It is the story of how two of the sons of aaron, nadab and abihu, were slain suddenly by god. While the people were prostrate before the lord, adoring his presence and glory. Leviticus 10 commentary the sin and death of nadab and. There is reason to think that they were puffed up with pride, and that they were heated with wine. The mystery of the unauthorized fire bible study tools. Leviticus 10 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. Then moses and aaron, nadab, and abihu, and seventy of the elders of israel went up, exodus 24. Enduring word bible commentary leviticus chapter 10. World wide study bible leviticus 10 christian classics. He reacted swiftly and violently, wiping them out on. Leviticus 10 bible commentary matthew henry concise. If youre thinking, somebody should write a book about thati agree. Mathison says this commentary is not only the best commentary on the book of leviticus, it is one of the best commentaries on any book of the bible that i have read.
Nadab and abihu devotional reflections from the bible. The word bible means books and because the bible is made of 66 books it was easier to say. Designed for both jewish and nonjewish readers alike, the israel bible offers a unique commentary that seeks to explain gods focus on the land of israel alongside the original hebrew text, transliteration of select hebrew verses, and the new jewish publication society translation. Now nadab and abihu, the sons of aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized. Yes, but obviously god did not accept their worship. The death of nadab and abihu 10 aarons sons nadab and abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense. Contextual overview 9 and moses goeth up, aaron also, nadab and abihu, and seventy of the elders of israel, 10 and they see the god of israel, and under his feet is as the white work of the sapphire, and as the substance of the heavens for purity. Now nadab and abihu, the sons of aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the lord, which he had not commanded them. Acharei mot begins by mentioning the death of nadab and abihu, the sons of aaron.
Aarons sons, nadab and abihu, took their censers and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the lord, which he had not commanded them lev. This is the sort of thing that gives the god of the old testament a bad reputation. There is no clear consensus as to what sin nadab and abihu committed as detailed in verse 10. He has led numerous academic study tours to israel and palestine and is the author of many articles and books, including discovering biblical equality and. They were not thinking properly when they used common fire. Some commentators like to take into consideration material previously mentioned, some like the literal view of the story, others try to narrow the possibilities to come. Now nadab and abihu, the sons of aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered unholy fire before the lord, such as he had not commanded them. The sin of nadab and abihu was of a complicated nature, and involved and consisted of several transgressions ellicotts commentary on the whole bible, vol. Nadab and abihu were the oldest and second oldest sons of aaron, the brother of moses and first high priest of israel. The tabernacle was completed, and for the first time, priests were about to enter the holy place to burn incense.
Its going to be an exciting and highly privileged excursion. Bible, bible commentary, bible study, commentary on leviticus, commentary on leviticus 10, death of nadab and abihu, eleazar and ithamar, gerard jollain, larry hunt bible commentary, nadab and abihu, old testament, sons of aaron, strange fire, why were nadab and abihu killed. Though primarily a book outlining priestly rituals, it does record an incident involving two sons of aaron. David guzik commentary on leviticus 10 describes the sin nadab and abihu commit by offering profane fire before the lord and gods judgment of the priests. Buy africa bible commentary updated ed revised edition by adeyemo tokunboh isbn. If anybody had a close relationship with god and would receive a measure of leeway in judgment, it was these two. The mysterious life and death of nadab and abihu, sons of. This is a strong warning to us for it shows that there is such a thing as false or unacceptable worship. We dont often read from the book of leviticus in the christian church, it seems so irrelevant to our daily lives as 21st century christians, being full of arcane regulations and instructions about sacrifices and the correct way to slaughter animals. Nadab the first borne, and abihu, eleazar and ithamar. What practical key life learnings can we glean from the lives of nadab and abihu.
According to leviticus 10, they offered a sacrifice with foreign fire before the lord, disobeying his instructions, and were immediately consumed by gods fire. It is primarily a handbook for priests under the law of moses d. Reading it helps the christian to better understand the book of hebrews 3. Nadab and abihu, however, died before the lord when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the desert of sinai. In fact, in this case those who were worshipping the lord were from his own chosen nation. This bible study devotional covers leviticus chapters 810. The sins of nadab and abihu sermon by bramwell hayes.
Here we see aaron, the high priest, obeying god by offering all the sacrifices prescribed in exodus and leviticus. When nadab and abihu broke the commandment, it was a sign of their disrespect for god. They had no sons, so eleazar and ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father aaron. At first glance, nadab and abihu appear to be transgressors who didnt listen to the word of g. Leviticus 10 new international version niv the death of nadab and abihu. Its name is derived from levi, from which tribe came the priests c. First of all, it assumes an organic relationship between exodus and leviticus. Another look at nadab and abihu chino church of christ. Their death, related in the sidra of shemini, is something of a mystery, for on the one hand they seemed to be punished for their faults, while on the other, a midrashic com. But nadab and abihu died when they made an offering before the lord with unauthorized fire.
Sermons from the old testament the sin of nadab and abihu. Nadab and abihu calvins commentary on the bible leviticus 10 by john calvin now nadab and abihu, the sons of aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized a fire before the lord, which he had not commanded them. And nadab and abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the lord. If this incident occurred at the solemn period of the consecrating and dedicating the altar, these young men assumed an office which had been committed to moses. The names of the sons of aaron were nadab the firstborn and abihu, eleazar and ithamar. Now nadab and abihu, the sons of aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorizeda fire before the lord, which he had not commanded them.
In ord er t o pr ope rly and adequately understand w ho god is and wh at he is like, we must view him in his fullness. Moses instructed aaron and his family not to mourn, although the people at large were permitted. The first tabernacle had been erected, and aaron was doing a lot of. They were priests, sons of aaron, the high priest, nephews of moses. Moses listened to the words of the lord and then related them to the people. But the commentaries and midrashim paint a very different picture of nadab and abihu, as well as the circumstances surrounding their death. Not long afterward however, nadab and abihu made an offering to the lord in defiance of his command. As for the severity of nadab and abihu s punishment, i can only say that sometimes we are unaware of the gravity of our actions. But nadab and abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the lord. In the biblical books exodus, leviticus and numbers, nadab and abihu were the two eldest sons of aaron. Next to moses and aaron, none were more likely to be honourable in israel than nadab and abihu. What is the meaning of the strange fire in leviticus 10. The placement of these verses seems to indicate that nadab and abihu had been drinking. Alcohol has a way of deluding a person into thinking that he is in control when he is not.
They grew up watching the miracles of god rescuing gods people from egypt, walking through the red sea and the holiness of god displayed on mt. Leviticus 10 the death of nadab and abihu bible gateway. He went right to the top of human leadership to get this straightened out, and moses gave him gods answer. Nadab the firstborn, and abihu, eleazar, and ithamar. Nadab and abihu calvins commentary on the bible leviticus 10. Leviticus 10 aarons sons nadab and abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense. Moses and aaron, nadab and abihu, and the seventy elders of israel went up exodus 24. In reality both books were composed at different periods of time. As god taught moses the proper ways for the priests to come to him as they made atonement for the people, so aaron obeyed those commands specifically. And nadab and abihu, the sons of aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the lord. The book of leviticus new international commentary on the. It may come as a surprise to discover that there are a number of biblical experts who regard the book of leviticus as the most important book of the bible. Tabernacle explained and strange fire offered by nadab and abihu using insights from ellen white duration.