10:1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu Nadab and Abihu appear to be Aaron’s eldest sons (Exod 6:23). They accompanied Aaron, Moses, and the 70 elders of Israel when they went up Mount Sinai to confirm Israel’s covenant with Yahweh (Exod 24:1, 9).

they put fire in them They put coals in the censer (compare Num 17:2).

illegitimate fire The Hebrew phrase for what Nadab and Abihu offered is esh zarah. The word esh means “fire,” and zarah is an adjective identifying something as “strange,” “foreign,” or “illegitimate.” English translations generally represent the phrase as “unauthorized fire” or “strange fire.”

10:2 fire went out from before Yahweh Parallels Lev 9:24, where fire from God’s presence directly consumed the sacrifices on the altar.

they died before Yahweh This incident falls immediately after the consecration of the priesthood in ch. 9 and serves to emphasize the seriousness of their priestly ordination.

10:3 those who are close to me Refers to those in close proximity to the divine presence—the priests who had just been consecrated in ch. 9.

I will display my glory Yahweh will be given the respect He demands and deserves.

10:4 Carry your brothers Aaron’s cousins attended to their bodies. Aaron and his surviving two sons could not touch the bodies because contact with a corpse caused ritual impurity (see Num 19:1–22 and note). This may have been customary; it may also indicate the Israelite custom of close relatives incurring funerary responsibilities for the dead (compare Amos 6:10).

the sanctuary The tabernacle; see note on Lev 1:1.

10:5 in their tunics See 8:7, 13. Refers to Nadab and Abihu’s coats; they must not have been completely burned up.

10:6 You must not let your hair hang loosely The Hebrew phrase used here could refer to exposing the head or to disheveling the hair. The same wording appears in 21:10 where the high priest is forbidden from engaging in outward signs of mourning. Disheveling or pulling out one’s hair was an expression of mourning (Josh 7:6; Job 2:12; Ezra 9:3).

you must not tear your garments Also an expression of mourning.

10:7 Yahweh’s anointing oil is on you Aaron and his four sons were anointed when they were ordained as priests (8:12, 30; Exod 40:13–15). See note on Lev 6:20.

10:9 wine or strong drink The first Hebrew term used here, yayin, refers to wine; second, shekhar, indicates some sort of intoxicating drink. The shekhar was probably an intoxicant besides wine, though its ingredients are not specified. While drinking an intoxicating beverage was permissible in nonsacred life, it had no place when fulfilling sacred duties.

10:10 between the holy and the unholy Refers to the duty of the priests to protect sacred space and sacred objects from being treated as ordinary.

Functions of Priests Table

between the unclean and the clean The distinction between clean and unclean is the main concern of the regulations outlined in chs. 11–15.

10:12 Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar The three remaining priests were Aaron and his two sons.

eat it, the unleavened bread, beside the altar In vv. 12–15, Moses verbally conveys some of Yahweh’s instructions about eating the offerings that had been given in chs. 6–7.

10:14 wave offering’s breast section and the upper thigh of This was the priest’s portion from the peace (fellowship) offerings (7:30–38).

10:16 the sin offering Refers to the male goat sacrificed as the purification (sin) offering (chatta’th in Hebrew) for the community (9:3, 15). Any chatta’th sacrifice where the blood was not brought inside the tent shrine itself could be eaten by the priests (6:24–30; 10:18). Moses was attempting to confirm that the sacrifice had been handled appropriately. See note on 9:3.

he was angry Moses is alarmed at this failure to follow proper protocol for the purification (sin) offering. He likely feared that Yahweh would strike down Eleazar and Ithamar for the error, just as He had struck Nadab and Abihu for their violation. Eleazar and Ithamar were the last two sons of Aaron. Their deaths would have put the future of the priesthood from Aaron’s line in jeopardy.

10:17 on the sanctuary’s site According to 6:26, the purification (sin) offering (chatta’th in Hebrew) was to be eaten in the holy place (the main room of the tabernacle tent). Leviticus 6 did not, however, include the rationale for the eating, which is given here. By eating the offering portions, the priests bear the iniquity of the congregation. The act was part of the atonement process.

10:19 it have been good in Yahweh’s eyes Aaron attributes the oversight to the trauma of what happened to Nadab and Abihu. Moses accepts his explanation (v. 20).