Leviticus 10 6

Leviticus 10:6 kjv

And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.

Leviticus 10:6 nkjv

And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, "Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled.

Leviticus 10:6 niv

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the LORD has destroyed by fire.

Leviticus 10:6 esv

And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, "Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the LORD has kindled.

Leviticus 10:6 nlt

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not show grief by leaving your hair uncombed or by tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die, and the LORD's anger will strike the whole community of Israel. However, the rest of the Israelites, your relatives, may mourn because of the LORD's fiery destruction of Nadab and Abihu.

Leviticus 10 verses

Leviticus 10 6 Meaning

Leviticus 10:6 is a direct command from Moses, delivered on behalf of God, to Aaron and his two surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, immediately following the divine judgment on Nadab and Abihu for offering unauthorized fire. It strictly prohibits them from engaging in conventional signs of mourning—specifically, letting their hair hang loose (disheveled or uncovered) and tearing their garments. The severe consequences of disobedience are stated: "lest ye die," implying they would suffer a fate similar to their deceased brothers, and "lest wrath come upon all the congregation," highlighting the corporate impact of priestly defilement. Instead, the general Israelite community, "the whole house of Israel," is permitted and instructed to mourn and lament "the burning which the Lord hath kindled," acknowledging the divine agency in the death of Nadab and Abihu. This command underscores the paramount importance of priestly holiness, separation, and unblemished service in the presence of a holy God, even in the face of immense personal tragedy.

Leviticus 10 6 Context

The verse immediately follows the catastrophic event in Leviticus 10:1-5, where Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, offered "strange fire" before the Lord and were instantly consumed by divine fire. Moses had just quoted God's statement: "Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified" (Lev 10:3), which explained the immediate judgment. This intense moment underscored God's absolute holiness and the precision required in approaching Him. Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, are now the high priest and remaining priests, tasked with continuing the tabernacle service without interruption, despite their immense personal grief. This instruction emphasizes that their consecrated roles supersede personal emotion and that their proper conduct is essential to prevent further divine wrath from affecting the entire Israelite community.

Leviticus 10 6 Word analysis

• And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons: Establishes divine authority channeled through Moses, directly addressing the consecrated priestly family responsible for worship. It highlights that the command comes after the tragic death, indicating an immediate application to the ongoing service.
• Let not the hair of your heads hang loose (לֹא־תִפְרָעוּ אֶת־רָאשֵׁיכֶם - lo’-tifra‘u ’et-rasheichem):
  • Tifra‘u (from פָּרַע - para‘): To let go, set free, loosen, make dishevelled. In Num 5:18, it refers to "uncovering" the hair of a woman suspected of adultery, associated with public disgrace or defilement.
  • For priests, whose consecration involved having their heads anointed with oil, keeping their hair orderly signified reverence and a prepared state for service. To "let it hang loose" would imply neglect, disarray, and a lack of holy separation, mirroring the appearance of one in deep mourning, ritual impurity, or distress that would hinder their sacred function.
  • This distinguishes the Aaronic priesthood from general mourning customs common in the Ancient Near East and Israel, where disheveled hair was a sign of intense grief.
• neither rend your clothes (וּבִגְדֵיכֶם לֹא־תִפְרֹמוּ - uvigedeikem lo’-tifromu):
  • Tifromu (from פָּרַם - param): To tear apart. Bigedeikem (from בֶּגֶד - beged): Garment, clothing.
  • Tearing garments (e.g., outer tunic) was a classic sign of extreme grief, anguish, or horror in Israel (Gen 37:34, Job 1:20).
  • For the high priest specifically, Lev 21:10 explicitly prohibits him from tearing his garments, emphasizing his unique and constant state of holiness. This command extends that high standard of separation in the face of death to Aaron's surviving sons due to the particular, immediate context of divine judgment on their kin. Tearing clothes would express public grief that might be interpreted as rebellion against God's just act or a sign of being defiled.
• lest ye die: A severe warning and direct threat of immediate divine judgment, similar to the fate of Nadab and Abihu. This underscores the absolute seriousness of the command and the high standards of priestly conduct demanded by God's holiness. It indicates that their disobedience would not merely be a minor infraction but a fatal violation of sacred boundaries.
• and lest wrath come upon all the congregation: This emphasizes the corporate responsibility and consequences tied to the priests' actions. Priests acted as mediators and representatives of the people; their ritual impurity or violation of holiness could bring divine judgment (קֶצֶף - qetzef - fierce anger, wrath, indignation) upon the entire nation. It highlights that God's judgment, if provoked by priestly misconduct, could spread beyond the immediate offenders to the community.
• but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail (אֲחֵיכֶם כָּל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל יִבְכּוּ - ’acheichem kol-beit Yisra’el yivku):
  • Yivku (from בָּכָה - bakah): To weep, to lament, to mourn.
  • This clearly differentiates the priests' role from that of the lay Israelites. While the priests must maintain their sacred composure and duties, the general populace is permitted and indeed encouraged to mourn. This separation reinforces the distinct holiness and responsibility of the priestly office.
• the burning which the Lord hath kindled: This phrase directly attributes the cause of Nadab and Abihu's death to the Lord Himself. It emphasizes divine agency and justice. The priests are to recognize and honor God's sovereignty in His judgment, rather than publicly grieving in a manner that might imply a grievance against God or defilement from their sacred service.

Leviticus 10 6 Bonus section

• The phrase "strange fire" in Lev 10:1 refers to unholy or unauthorized fire, not sourced from the altar's perpetual fire as prescribed, nor offered according to specific procedures. The punishment for this act was immediate and fatal, serving as an foundational lesson in cultic adherence.
• This command for priests contrasts with later instances where general mourning was permissible or even commanded for prophets/people (e.g., Jer 16:5). The difference highlights the unique, non-negotiable sanctity of the Aaronic priesthood while ministering in the Tabernacle/Temple.
• The high priest had particularly stringent rules against outward mourning (Lev 21:10), preventing him from becoming ritually unclean, which would disqualify him from atonement duties. Here, the immediate crisis extends a similar standard of absolute, unblemished readiness for service to all surviving consecrated priests, preventing any potential interpretation of their actions as a challenge to God's judgment or a sign of personal defilement that would contaminate the sacred space.
• The fire that consumed Nadab and Abihu was "fire from the Lord" (Lev 10:2), a righteous judgment, echoing the fire that descended from the Lord to consume the acceptable offering on the altar in Lev 9:24. Both demonstrate God's direct agency and involvement, one for acceptance and one for judgment.

Leviticus 10 6 Commentary

Leviticus 10:6 vividly illustrates the uncompromising holiness of God and the absolute demands placed upon those who minister in His presence. The death of Nadab and Abihu for their "strange fire" was a shocking display of divine justice, and this verse outlines the immediate priestly response. Aaron and his remaining sons, though deeply wounded by the loss of their kin, are strictly forbidden from outward displays of mourning common in their culture—disheveled hair and torn garments. This prohibition is not about stifling grief entirely, but about prioritizing their sacred office and the honor due to God above personal lament. To engage in such mourning rituals would signify either a failure to uphold their consecrated status, defiance against God's just judgment, or an acknowledgment of defilement which would invalidate their capacity to serve as holy representatives before God. The consequences were severe: personal death and corporate judgment on the entire nation. The command simultaneously delegates the appropriate public mourning to the rest of Israel, maintaining the clear distinction between the priestly function (which must remain unsullied by impurity or outward displays of grief that contradict God's holiness) and the natural sorrow of the people. This act sets a profound precedent: true spiritual leadership requires supreme dedication to God's holiness, even at great personal cost, for the spiritual well-being of the whole community rests on their consecrated integrity.