seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Leviticus 10:4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.” 5 So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become unkempt[a] 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. 7 Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become unkempt[a] 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. 7 Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said.
a. Leviticus 10:6 Or Do not uncover your heads
Being a priest in this new tabernacle was dangerous work.
These comments came from the easy English commentaries.
Aaron could not touch dead bodies, as that would make him unclean. A priest who was unclean could not do his work for God. There were special rules for the chief priest (Leviticus 21:10-15). He could never enter the place where a dead body was. He could not even become unclean in order to bury his father or mother. So Aaron certainly could not bury his sons’ bodies. That was why Aaron’s cousins took the bodies away to bury them. The fire that killed Nadab and Abihu did not burn their priests’ clothes. The dead bodies were still wearing them.
The Hebrew words for ‘make your hair untidy’ really mean this. ‘Make your head loose’. People made their ‘head loose’ when they took off the ribbon round their hair. This let the hair down so that it was untidy. People did this when they mourned. They also tore their clothes. People mourn when they are very sad at a death. The priests had to stay near the meeting tent. If they went away, they would become unclean. Then they would not be able to work as priests. Their work was more important than their feelings. Matthew 26:39 tells us that Jesus did the same. His work was more important than his feelings.
The Hebrew words for ‘make your hair untidy’ really mean this. ‘Make your head loose’. People made their ‘head loose’ when they took off the ribbon round their hair. This let the hair down so that it was untidy. People did this when they mourned. They also tore their clothes. People mourn when they are very sad at a death. The priests had to stay near the meeting tent. If they went away, they would become unclean. Then they would not be able to work as priests. Their work was more important than their feelings. Matthew 26:39 tells us that Jesus did the same. His work was more important than his feelings.
Just memorizing the rules would be a full time job.
