Nadab and Abihu were struck dead for offering “strange fire” because they acted in disobedience and irreverence by bringing unauthorized worship before the Lord. Their offering was not commanded by God, and their actions violated the sanctity of His presence.
Leviticus 10:1–2 says:
“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.”
Their sin was not merely a ritual mistake but a direct defiance of God’s revealed instructions. They treated holy things casually, perhaps presumptuously entering the holy place or using common fire rather than fire from the altar as required (Leviticus 16:12).
God’s immediate judgment underscored that worship must be according to His command, not human innovation. He said in verse 3:
“By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.”
This event taught Israel that God is not to be approached carelessly or presumptuously. It pointed to the necessity of a mediator and the importance of worshiping God in the way He has prescribed.
