Leviticus 10:1 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

LEVITICUS CHAPTER 10 Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire, are devoured by fire from heaven, Leviticus 10:1,2; for God will be sanctified by them that draw near unto him, Leviticus 10:3. Their dead bodies carried without the camp, Leviticus 10:4,5. Aaron and his two other sons forbad to mourn, Leviticus 10:6; also to drink wine or any strong drink, Leviticus 10:8,9. Their duty to distinguish between holy and unholy; and to teach the people all the statutes of the Lord, Leviticus 10:10,11. Moses declares to them what of the burnt-offerings they might eat, Leviticus 10:12-15; is angry that the sin-offering was not eat, nor the blood carried into the holy place, Leviticus 10:16-18. He is appeased by Aaron, Leviticus 10:19,20. Strange fire; so called, as not appointed for, nor belonging to, the present work; fire not taken from the altar, as it ought, but from some common fire. Before the Lord; upon the altar of incense. Which he commanded them not; for seeing Moses himself neither did nor might do any thing in God's worship without God's command, which is oft noted of him, for these to do it was a more unpardonable and inexcusable presumption. Besides, not commanding may be here put for forbidding, as it is Jeremiah 32:35. Now as this was forbidden implicitly, Leviticus 6:12, especially when God himself made a comment upon that text, and by sending fire from heaven declared of what fire he there spake; so it is more than probable it was forbidden expressly, though that be not here mentioned, nor was it necessary it should be.