The sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, stepped forth clothed in their priestly garments, their faces alight with zeal—but not wisdom. They carried their censers, filling them with fire of their own choosing, and laid incense upon it.
But this fire was not commanded by the Lord. It was a strange fire, an unauthorized fire.
And behold, in an instant, the glory of the LORD burst forth! A consuming flame shot out from His presence like lightning from the throne of heaven. In the blink of an eye, Nadab and Abihu were struck down, their bodies falling lifeless before the altar.
Moses turned to Aaron, his brother, his face stern yet trembling with reverence.
"This is what the LORD has spoken," he said.
"Among those who draw near to Me, I will show Myself holy;
Before the eyes of all the people, I will be honored."
Aaron bowed his head in silence, his heart crushed, but his lips sealed—for who can answer the Almighty?
Then Moses called for Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle. "Come," he commanded, "carry your brothers away from the sanctuary." And so they lifted the bodies, still clad in their sacred tunics, and bore them outside the camp.
Moses warned Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar:
"Do not uncover your heads, do not tear your garments in grief, lest wrath fall upon the whole assembly. The people may mourn, but you—priests of the LORD—remain steadfast at the entrance of His dwelling, for the anointing oil rests upon you."
And they obeyed, trembling.
Then the voice of the LORD spoke directly to Aaron, saying:
"You and your sons must never drink wine or strong drink when you come into the Tent of Meeting, lest you die. This is My decree for all generations. You must learn to distinguish between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean. And you must teach My people all My commands, given through Moses."
So the service of the priests continued, though sorrow still lingered. Moses instructed them to eat the grain offering beside the altar, for it was holy, their portion from the LORD. They ate in the sacred place, as commanded.
But when Moses discovered that the goat of the sin offering had been burned entirely instead of eaten, he grew angry with Eleazar and Ithamar.
"Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the sanctuary?" he demanded. "It is most holy! Its blood was not brought into the holy place. It was given to you to bear the guilt of the people and to make atonement for them before the LORD!"
But Aaron, weary and grieving, lifted his voice at last:
"Today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD. Yet after such a tragedy, if I had eaten of the sin offering, would the LORD have been pleased?"
And Moses, hearing this, was satisfied.
The fire of the LORD had fallen, His holiness displayed, and the people beheld the fearsome weight of His glory.