Dictionary for Sh’mini” 2020
“Nadab”
H5070
נָדָב
nâdâb naw-dawb’
From H5068; liberal; Nadab, the name of four Israelites: – Nadab.
H5068
נָדַב
nâdab naw-dab’
A primitive root; to impel; hence to volunteer (as a soldier), to present
spontaneously: – offer freely, be (give, make, offer self) willing (-ly).
“Abihu”
H30
אֲבִיהוּא
‘ăbı̂yhû’ ab-ee-hoo’
From H1 and H1931; father (that is worshipper) of Him (that is God); Abihu, a son of Aaron: – Abihu.
Example of the Heavenly Father protecting His sanctity: David is bringing the Ark to Jerusalem
Uzzah and the Ark
2Sa 6:5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
2Sa 6:6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.
2Sa 6:7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.
2Sa 6:8 And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day.
2Sa 6:9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?”
“error-fault”
H7944
שַׁל
Shal shal
From H7952 abbreviated; a fault: – error.
H7952
שָׁלָה
shâlâh shaw-law’
A primitive root (probably rather identical with H7953 through the idea of educing); to mislead: – deceive, be negligent
What was Uzzah’s error? Who had permission to touch the
Ark?
Num 3:29 The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,
Num 3:30 with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of the Kohathites.
Num 3:31 And their guard duty involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen; all the service connected with these.
Num 4:5 When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it.
Num 4:6 Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.
Num 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
Num 4:17 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
Num 4:18 “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites,
Num 4:19 but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden,
Num 4:20 but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
No one could touch the Ark. Not even the High priest nor His sons. Not even those who had the responsibility to carry it. Uzzah was trying to do the right thing, yet paid the price.
“censor-fire pan”
H4289
מַחְתָּה
machtâh makh-taw’
The same as H4288 in the sense of removal; a pan for live coals: – censer, firepan, snuffdish.
What is the purpose of the censor?
Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil
Lev 16:13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.
The sole purpose of the censor was the “burning” of the incense. Remember this was special formulated incense. See below.
Incense formula
Exo 30:34 The LORD said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part),
Exo 30:35 and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
Exo 30:36 You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you.
Exo 30:37 And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the LORD.
Exo 30:38 Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”
Where was the incense to go?
There is also an admonition not to defile the golden altar that is before the curtain where the ark resides with unauthorized incense.
Exo 30:6 And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.
Exo 30:7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it,
Exo 30:8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.
Exo 30:9 You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.
The sanctity of the altar
Mat 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
Mat 23:17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
Mat 23:18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’
Mat 23:19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Mat 23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
Mat 23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
Alien fire
Lev 10:1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them.
“Alien, strange, unauthorized”
H2114
זוּר
zûr zoor
A primitive root; to turn aside (especially for lodging); hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active participle) to commit adultery: – (come from) another (man, place), fanner, go away, (e-) strange (-r, thing,
The aftermath: rules for the Priesthood:
Lev 16:1 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died,
Lev 16:2 and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
Lev 16:3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on.
There are designated times in which the High priest can approach the Holy of Holies. Not just any time. Also the clothes that the High Priest was to wear were communicated to Him. He couldn’t just wear what he wanted. The Heavenly Father had rules. To ignore them would be to sacrifice the High Priests life.
Moshe’s anger:
H7107
קָצַף
qâtsaph kaw-tsaf’
A primitive root; to crack off, that is, (figuratively) burst out in rage: – (be) anger (-ry), displease, fret self, (provoke to) wrath (come), be wroth.