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Numbers 3:4

in Numbers 3

Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Nadab and Abihu died before Jehovah, when they offered strange fire before Jehovah, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Aaron their father.

KJV

And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.

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This verse in Numbers 3

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

And the generations of Moses are thus obscurely mentioned, because they were but common Levites, the priesthood being given solely to Aaron's posterity, whence Aaron is here put before Moses, who elsewhere is commonly named after him. In Sinai - Nadab and Abihu, were then alive, though dead at the time of taking this account.

This site's exposition

the priests which were anointed

on Numbers 3:3-4

Four sons were anointed and consecrated and two of them are already dead. Leviticus 10:1-2 records the fire that killed them and this verse names the offence again, strange fire before the Lord, so the chapter that hands Levi the sanctuary opens by naming two priests who died inside it. They had no children, which is why the priesthood afterward runs through Eleazar and Ithamar alone.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

): they offered strange fire, and died for so doing, before the Lord. This is mentioned here in the preamble to the law concerning the priesthood, for a warning to all succeeding priests; let them know, by this example, that God is a jealous God, and will not be mocked; the holy anointing oil was an honour to the obedient, but not a shelter to the disobedient.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord,...., By flaming fire, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, see Lev 10:2; and so were not alive at this time when the account of the priests and Levites was taken: when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai; after the tabernacle was set up, and the service of it begun, and quickly after their unction and consecration: of this strange fire; see Gill on Num 10:1, and they had no children; which is observed, partly to show the punishment of them, and the reproach upon their names, that they died childless, and had none to succeed them in the priesthood; for as the Jewish writers (n) observe if they had left any behind them, those would have come into the office before Eleazar and Ithamar; and partly to show that all the priests in succeeding ages sprung from those next mentioned: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office, in the sight of Aaron their father; in his presence, under his inspection, and by his direction, he seeing and observing that they did everything according to the laws delivered by Moses, relating to, the office of the priesthood; or while he was yet alive, as Aben Ezra, they were concerned with him, and acted under him in the priestly office; and so the Septuagint version renders it, "with Aaron their father" (o); but a Jewish writer (p) interprets it in a different manner, "in the room of Aaron their father"; as if it respected not any conjunction with him in the then present exercise of their office in his lifetime, but their succession in it after his death; but the former seems most correct. (n) Torat Cohanim apud Ceseph Misnah in Maimon. Melachim, c. 1. sect. 7. Chaskuniin in loc. (o) Which is approved by Noldius, p. 731. (p) Chaskuni.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

And these are the names of the sons of Aaron--All the sons of Aaron, four in number, were consecrated to minister in the priest's office. The two oldest enjoyed but a brief term of office (Le 10:1, 2;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Nadab and Abihu died - See the notes on Leviticus 10 (note).

The words behind it

23 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיָּ֣מָתand he died

    vaiyamotH4191 →839 times

  • נָדָ֣בNadab

    nadavH5070 →20 times

  • וַאֲבִיה֣וּאand Abihu

    vaavihu'H30 →12 times

  • לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before

    lifneiH6440 →2123 times

  • יְהוָ֡הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • בְּֽהַקְרִבָם֩when brought near they

    behakrivamH7126 →280 times

  • אֵ֨שׁfire

    ʾeshH784 →378 times

  • זָרָ֜הstrange

    zarahH2114 →77 times

  • לִפְנֵ֤י<to> before

    lifneiH6440 →2123 times

  • יְהוָה֙Yahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • בְּמִדְבַּ֣רin [the] wilderness of

    bemidbarH4057 →270 times

  • סִינַ֔יSinai

    sinaiH5514 →35 times

  • וּבָנִ֖יםand sons

    uvanimH1121 →4930 times

  • לֹא־not

    lo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • הָי֣וּthey belonged

    hayuH1961 →3559 times

  • לָהֶ֑םto <the> them

    lahem

  • וַיְכַהֵ֤ןand he served as priest

    vaykhahenH3547 →

  • אֶלְעָזָר֙Eleazar

    ʾelazarH499 →72 times

  • וְאִ֣יתָמָ֔רand Ithamar

    veitamarH385 →21 times

  • עַל־on

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • פְּנֵ֖י[the] face of

    peneiH6440 →2123 times

  • אַהֲרֹ֥ןAaron

    ʾaharonH175 →347 times

  • אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ פfather their

    ʾavihemH1 →1212 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

6 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Leviticus 10:1–2Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command.6 worksNumbers 26:61but Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD.5 works1 Chronicles 24:2But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.4 works1 Chronicles 15:4Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:2 works1 Chronicles 6:50These were the descendants of Aaron:2 worksNumbers 19:3Give it to Eleazar the priest, and he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.2 works

The walk

2 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Numbers 26:61

    but Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD.

    it leads to

    • Leviticus 10:1–2

      Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command.

    • 1 Chronicles 24:1–2

      These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

Where this verse is studied

About Numbers

The Bronze Serpent, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Bronze Serpent, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Numbers: the study guide →Read Numbers 3 →

Who and where

5 names in this verse with a page on the site.

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Numbers 3 →