Lev 10:1-2 | MHM | STEP | Leviticus 10:1 – Death of Nadab and Abihu This passage describes the serious sin of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, and the severe punishment they received. Although what they did might not seem so serious to us, God’s strong response shows that their action was very wrong in His eyes. The main problem was that they did not follow God’s specific instructions for worship and tried to serve Him in their own way. This event reminds everyone that God’s commands must be obeyed exactly, especially by those who serve as leaders. v. 1 : Nadab and Abihu offered “strange fire” before the Lord , which God had not commanded (Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:4 ). They tried to burn incense at a time when only Aaron was supposed to serve as priest. They acted out of pride, wanting to do the most important job right away, without asking for permission or following instructions. Also, they used fire that was not taken from the altar, but probably from an ordinary source, which was not allowed (Revelation 8:5 ), and maybe even used common incense. They both went in together, even though only one priest should burn incense at a time (Luke 1:9 ). They acted too quickly and without respect. There is also a hint that they might have been drunk, since God gives a law against drinking right after this event (Leviticus 10:8; Proverbs 31:5 ). Their sin was not a mistake or ignorance, but done in pride and carelessness, so it was punished severely (Leviticus 4:2-3; Numbers 15:30 ).

‏ Leviticus 10:1-2

Leviticus 10:1 – Death of Nadab and Abihu

This passage describes the serious sin of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, and the severe punishment they received. Although what they did might not seem so serious to us, God’s strong response shows that their action was very wrong in His eyes. The main problem was that they did not follow God’s specific instructions for worship and tried to serve Him in their own way. This event reminds everyone that God’s commands must be obeyed exactly, especially by those who serve as leaders.

v. 1: Nadab and Abihu offered “strange fire” before the Lord, which God had not commanded (Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:4 ^a). They tried to burn incense at a time when only Aaron was supposed to serve as priest. They acted out of pride, wanting to do the most important job right away, without asking for permission or following instructions. Also, they used fire that was not taken from the altar, but probably from an ordinary source, which was not allowed (Revelation 8:5 ^b), and maybe even used common incense. They both went in together, even though only one priest should burn incense at a time (Luke 1:9 ^c). They acted too quickly and without respect. There is also a hint that they might have been drunk, since God gives a law against drinking right after this event (Leviticus 10:8; Proverbs 31:5 ^d). Their sin was not a mistake or ignorance, but done in pride and carelessness, so it was punished severely (Leviticus 4:2-3; Numbers 15:30 ^e).

v. 2: God punished them by sending fire that killed them instantly . This was the same kind of fire that had just burned the sacrifice to show God’s approval (Leviticus 9:24 ^f). Their punishment was very serious: they died immediately, in the middle of their sin, right in front of God’s presence. The fire did not destroy their bodies or even burn their clothes (Leviticus 10:5 ^g), but was like lightning that struck them dead. The Bible also says that they died childless (Numbers 3:4; 1 Chronicles 24:2 ^h), which was a sign of God’s judgment.

v. 2 continued: Some might wonder why God punished Nadab and Abihu so harshly even though they were Aaron’s sons, newly ordained priests, and had served faithfully before. But their sin was very serious because they did not respect God’s commands. Up until now, everyone had carefully followed what “the Lord commanded Moses,” but Nadab and Abihu did what God had not commanded. Their high position made their sin even worse. This punishment showed everyone how important it is to obey God exactly, especially at the beginning of the new priesthood. God’s strong response was a warning for others not to take His instructions lightly and helped prevent future mistakes. This also shows that the old priesthood was imperfect and pointed forward to Christ’s perfect priesthood, where no such mistakes happen.