The Death of Nadab and Abihu

Leviticus 10

1 Then a Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, b each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered c profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. 2 So d fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. 3 And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying:
'By those e who come near Me
I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.' "
So Aaron held his peace.

4 Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come near, f carry your brethren from 1 before the sanctuary out of the camp." 5 So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, "Do not 2 uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and g wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, 3 bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled. 7 h "You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, i for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses.

8 Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying: 9 j "Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, 10 "that you may k distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 l "and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses."

12 And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left: m "Take the grain offering that remains of the offerings made by fire to the LORD, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; n for it is most holy. 13 "You shall eat it in a o holy place, because it is your 4 due and your sons' due, of the sacrifices made by fire to the LORD; for p so I have been commanded. 14 q "The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your r daughters with you; for they are your due and your sons' s due, which are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel. 15 t "The thigh of the heave offering and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring with the offerings of fat made by fire, to offer as a wave offering before the LORD. And it shall be yours and your sons' with you, by a statute forever, as the LORD has commanded."

16 Then Moses made careful inquiry about u the goat of the sin offering, and there it was - burned up. And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, 17 v "Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear w the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? 18 "See! x Its blood was not brought inside 5 the holy place; 5 indeed you should have eaten it in a holy place, y as I commanded." 19 And Aaron said to Moses, "Look, z this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and such things have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, a would it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD?" 20 So when Moses heard that, he was content.

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 24:1
    Now He said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.
    Exodus 24:9
    Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel.
    Numbers 3:2 - 4
    And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
    1 Chronicles 24:2
    And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children; therefore Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests.
  2. Cross References
    Leviticus 16:12
    Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 30:9
    You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it.
    1 Samuel 2:17
    Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
  4. Cross References
    Genesis 19:24
    Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
    Numbers 11:1
    Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.
    Numbers 16:35
    And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.
    Revelation 20:9
    They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
  5. Cross References
    Exodus 19:22
    "Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them."
    Leviticus 21:6
    They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.
    Isaiah 52:11
    Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the LORD.
    Ezekiel 20:41
    I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.
  6. Cross References
    Acts 5:6
    And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
    Acts 5:10
    Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.
  7. Cross References
    Numbers 1:53
    "but the Levites shall camp around the tabernac...
    Numbers 16:22
    Then they fell on their faces, and said, "O God...
    Numbers 16:46
    So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a censer and put ...
    Numbers 18:5
    And you shall attend to the duties of the sanct...
    Joshua 7:1
    But the children of Israel committed a trespass...
    Joshua 22:18
    But that you must turn away this day from follo...
    Joshua 22:20
    'Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespa...
    2 Samuel 24:1
    Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against...
  8. Cross References
    Leviticus 8:33
    And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he shall consecrate you.
    Leviticus 21:12
    Nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.
  9. Cross References
    Leviticus 8:30
    Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.
  10. Cross References
    Genesis 9:21
    Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and be...
    Proverbs 20:1
    Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, An...
    Proverbs 31:5
    Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert...
    Isaiah 28:7
    But they also have erred through wine, And thro...
    Ezekiel 44:21
    No priest shall drink wine when he enters the i...
    Hosea 4:11
    Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.
    Luke 1:15
    For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, ...
    Ephesians 5:18
    And do not be drunk with wine, in which is diss...
    1 Timothy 3:3
    Not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for ...
    Titus 1:7
    For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of...
  11. Cross References
    Leviticus 11:47
    'to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.'"
    Leviticus 20:25
    You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.
    Ezekiel 22:26
    Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
    Ezekiel 44:23
    And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
  12. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 24:8
    Take heed in an outbreak of leprosy, that you carefully observe and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you; just as I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do.
    Nehemiah 8:2
    So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.
    Nehemiah 8:8
    So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
    Jeremiah 18:18
    Then they said, "Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
    Malachi 2:7
    For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
  13. Cross References
    Numbers 18:9
    This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons.
  14. Cross References
    Leviticus 21:22
    He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy.
  15. Cross References
    Numbers 18:10
    In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.
  16. Cross References
    Leviticus 2:3
    The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron's and his sons'. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.
    Leviticus 6:16
    And the remainder of it Aaron and his sons shall eat; with unleavened bread it shall be eaten in a holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of meeting they shall eat it.
  17. Cross References
    Exodus 29:24
    And you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
    Exodus 29:26
    Then you shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your portion.
    Exodus 29:27
    And from the ram of the consecration you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering which is waved, and the thigh of the heave offering which is raised, of that which is for Aaron and of that which is for his sons.
    Leviticus 7:30 - 34
    His own hands shall bring the offerings made by fire to the LORD. The fat with the breast he shall bring, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the LORD.
    Numbers 18:11
    This also is yours: the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
  18. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:13
    But if the priest's daughter is a widow or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father's house as in her youth, she may eat her father's food; but no outsider shall eat it.
  19. Cross References
    Numbers 18:10
    In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.
  20. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:29
    Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offering to the LORD shall bring his offering to the LORD from the sacrifice of his peace offering.
    Leviticus 7:30
    His own hands shall bring the offerings made by fire to the LORD. The fat with the breast he shall bring, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the LORD.
    Leviticus 7:34
    'For the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering I have taken from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by a statute forever.'"
  21. Cross References
    Leviticus 9:3
    And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, 'Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering.
    Leviticus 9:15
    Then he brought the people's offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and killed it and offered it for sin, like the first one.
  22. Cross References
    Leviticus 6:24 - 30
    Also the LORD spoke to Moses, saying.
  23. Cross References
    Exodus 28:38
    So it shall be on Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
    Leviticus 22:16
    'or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I the LORD sanctify them.'"
    Numbers 18:1
    Then the LORD said to Aaron: "You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear the iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood.
  24. Cross References
    Leviticus 6:30
    But no sin offering from which any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of meeting, to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten. It shall be burned in the fire.
  25. Cross References
    Leviticus 6:26
    The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting.
    Leviticus 6:30
    But no sin offering from which any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of meeting, to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten. It shall be burned in the fire.
  26. Cross References
    Leviticus 9:8
    Aaron therefore went to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.
    Leviticus 9:12
    And he killed the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar.
  27. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:11 - 15
    To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrif...
    Jeremiah 6:20
    For what purpose to Me Comes frankincense from ...
    Jeremiah 14:12
    "When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and...
    Hosea 9:4
    They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD...
    Malachi 1:10
    Who is there even among you who would shut the ...
    Malachi 1:13
    You also say, 'Oh, what a weariness!' And you s...
    Malachi 3:1 - 4
    Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepar...
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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