all of the people of Israel are allowed to show they are sad. They are your relatives. They can sob over those the Lord has destroyed with fire.
Reference
Judgment
Numbers 1:53
Joshua 22:20
Parallel theme
Numbers 16:22
Leviticus 13:45
References Lord
Joshua 7:1
Joshua 22:18
2 Samuel 24:1
7
"Don't leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. If you do, you will die. That's because the Lord's anointing oil has made you holy." So they did what Moses told them to do.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 28:41
2 Corinthians 1:21
References Moses
Leviticus 8:30
Temple
Leviticus 21:12
8
Then the Lord spoke to Aaron. He said,
9
"You and your sons must not drink any kind of wine when you go into the Tent of Meeting. If you do, you will die. That is a law that will last for all time to come.
Reference
10
"You must be able to tell the difference between what is holy and what is not. You must be able to tell the difference between what is 'clean' and what is not.
Reference
11
You must teach the people of Israel all of the rules I have given them through Moses."
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 28:20
Nehemiah 8:2
Nehemiah 8:8
Jeremiah 18:18
Deuteronomy 24:8
Acts 20:27
References Israel
Deuteronomy 33:10
References Lord
Malachi 2:7
1 Thessalonians 4:2
12
Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar. They were Aaron's two remaining sons. Moses said, "Take the grain offering that is left over from the offerings that are made to the Lord with fire. It is very holy. Make bread without yeast from it. Eat it beside the altar.
Reference
Holy
Leviticus 21:22
13
Eat it in a holy place. It's your share and your sons' share of the offerings that are made to the Lord with fire. Those rules are in keeping with the command the Lord gave me.
Reference
14
"But you and your sons and your daughters can eat the breast that was waved. You can also eat the thigh that was offered. Eat them in a place that is 'clean.' They have been given to you and your children. They are your share of the friendship offerings the people of Israel bring.
Reference
Sacrifice
Numbers 18:11
15
"The thigh that was offered must be brought together with the fat parts of the offerings that are made with fire. The breast that was waved must be brought in the same way. All of it must be lifted up and waved in front of the Lord as a wave offering. It will be the regular share for you and your children. That's what the Lord has commanded."
Reference
Sacrifice
Leviticus 7:34
16
Moses asked about the goat that was brought as the sin offering. He found out that it had been burned up. So he became angry with Eleazar and Ithamar. They were Aaron's two remaining sons. Moses asked them,
Reference
17
"Why didn't you eat the sin offering in a place that is near the Holy Room? The offering is very holy. It was given to you to take the people's guilt away. It paid for their sin in the sight of the Lord.
Reference
18
The blood of the offering wasn't taken into the Holy Room. So you should have eaten the goat in a place that is near the Holy Room. That's what I commanded."
Reference
19
Aaron replied to Moses, "Today the people sacrificed their sin offering to the Lord. They also sacrificed their burnt offerings to him. But a terrible thing has happened to me. Two of my sons have died. Would the Lord have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?"
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 1:15
Sacrifice
Leviticus 9:12
Jeremiah 6:20
Jeremiah 14:12
Malachi 1:10
Malachi 2:13
Malachi 1:13
Sin
Leviticus 9:8
Hosea 9:4
20
When Moses heard that, he was satisfied.
Chapter Summary
Leviticus chapter 10 begins with a calamity involving Aaron's two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu. They had recently begun their service as priests, and the last chapter had closed upon the description of fire from the Lord consuming the offering upon the altar. The people had seen God's glory and had worshiped before Him. Chapter 10 proceeds to relate the fate of two of the priests who have in some manner drawn His displeasure upon themselves.
Nadab and Abihu take their censers and place fire in them, putting incense upon the fire. But they bring them to the altar before the Lord, and the fire which they have brought is called "strange fire." What is important to note is that the two priests have brought something to the Lord which He had not commanded them to offer. In their capacity as priests, they had not been given the right to go beyond the instructions concerning the worship which had been given to them.
Fire came out from the Lord and devoured them up, and they died before Him. Moses then explained to Aaron the lesson that the Lord had taught them, viz: "I will be sanctified by those that come near me, and before all people I shall be glorified." But Aaron was silent.
Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle, and told them to bring Nadab and Abihu away from the sanctuary and outside the camp. They did so, taking them by their apparel, as Moses commanded.
Moses then told Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, not to uncover their heads or rend their garments, as they were not to display mourning. They were not to leave the door of the tabernacle, for the anointing oil of the Lord was upon them. Their ministering to the Lord was to continue as before the death of Nadab and Abihu.
The people of Israel were permitted to mourn, but Aaron and his living sons were to remain within the confines of their ministry as priests.
Moses warned Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar not to drink wine or strong drink upon entering the tabernacle, for they were to be able to discern between holy and unholy, and between clean and unclean. They were to teach the children of Israel all that the Lord had commanded, according to the laws delivered by Moses.
This teaching is peculiarly relevant when we consider the death of Nadab and Abihu. The chapter gives us no information as to what it was which caused the calamity. But it does make it clear that the priests had to conduct their worship with a clear understanding of the commands which the Lord had given to Moses.
Moses then reminded Aaron and his remaining sons of the meat offering, that the remainder of that which was offered in fire should be eaten by them, beside the altar, for it was most holy. They were also permitted to eat the breast of the wave offering and the shoulder of the heave offering in a clean place. These portions had been given to the priests and their families to eat.
Moses reminded them that their children and daughters also could eat these portions, for they had been apportioned to the priestly house.
But Moses soon discovered that they had not eaten according to the instructions which he had given. He sought the goat of the sin offering and discovered that it had been burned instead of it having been eaten by the priests in the holy place. Moses was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar and asked why they had not eaten the sin offering as he had commanded that they should.
The sin offering was most holy, and it had been the priests' privilege and duty to eat of it within the holy place so that they might bear the iniquity of the congregation and make atonement for them before the Lord. Moses was concerned that they had failed to take heed of this.
Aaron answered Moses and gave him his answer concerning the sin offering, for he had made a decision concerning it in view of the events of the day. He referred to what had occurred when his sons had died, and he asked whether or not it would have been right for them to eat the sin offering under these circumstances.
When Moses heard Aaron's answer, he was content, for the chapter makes it clear that he understood why Aaron had acted as he did.
Leviticus chapter 10 contains a number of hard lessons concerning the responsibility which we bear in the worship of God. Nadab and Abihu had taken upon themselves a holy calling and had drawn the displeasure of the Lord upon themselves. Their death served not merely as an illustration of the seriousness with which God regards His worship but also of the responsibility which the priests bore in ministering before Him.
The chapter also makes it clear that the priests were to be in a position to teach regarding holy and unholy things, and concerning clean and unclean, before the people. They were forbidden to enter the tabernacle once they had drunk wine or strong drink. It was because of the importance of the teaching which was entrusted to them that they had this prohibition.
At the same time, the chapter recognizes that Aaron and his remaining sons had a human nature which was permitted sorrow and grief over the death of their brethren. They did not, however, cease to serve, although the nation was permitted to mourn. Aaron's remarks concerning the sin offering, viz: "Would it have been well that they had eaten the sacrifice of peace offerings, and that they had not sanctified the children of Israel?" indicate that he felt that it was right to take a moment to reflect upon a serious matter which had occurred.
Leviticus chapter 10 does not return to the rejoicing described by the earlier chapter. Instead, we are left with the somber recollection of the events which had occurred during the night. The priests had been given a solemn privilege and responsibility by the Lord, and Nadab and Abihu had died as a result of not fulfilling their duties according to the instructions which had been given to them.
Nadab and Abihu take their censers and place fire in them, putting incense upon the fire. But they bring them to the altar before the Lord, and the fire which they have brought is called "strange fire." What is important to note is that the two priests have brought something to the Lord which He had not commanded them to offer. In their capacity as priests, they had not been given the right to go beyond the instructions concerning the worship which had been given to them.
Fire came out from the Lord and devoured them up, and they died before Him. Moses then explained to Aaron the lesson that the Lord had taught them, viz: "I will be sanctified by those that come near me, and before all people I shall be glorified." But Aaron was silent.
Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle, and told them to bring Nadab and Abihu away from the sanctuary and outside the camp. They did so, taking them by their apparel, as Moses commanded.
Moses then told Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, not to uncover their heads or rend their garments, as they were not to display mourning. They were not to leave the door of the tabernacle, for the anointing oil of the Lord was upon them. Their ministering to the Lord was to continue as before the death of Nadab and Abihu.
The people of Israel were permitted to mourn, but Aaron and his living sons were to remain within the confines of their ministry as priests.
Moses warned Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar not to drink wine or strong drink upon entering the tabernacle, for they were to be able to discern between holy and unholy, and between clean and unclean. They were to teach the children of Israel all that the Lord had commanded, according to the laws delivered by Moses.
This teaching is peculiarly relevant when we consider the death of Nadab and Abihu. The chapter gives us no information as to what it was which caused the calamity. But it does make it clear that the priests had to conduct their worship with a clear understanding of the commands which the Lord had given to Moses.
Moses then reminded Aaron and his remaining sons of the meat offering, that the remainder of that which was offered in fire should be eaten by them, beside the altar, for it was most holy. They were also permitted to eat the breast of the wave offering and the shoulder of the heave offering in a clean place. These portions had been given to the priests and their families to eat.
Moses reminded them that their children and daughters also could eat these portions, for they had been apportioned to the priestly house.
But Moses soon discovered that they had not eaten according to the instructions which he had given. He sought the goat of the sin offering and discovered that it had been burned instead of it having been eaten by the priests in the holy place. Moses was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar and asked why they had not eaten the sin offering as he had commanded that they should.
The sin offering was most holy, and it had been the priests' privilege and duty to eat of it within the holy place so that they might bear the iniquity of the congregation and make atonement for them before the Lord. Moses was concerned that they had failed to take heed of this.
Aaron answered Moses and gave him his answer concerning the sin offering, for he had made a decision concerning it in view of the events of the day. He referred to what had occurred when his sons had died, and he asked whether or not it would have been right for them to eat the sin offering under these circumstances.
When Moses heard Aaron's answer, he was content, for the chapter makes it clear that he understood why Aaron had acted as he did.
Leviticus chapter 10 contains a number of hard lessons concerning the responsibility which we bear in the worship of God. Nadab and Abihu had taken upon themselves a holy calling and had drawn the displeasure of the Lord upon themselves. Their death served not merely as an illustration of the seriousness with which God regards His worship but also of the responsibility which the priests bore in ministering before Him.
The chapter also makes it clear that the priests were to be in a position to teach regarding holy and unholy things, and concerning clean and unclean, before the people. They were forbidden to enter the tabernacle once they had drunk wine or strong drink. It was because of the importance of the teaching which was entrusted to them that they had this prohibition.
At the same time, the chapter recognizes that Aaron and his remaining sons had a human nature which was permitted sorrow and grief over the death of their brethren. They did not, however, cease to serve, although the nation was permitted to mourn. Aaron's remarks concerning the sin offering, viz: "Would it have been well that they had eaten the sacrifice of peace offerings, and that they had not sanctified the children of Israel?" indicate that he felt that it was right to take a moment to reflect upon a serious matter which had occurred.
Leviticus chapter 10 does not return to the rejoicing described by the earlier chapter. Instead, we are left with the somber recollection of the events which had occurred during the night. The priests had been given a solemn privilege and responsibility by the Lord, and Nadab and Abihu had died as a result of not fulfilling their duties according to the instructions which had been given to them.