Who was Abihu in the Bible?
Priest, during the years in Egypt and the wilderness
Abihu was the second son of Aaron and Elisheba, and the brother of Nadab, Eleazar, and Ithamar (Exo.6.23; Num.3.2). Abihu appears in 8 verses across 4 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Abihu?
Abihu was the second son of Aaron and Elisheba, and the brother of Nadab, Eleazar, and Ithamar (Exo.6.23; Num.3.2). He was consecrated as a priest along with his brothers to serve at the tabernacle (Exo.28.1). Abihu went up Mount Sinai with Moses, Aaron, Nadab and seventy elders of Israel to worship the Lord before He gave the tablets of the Testimony to Moses (Exo.24.1,9). However, Abihu and his brother Nadab offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, and fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died (Lev.10.1-2; Num.3.4; 26.61). This occurred on the eighth day of the priests' consecration. Aaron and his surviving sons were not allowed to mourn their deaths (Lev.10.6). The sin of Abihu and Nadab was in offering "strange fire" which the Lord had not commanded (Lev.10.1). This may refer to offering incense that was not prepared according to God's instructions, or performing this in a wrong manner or at an inappropriate time. Their deaths served as a stern warning against improper worship. After this incident, God gave Aaron further regulations for priestly service and conduct (Lev.10.8-11). The genealogies record Aaron's descendants through his other sons Eleazar and Ithamar, since Nadab and Abihu had no children before their untimely deaths (Num.3.4; 1Ch.24.1-2).
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Abihu appear in the Bible?
Abihu is referenced in 8 verses across 4 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- 1 Chronicles 24:1
- 1 Chronicles 24:2
- Exodus 28:1
- Leviticus 10:1
- Numbers 3:2
- Numbers 3:4
- Numbers 26:60
- Numbers 26:61
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Abihu.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Abihu?
Abihu appears in 8 verses across 4 books, most often in Numbers, which accounts for 4 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Abihu?
Numbers, 1 Chronicles, Exodus, Leviticus.
Where can I read every verse about Abihu?
This page lists 8 of them. Protos carries all 8, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
