Numbers 3:4

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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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Nadab	נָדָ֣ב na.Dav	H5070	Nadab · proper noun, a man's name
Abihu	וַאֲבִיה֣וּא va.'a.vi.Hu'	H30	Abihu · conjunction + proper noun, a man's name
died	וַיָּ֣מָת vai.Ya.mot	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
before	לִפְנֵ֣י lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
LORD	יְהוָ֡ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
offered	בְּֽהַקְרִבָם֩ be.hak.ri.Vam	H7126	to approach (causatively · preposition + verb, hiphil infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
strange	זָרָ֜ה za.Rah	H2114	to turn aside (especially for lodging) · verb, qal active participle, feminine singular absolute
fire	אֵ֨שׁ 'esh	H784	fire (literally or figuratively) · noun, common both genders singular absolute
before	לִפְנֵ֤י lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
LORD	יְהוָה֙ Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
wilderness	בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר be.mid.Bar	H4057	a pasture (i.e. open field · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
Sinai	סִינַ֔י si.Nai	H5514	Sinai · proper noun, a place name
children	וּבָנִ֖ים u.va.Nim	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · conjunction + noun, common masculine plural absolute
Eleazar	אֶלְעָזָר֙ 'el.'a.Zar	H499	Elazar · proper noun, a man's name
Ithamar	וְאִ֣יתָמָ֔ר ve.'I.ta.Mar	H385	Ithamar · conjunction + proper noun, a man's name
priest’s office	וַיְכַהֵ֤ן vay.kha.Hen	H3547	to officiate as a priest · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
sight	פְּנֵ֖י pe.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Aaron	אַהֲרֹ֥ן 'a.ha.Ron	H175	Aharon · proper noun, a man's name
father	אֲבִיהֶֽם 'a.vi.Hem	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural

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).

Cross-references

Leviticus 10:1-2 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange f…
Numbers 26:61 And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the LORD.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 3:1-13

Here, I. The family of Aaron is confirmed in the priests' office, Num 3:10. They had been called to it before, and consecrated; here they are appointed to wait on their priests' office: the apostle uses this phrase (Rom 12:7), Let us wait on our ministry. The office of the ministry requires a constant attendance and great diligence; so frequent are the returns of its work, and yet so transient its favourable opportunities, that it must be waited on. Here is repeated what was said before (Num 1:51): The stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death, which forbids the invading of the priest's office by any other person whatsoever; none must come nigh to minister but Aaron and his sons only,…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 3:2

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 (Lev 10:1-2; Num 3:4; Num 26:61); but Eleazar and Ithamar, the other two, were dutiful, and performed the sacred service during the lifetime of their father, as his assistants, and under his superintendence.

John Gill on Numbers 3:4

And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord,...., By flaming fire, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, see Leviticus 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 Numbers 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 behin…

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John Calvin on Numbers 3:1-4

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).…
Eleazar — God has helped. (1.) The third son of Aaron (Ex. 6:23). His wife, a daughter of Putiel, bore him Phinehas (Ex. 6:25). After the death of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:12; Num. 3:4) he was appointed to the…
Fire — (1.) For sacred purposes. The sacrifices were consumed by fire (Gen. 8:20). The ever-burning fire on the altar was first kindled from heaven (Lev. 6:9, 13; 9:24), and afterwards rekindled at the…
Gershon — =Ger’shom expulsion, the eldest of Levi’s three sons (Gen. 46:11; Ex. 6:16). In the wilderness the sons of Gershon had charge of the fabrics of the tabernacle when it was moved from place to place,…
Ithamar — Palm isle, the fourth and youngest son of Aaron (1 Chr. 6:3). He was consecrated to the priesthood along with his brothers (Ex. 6:23); and after the death of Nadab and Abihu, he and Eleazar alone…
Nadab — Liberal, generous. (1.) The eldest of Aaron’s four sons (Ex. 6:23; Num. 3:2). He with his brothers and their father were consecrated as priests of Jehovah (Ex. 28:1). He afterwards perished with…
Og — Gigantic, the king of Bashan, who was defeated by Moses in a pitched battle at Edrei, and was slain along with his sons (Deut. 1:4), and whose kingdom was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and…
Abihu · Died childless — Died childless
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Nadab and Abihu destroyed for offering strange fire — Nadab and Abihu destroyed for offering strange fire
Nadab · .Offers “strange” (unauthorized) fire to God, and is — .Offers “strange” (unauthorized) fire to God, and is

Numbers 3:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 3:1-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 3:2

John Gill on Numbers 3:4

John Calvin on Numbers 3:1-4

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 3:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 3:1-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 3:2

John Gill on Numbers 3:4

John Calvin on Numbers 3:1-4

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 3:1-4

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 3:4

Rashi on Numbers 3:4