SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:4
Mas Nadab y Abiú murieron delante del SEÑOR, cuando ofrecieron fuego extraño delante del SEÑOR, en el desierto de Sinaí; y no tuvieron hijos; y Eleazar e Itamar ejercieron el sacerdocio delante de Aarón su padre.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Numbers 3:4
Verse 4. Nadab and Abihu died] See the notes on Lev. chap. x.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 4. And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord , etc.], By flaming fire, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, (see Leviticus 10:2); and so were not alive at this time when the account of the priests and Levites was taken: when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai ; after the tabernacle was set up, and the service of it begun, and quickly after their unction and consecration: of this strange fire, (see Gill on “ Numbers 10:1”); and they had no children ; which is observed, partly to show the punishment of them, and the reproach upon their names, that they died childless, and had none to succeed them in the priesthood; for as the Jewish writers observe if they had left any behind them, those would have come into the office before Eleazar and Ithamar; and partly to show that all the priests in succeeding ages sprung from those next mentioned: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office, in the sight of Aaron their father ; in his presence, under his inspection, and by his direction, he seeing and observing that they did everything according to the laws delivered by Moses, relating to, the office of the priesthood; or while he was yet alive, as Aben Ezra, they were concerned with him, and acted under him in the priestly office; and so the Septuagint version renders it, “with Aaron their father” f14 ; but a Jewish writer interprets it in a different manner, “in the room of Aaron their father”; as if it respected not any conjunction with him in the then present exercise of their office in his lifetime, but their succession in it after his death; but the former seems most correct.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-13 - There was much work belonging to the priests' office, and there wer now only Aaron and his two sons to do it; God appoints the Levites to attend them. Those whom God finds work for, he will find help for. The Levites were taken instead of the first-born. When He that made us saves us, as the first-born of Israel were saved, we are laid unde further obligations to serve him faithfully. God's right to us by redemption, confirms the right he has to us by creation.
Original Hebrew
וימת 4191 נדב 5070 ואביהוא 30 לפני 6440 יהוה 3068 בהקרבם 7126 אשׁ 784 זרה 2114 לפני 6440 יהוה 3068 במדבר 4057 סיני 5514 ובנים 1121 לא 3808 היו 1961 להם ויכהן 3547 אלעזר 499 ואיתמר 385 על 5921 פני 6440 אהרן 175 אביהם׃ 1
