Leviticus 10:1-20

Leviticus

*Worship the *LORD in the Beauty of *Holiness

Leviticus

Gordon Churchyard

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible, except for the words in brackets (…).

Chapter 10

The deaths of Nadab and Abihu and further rules

v1 (Two of) Aaron’s sons (were called) Nadab and Abihu. They got their *censers and put fire and *incense into them. Then they offered fire to the *LORD, which it was not right to do. (The *LORD) had not told them to do this.

v2 So fire came from where the *LORD was. It burned them, so that they died in front of the *LORD.

v3 Moses then said to Aaron, ‘The *LORD spoke about this. He said, “I will show myself to be holy among those people who come near to me. Everybody will see that honour comes to me.” ’ But Aaron was silent.

v4 Moses ordered Mishael and Elzaphan to come. They were the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel. (Moses) said to them, ‘Come (here). Carry your cousins’ (bodies) outside the camp. (Take them) away from the front of the *meeting tent.’

v5 So they came and carried them away outside the camp. This is what Moses had ordered them to do. (Nadab and Abihu) were still wearing their (priests’) clothes.

v6 Then Moses said (this) to Aaron and to his (other two) sons, Eleazar and Ithamar. ‘Do not make your hair untidy and do not tear your clothes. (If you do,) you will die. Then (the *LORD) will be angry with all (the *Israelites). But your relatives (and) all the *Israelites may *mourn because of the fire that the *LORD sent.

v7 Do not leave the entrance of the *meeting tent, or you will die. (This is) because of the *LORD’s *oil that *anointed you. It is still on you.’ So they did what Moses said.

Verse 1 Nadab and Abihu were the oldest of Aaron’s 4 sons. Their names are in 1 Chronicles 6:3. A *censer was a flat pan that carried fire. What they did was not legal. It was wrong, for several possible reasons.

• They should have put fire into the *censers from the *altar, Leviticus 16:12. But perhaps they did not take their fire from the *altar.

• Perhaps they tried to enter the most holy place. Only the chief priest could do this. He could only do it once a year on the Day of *Atonement, Leviticus chapter 16.

• Perhaps they decided to do this in order to oppose Moses and Aaron. Perhaps Nadab and Abihu thought that they themselves should be the chief priests.

• Perhaps Nadab and Abihu had drunk too much wine. So the *LORD gave Aaron another rule in verse 9.

We can perhaps understand better the reasons for their deaths because some other people died in a similar manner (Numbers chapter 16). Those people decided, on purpose, to oppose the *LORD (Numbers 16:11). Moses warned them severely about their actions. But they still decided to approach the *meeting tent, with fire in their *censers that God would not accept. Fire came from the *LORD and it killed 250 men (Numbers 16:35).

It is very dangerous to oppose God’s work on purpose. Moses had carefully warned Nadab and Abihu that they must obey God completely (Leviticus 8:35). But for some reason, they chose to do something that God did not permit. What they did opposed God’s work at the *meeting tent. That is why their punishment was so severe.

Verse 2 Numbers 15:30-31 tells us what happens to people like Nadab and Abihu. The *LORD punished them severely because they decided not to obey God. This passage from the Book of Numbers tells us something important. What they did was not an accident. They *sinned on purpose. The *Hebrew word for ‘burned’ means ‘ate’. The fire ate them!

Verse 3 These words of the *LORD do not appear anywhere else. But they do remind us of what the Bible teaches about priests. There are some verses about this in Something to do number 1, below. And Exodus 19:21-24 contains instructions with a similar meaning. Also, Peter reminds us that judgement begins among God’s people, 1 Peter 4:17. Aaron said nothing because he had to give proper honour to God. He knew that God’s judgement is always right. These events were clearly a bad shock for him. But as the chief priest, his love for God was more important than his love for his sons.

Verses 4-5 Aaron could not touch dead bodies, as that would make him *unclean. A priest who was *unclean could not do his work for God. There were special rules for the chief priest (Leviticus 21:10-15). He could never enter the place where a dead body was. He could not even become *unclean in order to bury his father or mother. So Aaron certainly could not bury his sons’ bodies. That was why Aaron’s cousins took the bodies away to bury them. The fire that killed Nadab and Abihu did not burn their priests’ clothes. The dead bodies were still wearing them.

Verses 6-7 The *Hebrew words for ‘make your hair untidy’ really mean this. ‘Make your head loose’. People made their ‘head loose’ when they took off the ribbon round their hair. This let the hair down so that it was untidy. People did this when they *mourned. They also tore their clothes. People *mourn when they are very sad at a death. The priests had to stay near the *meeting tent. If they went away, they would become *unclean. Then they would not be able to work as priests. Their work was more important than their feelings. Matthew 26:39 tells us that Jesus did the same. His work was more important than his feelings.

v8 Then the *LORD said (this) to Aaron.

v9 ‘You and your sons must not drink wine or any other *alcoholic drink before you go into the *meeting tent. If (you do), you will die. This is a rule that (priests) must always obey.

v10 You must learn the difference between what is holy and not holy. Also, (you must learn) what is *clean and *unclean.

v11 And you must teach the *Israelites all the laws that the *LORD has given to them by Moses.’

v12 Moses said (this) to Aaron and to his sons who were still alive, Eleazar and Ithamar. ‘Take what remains of the *corn offering. (It is an *offering that you) make to the *LORD on the (*altar) fire. (Prepare it) without *yeast by the *altar. Eat it, because it is very holy.

v13 Eat it in a holy place. It is your share and your sons’ share of the *offerings (that you) made to the *LORD on the (*altar) fire. This is what (the *LORD) told me (to say).

v14 But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast and upper part of the leg. (This is the breast that you) waved (in front of the *LORD). (And this is the upper part of the leg) that you offered (to the *LORD). Eat them in a place that is *clean for the purposes of your religion. They are your share and your children’s share of the *Israelites’ *peace offerings.

v15 You must bring these things, to wave them in front of the *LORD.

• The upper leg that you gave (to the *LORD).

• The breast that you waved (in front of the *LORD).

Bring them with the *fat parts of the *offerings that you make on the (*altar) fire.

They will be a *wave offering. It will be your regular share for you and for your children. The *LORD has said that (you will receive these things).’

v16 Then Moses asked carefully about the goat that was the *sin offering. He discovered that (Aaron’s sons) had burned it. So (Moses) was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons who were still alive. He told (this to) them.

v17 ‘You should have eaten the *sin offering in the holy place. (The *offering) was very holy. (The people) gave it to you to take away their *guilt. (The goat) made *atonement for them with the *LORD.

v18 You did not take its blood into the *meeting tent. Therefore you should have eaten the goat in the holy place, as I told you (to do).’

v19 Aaron said to Moses, ‘Today they offered their *sin offering and their *whole offering to the *LORD. But such things as these have happened to me! (I do not think that I ought) to have eaten the *sin offering today. (I do not think that) it would please the *LORD (for me to do that).’

v20 When Moses heard this, it satisfied him.

Notes

Verse 8 God spoke to Aaron. This was very unusual. Usually, God gave Moses instructions for Aaron.

After the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron probably thought that it was impossible to be chief priest. God is holy, and people are unholy. The result was that, already, two of Aaron’s sons were dead. It seemed as if his family would all die.

If Aaron was thinking such thoughts, God’s words would have brought some comfort. God told him that his *descendants, the priests, would continue to exist. They must learn to separate holy and unholy things. And Aaron’s *descendants would have the responsibility to teach these things to the *Israelites.

Verse 9 Many *Jewish Bible students believed that alcohol was part of the reason for Nadab’s and Abihu’s deaths, verse 2. Perhaps alcohol caused them to behave in a manner that offended God. Most people then drank drinks that contained alcohol. (For exceptions, see Numbers 6:1-4 and Jeremiah 35:3-6). Water is only a healthy drink where the supply is clean and pure. So drinks that contain alcohol are sometimes safer. People then had no coffee! (But they could use plants to make their own tea.)

Verse 10 Leviticus Chapter s 11 to 15 tell us what is *clean or *unclean. Part of the priests’ job was to tell people the difference between *clean and *unclean things. The priests might not be able to do this properly if they had drunk alcohol.

Verse 11 Christians are also priests in this way. They teach (tell) people what is right (*clean) and wrong (*unclean).

Verse 12 The *corn offering here is the one in Leviticus 9:4 and Leviticus 9:17. Holy here does not mean good. It means that it was part of their religion. It was holy because they had offered it to God.

Verse 13 The holy place was by the *altar where they had offered the *corn offering.

Verses 14-15 These things are not ‘very holy’ as the *corn offering was. The priests and their families could eat them away from the *meeting tent. Women could not go near to the *meeting tent; only the men were priests.

Verses 16-17 Moses complained to Aaron’s sons. But Aaron himself answered Moses, verse 19.

Verse 18 The *Hebrew words for *meeting tent and holy place in this verse are the same: qodesh. We have translated them so that they mean inside and outside the *meeting tent.

Verse 19 ‘Such things as these’ probably means the deaths of Nadab and Abihu. Aaron was the leader of his family. So he explained why Eleazar and Ithamar had not eaten the *sin offering.

When a priest ate the *offering, he was having *fellowship with God. The priest could only do that because God had accepted the *offering.

However, on this day, God had clearly not accepted the *sin offering that Aaron’s 4 sons had made. The deaths of Nadab and Abihu proved that. So it would be wrong for Eleazar and Ithamar to eat an *offering that God did not accept. That was why they had to burn the *sin offering.

This explanation satisfied Moses.

Something to do

1. These verses tell us what priests should do. Remember, all Christians are priests. Revelation 1:6; Exodus 29:44; 1 Samuel 15:22; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:27; 1 Peter 1:15-16.

2. Read Acts 10:10-16. God can make *unclean things *clean!

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
holiness ~ the quality of somebody who is holy, or very, very good.

holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy. Or, a description of something that belongs to God.
censer ~ a flat pan that carried fire.
incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.'meeting tent ~ the special tent where God met with Moses. The priests could enter it to worship; they burnt sacrifices on the altar in front of it.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.
mourn ~ to be sad after a death.
oil ~ a type of oil that comes from an oily fruit called the olive. People used this oil in their food and they burnt it in lamps.
anointed ~ the past form of the word ‘anoint’; also, a description of someone whom people have appointed to do a special task by a ceremony with oil.

anoint ~ to pour oil onto someone in order to appoint that person for a special task. The Jews did this when they made someone into a priest or king.

oil ~ a type of oil that comes from an oily fruit called the olive. People used this oil in their food and they burnt it in lamps.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
atonement ~ another word for what happens when God forgives us. After God forgives us, we are ‘at one’ with him. In other words, we are united as friends (or have friendly relations) with him.
sin ~ to do wrong things; not to obey God’s rules. Or, the things we do when we sin. Evil thoughts, words and deeds are all sin, whether we do them on purpose or not.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
unclean ~ unsuitable for God or for God’s people. When someone was unclean, that person was unable to worship at God’s house.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
alcoholic ~ something that contains alcohol.
clean ~ suitable for God or for God’s people. A clean person could go to God’s house to worship him.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.

'corn offering ~ a gift of grain to the LORD. See the explanation in the note called ‘The 5 sacrifices’ near the beginning of this commentary.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
offering ~ gift.
yeast ~ the substance that makes bread ‘rise’, that is, to get bigger in the oven.
peace ~ absence of war. Or, the calm and content attitude that one receives because of a right relationship with God and with other people.
fat ~ part of an animal’s body that is not red meat, nor skin, nor bone. Fat is an oily substance.'wave offering ~ a gift that the priest waves in front of the LORD.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
atonement ~ another word for what happens when God forgives us. After God forgives us, we are ‘at one’ with him. In other words, we are united as friends (or have friendly relations) with him.'whole offering ~ an offering that the priests burned completely on the altar. See the explanation in the note called ‘The 5 sacrifices’ near the beginning of this commentary.

offering ~ gift.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
descendant ~ members of your family who live after you live.
Jewish ~ a word that describes Jews and what they do.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
fellowship ~ a special type of friendship between God and his people. Or, the special type of friendship that God’s people have with each other.