Bible Strands
Numbers 26:61
but Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator inserts this historical note during the second census at the plains of Moab, immediately following the listing of Aaron’s surviving sons and preceding the tribal inheritance distribution. The text records the prior deaths of Nadab and Abihu to clarify their absence from the priestly line and the Levite allotment.
The words — The phrase זָרָה אֵשׁ (zarah esh) literally means "strange fire" or "unauthorized fire." It specifies the exact nature of the offering that triggered their death, distinguishing it from commanded worship.
The thread — The incident is first narrated in Leviticus 10:1 when Aaron’s sons offer the fire before the LORD. The same event is cited in Numbers 3:4 as the reason for their exclusion from the priestly register, and the surviving priestly line is traced through Eleazar and Ithamar in 1 Chronicles 24:1.
Why it lands — The verse establishes that legitimate service requires strict adherence to divine instruction rather than human initiative. It demands that readers distinguish between authorized worship and unauthorized presumption without embellishment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 10:1 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.
- Numbers 3:4 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.
- 1 Chronicles 24:1 These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.