Numbers 3:1-4·~1 min
The Sons of Aaron
Aaron and Moses are introduced in the Sinai setting, Aaron's sons are named, and the priestly line is reduced after Nadab and Abihu die. Eleazar and Ithamar continue serving with their father.
T1his is the account of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3These were Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. 4Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
Section summaryThe chapter opens by naming Aaron's sons and marking them as ordained priests. But the line is already narrowed, since Nadab and Abihu die before the LORD and only Eleazar and Ithamar remain in service.
Role in the chapterThis opening fixes the priestly household before the wider Levitical census begins. It also reminds the reader that priestly service is holy and exposed to judgment, not a matter of family privilege alone.