Near, Fire, Strange

וַיִּקְחוּ בְנֵי־אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אִישׁ מַחְתָּתוֹ וַיִּתְּנוּ בָהֵן אֵשׁ וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלֶיהָ קְטֹרֶת וַיַּקְרִיבוּ לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה אֵשׁ זָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוָּה אֹתָם׃

Leviticus 10:1

Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before יהוה alien fire, which had not been enjoined upon them.

-- JPS 2006

Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, took each one his pan,
placed fire in them, put smoking-incense on it,
and brought near, before the presence of YHWH, outside fire,
such as he had not commanded them.

-- Fox

And Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, took each of them his censer, and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not.

-- Koren

במדבר ג׳:ד׳

וַיָּמׇת נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה בְּהַקְרִבָם אֵשׁ זָרָה לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי וּבָנִים לֹא־הָיוּ לָהֶם וַיְכַהֵן אֶלְעָזָר וְאִיתָמָר עַל־פְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֲבִיהֶם׃

Numbers 3:4

But Nadab and Abihu died by the will of יהוה, when they offered alien fire before יהוה in the wilderness of Sinai; and they left no sons. So it was Eleazar and Ithamar who served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.

-- JPS 2006

Now Nadav and Avihu died before the presence of YHWH,
when they brought near outside fire before the presence of YHWH
in the Wilderness of Sinai;
sons they did not have,
so El’azar and Itamar were made-priest in the living-presence of Aharon their father.

-- Fox

And Nadav and Avihu died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinay, and they had no children: and El῾azar and Itamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aharon their father.

-- Koren

במדבר כ״ו:ס״א

וַיָּמׇת נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא בְּהַקְרִיבָם אֵשׁ־זָרָה לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה׃

Numbers 26:61

Nadab and Abihu died when they offered alien fire before יהוה.—

-- JPS 2006

But Nadav and Avihu had died
when they brought near outside fire before the presence of YHWH.

-- Fox

And Nadav and Avihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord.

-- Koren

ויקרא ט״ז:א׳

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה אַחֲרֵי מוֹת שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן בְּקׇרְבָתָם לִפְנֵי־יְהֹוָה וַיָּמֻתוּ׃

Leviticus 16:1

יהוה spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they drew too close to the presence of יהוה.

-- JPS 2006

YHWH spoke to Moshe
after the death of the two sons of Aharon,
when they came-near before the presence of YHWH and died;

-- Fox

And the Lord spoke to Moshe after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they came near before the Lord, and died;

-- Koren

ספרא, שמיני, מכילתא דמילואים ב ל״ב

[לב] "ויקחו בני אהרן" – אף הם בשמחתם. כיון שראו אש חדשה עמדו להוסיף אהבה על אהבה. "ויקחו" – אין 'קיחה' אלא שמחה. "נדב ואביהו" – מה תלמוד לומר "בני אהרן"? שלא חלקו כבוד לאהרן. "...נדב ואביהו" לא נטלו עצה ממשה. "..איש מחתתו" – איש מעצמו יצאו ולא נטלו עצה זה מזה. "ויקריבו לפני השם אש זרה אשר לא צוה אותם". ר' ישמעאל אומר יכול אש זרה ממש? תלמוד לומר "אשר לא צוה אותם" – הכניסוהו בלא עצה. רבי עקיבא אומר לא הכניסוה אלא מן הכירים שנאמר "ויקריבו לפני השם אש זרה". אם כן למה נאמר "אשר לא צוה אותם"? שלא נמלכו במשה רבן. רבי אליעזר אומר לא נתחייבו אלא על שהורו הלכה בפני משה רבן, וכל המורה הלכה בפני רבו חייב מיתה.

Sifra, Shemini, Mekhilta DeMiluim II 32

32) (Vayikra 10:1): ("And the sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, took, each of them his coal pan, and they put fire therein, and they laid incense thereon; and they offered before the L–rd a strange fire, which He had not commanded them."): "And the sons of Aaron took": They, too, in their joy, when they saw the new fire, added "love to love." "and they took": "taking" is nothing other than joy. "the sons of Aaron": What is the intent of this? (i.e., Do we not know that they were the sons of Aaron?) (The intent is that) they did not accord honor to Aaron, (as they should have, by consulting him). (Nadav and Avihu did not consult Moses.) "each of them his coal pan": each (took) of his own accord, without consulting each other. "and they offered before the L–rd a strange fire, which He had not commanded them": R. Yishmael says: I might think "a strange fire," literally; it is, therefore, written "which He had not commanded them." They introduced it without consultation. R. Akiva says: They brought it in from the (common) stove, this being the intent of "and they brought before the L–rd a strange (common) fire." Why, then, is it written "which he had not commanded them"? The intent is that they had not consulted Moses, their master, ("he," referring to Moses.) R. Eliezer says: They were liable only for "having taught a halachah in the presence of their master"; and all who teach a halachah in the presence of their master are liable to death (at the hands of Heaven).

רש"י על ויקרא י׳:ב׳:א׳

ותצא אש. רַ' אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר לֹא מֵתוּ בְנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהוֹרוּ הֲלָכָה בִּפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה רַבָּן, רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן נִכְנְסוּ לַמִּקְדָּשׁ, תֵּדַע, שֶׁאַחַר מִיתָתָן הִזְהִיר הַנּוֹתָרִים שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּנְסוּ שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן לַמִּקְדָּשׁ, מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ בֶן בַּיִת וְכוּ', כִּדְאִיתָא בְּוַיִּקְרָא רַבָּה:

Rashi on Leviticus 10:2:1

ותצא אש AND THERE WENT OUT FIRE — Rabbi Eleizer said: the sons of Aaron died only because they gave decisions on religious matters in the presence of their teacher, Moses (Sifra, Shemini, Mechilta d'Miluim 2 32; Eruvin 63a). Rabbi Ishmael said: they died because they entered the Sanctuary intoxicated by wine. You may know that this is so, because after their death he admonished those who survived that they should not enter when intoxicated by wine (vv. 8—9). A parable! It may be compared to a king who had a bosom friend, etc., as is to be found in Leviticus Rabbah 12:1, 4 (cf. Biur).

אגדות היהודים ג׳:ג׳:פ״א

...

Legends of the Jews 3:3:81

Among the sins for which they had to atone was their great pride, which was expressed in several ways. They did not marry, because they considered no woman good enough for them, saying: "Our father's brother is king, our father is high priest, our mother's brother is prince of his tribe, and we are heads of the priests. What woman is worthy of us?" And many a woman remained unwed, waiting for these youths to woo her. In their pride they even went so far in sinful thoughts as to wish for the time when Moses and Aaron should die and they would have the guidance of the people in their hands. But God said: "'Boast not thyself of to-morrow;' many a colt has died and his hide had been used as cover for his mother's back." Even in the performance of the act that brought death upon them, did they show their pride, for they asked permission of neither Moses nor Aaron whether they might take part in the sacrificial service. What is more, Nadab and Abihu did not even consult with each other before starting out on this fatal deed, they performed it independently of each other. Had they previously taken counsel together, or had they asked their father and their uncle, very likely they would never have offered the disastrous sacrifice. For they were neither in a proper condition for making an offering, nor was their offering appropriate. They partook of wine before entering the sanctuary, which if forbidden to priests; they did not wear the prescribed priestly robes, and, furthermore, they had not sanctified themselves with water out of the laver for washing. They made their offering, moreover, in the Holy of Holies, to which admittance had been prohibited, and used "strange fire," and the offering was all in all out of place because they had had no command from God to offer up incense at that time. Apart from this lists of sins, however, they were very pious men, and their death grieved God more than their father Aaron, not alone because it grieves God to see a pious father lose his sons, but because they actually were worthy and pious youths.