to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Leviticus 10:8-11
Aaron having been very observant of what God said to him by Moses, now God does him the honour to speak to him immediately (Lev 10:8): The Lord spoke unto Aaron, and the rather because what was now to be said Aaron might perhaps have taken amiss from Moses, as if he had suspected him to have been a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, so apt are we to resent cautions as accusations; therefore God saith it himself to him, Do not drink wine, nor strong drink, when you go into the tabernacle, and this at their peril, lest you die, Lev 10:9. Probably they had seen the ill effect of it in Nadab and Abihu, and therefore must take warning by them. Observe here, 1. The prohibition itself: Do not drink…
Do not drink wine nor strong drink--This prohibition, and the accompanying admonitions, following immediately the occurrence of so fatal a catastrophe [Lev 10:1-2], has given rise to an opinion entertained by many, that the two disobedient priests were under the influence of intoxication when they committed the offense which was expiated only by their lives. But such an idea, though the presumption is in its favor, is nothing more than conjecture.
Adam Clarke on Leviticus 10:7
The anointing oil of the Lord is upon you - They were consecrated to the Divine service, and this required their constant attendance, and most willing and cheerful service.
John Gill on Leviticus 10:8
And the Lord spake unto Aaron,.... Because he was a prophet, Aben Ezra says; but the reason rather seems to be, because be was the high priest, and now invested with his office, and in the execution of it, and therefore the following law respecting the priest's drinking of wine was given: some say, as the same writer observes, that God spake to him by Moses; but it rather seems that he spoke to Aaron immediately: according to Jarchi, this order was delivered to him as a reward for his silence, and to do honour to him on that account: saying; as follows.
The Church Fathers
And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, "You shall not drink wine or other fermented drink, neither you nor your children, when you enter the tabernacle of the testimony or when you approach the altar, lest you die." According to this, when could they drink, since they had to enter the tabernacle every day and approach the altar because of the continuous services? And if someone says that they did not offer sacrifices every day, what can you say about the entrance into the tabernacle, which took place every day to put the candlestick and the showbread on the table? And if it is answered that what is now said refers to the tabernacle of the testimony, where the ark of the covenant was, it must be answered that the high priest also had to enter there because of the perpetuation of the incense. For he did not enter once a year, but entered once a year with the blood of purification, and every day for the sake of incense. Or is it necessary to understand that the Lord commanded them never to drink wine? Why then did he not rather command it in a brief way, saying: "You shall not drink wine, but he added: When you enter the tabernacle or when you approach the altar? Is it perhaps that there was no reason to silence the cause of not drinking, especially knowing beforehand that there would be so many, even high priests, at the same time, that is, not by succession, who would officiate in turn? in the tabernacle, and in the sacrifices, and in the incense, and in all that ministry, when those who were officiating did not drink, but the others drank? Or what else does this text mean? Because, after forbidding the priests to drink wine and fermented beverages, the text adds: This is an eternal decree for your descendants (Lv 10,9). But it is doubtful whether these words should be linked to the previous sentence, the matter of not drinking wine, or the next, which says: To distinguish between the holy and the profane and between the pure and the impure and to teach the children of Israel all the precepts that the Lord has given them through Moses (Lv 10,10.11). This would be the eternal decree for his descendants, Corresponding to the office of the priests. With regard to the eternal word we have already said many times how it should be understood. But the meaning of the phrase is also ambiguous: Distinguish between the holy and the profane and between the pure and the…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Abihu — Father of Him; i.e., “worshipper of God”, the second of the sons of Aaron (Ex. 6:23; Num. 3:2; 26:60; 1 Chr. 6:3). Along with his three brothers he was consecrated to the priest’s office (Ex. 28:1).…
Aaron · Inspiration of — Inspiration of
Abstinence, Total · FROM INTOXI — FROM INTOXI
Holiness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Leviticus 10:8–end
Leviticus 10:8-11
8. And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,
8. Loquutus est etiam Jehova ad Aharon, dicendo:
9. Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
9. Vinum et siceram non bibes tu et filii tui tecum, quando intrabitis in tabernaculum conventionis, ne moriamini: statutum perpetuum est in generationibus vestris:
10. And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
10. Et ut discernatis inter sanctum et profanum, et inter immundum et mundum.
11. And that ye may teach the children of Israel all th…
And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, Jehovah still further commanded Aaron and his sons not to drink wine and strong drink when they entered the tabernacle to perform service there, on pain of death, as a perpetual statute for their generations (Exo 12:17), that they might be able to distinguish between the holy and common, the clean and unclean, and also to instruct the children of Israel in all the laws which God had spoken to them through Moses (ו...ו, Lev 10:10 and Lev 10:11, et...et, both...and also). Shecar was an intoxicating drink made of barley and dates or honey. הל, profanus, common, is a wider or more comprehensive notion than טמא, unclean. Everything was common (profane) which…
The placement of this instruction suggests that Nadab and Abihu were under the influence of alcohol when they offered “the wrong kind of fire” (10:1). Priests were not to drink anything that could impair their judgment before serving in the Tabernacle. • the Lord said to Aaron: God had been communicating only to Moses, but he now accepted Aaron as the people’s representative, and he communicated directly with Aaron as well. • The word common means “secular” or “ordinary.” • ceremonially unclean . . . clean: See 7:19-21; 11:1–15:33.
Rashi on Leviticus 10:6
ראשיכם] אל תפרעו] means, let not your hair grow long (cf. Numbers 6:5) (Sifra, Shemini, Mechilta d'Miluim 2 40). From this (from the fact that Scripture forbade these particular mourners to let their hair grow long) it follows that an אבל (one mourning the death of a near relative) is forbidden to cut his hair. Moses's words therefore signified: Ordinarily an אבל may not cut his hair but ye, disturb ye not the joy of the Omnipresent God by displaying signs of mourning (Moed Katan 14b).
ולא תמתו LEST YE DIE — Consequently if ye do this ye shall die (Sifra, Shemini, Mechilta d'Miluim 2 41).
ואחיכם כי בית ישראל BUT (LET] YOUR BRETHREN, THE WHOLE OF ISRAEL [WEEP] — From this it follows that fo…
