Hebrew Word Study – Approach – Qarav
Leviticus 16:1: “And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD and died;”
Different translations say different things about the death of Aaron’s sons. One translation says they died when they approached the Lord. The New Living Bible says they died when “they entered the Lord’s presence and burned the wrong kind of fire.” The ESV says they died when they drew near to the Lord. The amplified Bible says they died when they (irreverently) approached the presence of the lord. The Douay (Catholic) Bible says they were slain upon their offering strange fire. Good News Bible says they were killed when they offered unholy fire to the Lord. All these translations make it sound like the sons of Aaron committed some great sin such that they were slain, killed, or put to death by God.
Chaim Ibn Attar aka Or Ha Hayyim a seventeenth-century popular orthodox rabbi and highly regarded commentator had this say about the deaths of Aaron’s sons:
“They approached the supernal light out of their great love of the Holy, and thereby died. Thus they died by a “Divine kiss” such as experienced by the perfectly righteous; it is only that the righteous die when the Divine kiss approaches them, while they died by their approaching it. Although they sensed their own demise, this did not prevent them from drawing near to G-d in attachment, delight, delectability, fellowship, love, kissing, and sweetness, to the point that their souls ceased from them.”
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There was an old belief that if you saw God you would die. The implication makes it sound like seeing God is something so horrible that you will die of fright like viewing the Mask of Medusa. Stop and think about it, why would someone die if they saw God? Is He that horrible, that frightening that you would suffer a heart attack?
Why would God strike the sons of Aaron dead for just offering the wrong kind of fire? I am sorry but I have a real problem with God being that persnickety. I have read commentaries saying the sons were drunk, or that they were mocking God by not following God’s precise instructions or they were just plain careless, didn’t feel God’s instructions were that important, and used any old fire coming down the pike. But these are all assumptions like what I will be sharing. I have heard many sermons on how God will strike you dead if you treat him so lightly. It is the old “you had better be afraid of God.” Or “God is going to get you for doing that.” Here’s the proof, two priests, sons of the high priest made a slight error and paid for it with their lives. So now little children you had better straighten up or God is going to do some bad things to you.
Why did the sons die? The Bible says they brought strange fire but if you look at this closely in the original language, it was not the strange fire that caused their death but when they beqarevatam. Begarvatam comes from the root word qarav to come near. The NIV and the ESV are really the closest to the Hebrew by saying they died when they approached the Lord or drew near to the Lord. It does not say as some translations “when they offered or irreverently approached.” That is just a paraphrase and the translator’s own interpretation of the translation.
These men died when they drew close to the Lord. Moses sat upon the mountain and talked with God face to face as a friend would talk to a friend. Who could have known and been closer to God than Moses? Yet when God asked Moses what he wanted, Moses said to see the “glory of God.” Had he not seen that on the mountain top? This glory that Moses wanted to see is something we will never see in the flesh. God told Moses in Exodus 33:18-20 that He would show him all He could, but he could not see His pani His presence for anyone who sees His presence cannot live.
I have heard stories of people saying Jesus appeared to them and spoke with them. Jesus walked into their room and had a chat with them. I will not question what they say they saw. But one thing they did not see was His pani, His presence, for if they did see His presence what they would have seen or experienced in seeing God’s presence was what Rabbi Chaim Ibn Attar described as delight, delectability, fellowship, love, kissing and sweetness, to the point that their souls no longer want to exist in their body but would want to be permanently attached to this awesome racham love of God. Their souls would leave their bodies and their bodies would cease.
The word we use for a body that ceases is death which means something horrible and tragic. Horrible and tragic? – Baloney! If Moses would have seen the presence of God or the manifest glory, whatever it was that he hoped to see, God knew his soul would just leave his body and he would not be able to fulfill his mission on earth. In other words, the tragedy of a Christian’s death is not that he dies, but that he does not fulfil his mission on earth. As Paul said; “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21.
You can believe what you want, but I hang my hat with Rabbi Chaim Ibn Attar, These men were righteous men who qarav, drew near to God, and got such a taste of his racham love that they kept moving closer, knowing full well that their physical body would cease but that didn’t matter in light of the glory of God that they were beginning to witness. Thus, they received the Divine Kiss from God and were welcomed into the presence of God that Moses and his brother Aaron so longed to experience.
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Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!
Excellent!
I have not seen God but had a touch of His presence and you describe it beautifully. Literally like floating away; ecstasy!
Thank you for the deep insight into the Word. Our God is an awesome [good] God!
It’s wonderful to have something like this explained in terms that do not diminish God as the awesome, consuming fire… but also keeps him as the pure, passionate, loving, divine BEING that does not have our persnickety human foibles! I really appreciate this insight.
I appreciate this lesson and have to say I’d hang my hat right next to yours.
I love that view of the scripture. I always struggled with why G-D would be that particular that He would kill someone for a small mistake in their worship of Him.
Stones Tanach English for lev16:1 agrees with you, saying: hashem spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s 2 sons, when they approached before hashem, and they died.
& verse 2 gives some detail in saying that Aaron shall not come at all times into the sanctuary, within the curtain, in front of the cover that is upon the ark, so that he shall not die; for in a cloud will I appear upon the ark cover.
Which was misconstrued to fit the strange fire 🔥 interpretation as protecting Aaron from wrong- doing. But in light of your teaching, which also reminds me to read with fresh eyes the word that is there without regard to what I have heard, HaShem is protecting the mission by concealing his presence in a cloud, toning it down, so to speak. And also saying can’t just barge in on the Elohe. Plus verse 3 got to be carrying a young bull and a ram for a sin- offering. That’ll make it harder to come too near and too quickly. And verse 4, near ppe, which linen won’t protect from presence of HaShem, but a uniform makes for professionalism which enables one to be loyal to one’s mission and so resist the natural urge/ longing to meld with Eloheinu.
Thank you for today’s clarification.
The OJB says they offered “eish zarah before Hashem which He commanded them not.”
Then it says “Then Moshe said to Aharon, This is that Hashem spoke, saying, I will show Myself Kadosh among them that came near Me, and before Kol HaAm I will be honored. And Aharon was silent. ”
So you are saying that by offering the strange fire He commanded them not, that they were honoring and drawing closer to God?
That might be “your” opinion but I see that YHVH wasn’t going to accept any old fire kindled by man let them call it holy and expect it to be good enough for Him/YHVH. That’s the problem with today’s worship people except God to accept counterfeit worship and call it Holy.
Shalom , gracias 1000 doy a Abba por traer mas Luz de Su escritura y deshacer toda mala interpretacion , ya nos lo demostro cuando Yahushuah nos visito…
durante el bautismo de Fuego pude comprobar Su Perfecto Shalom y Luz Purisima , y Su abrazo a traves de una profetisa lleno de calor,ternura y amor … ah si todos pudiesen experimentar mas asi de EL
Todah a YAH
un abrazo y beso kodesh amados y amadas
AMEN 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾💜💜✨✨ thank you so much! This is BEAUTIFUL!!! Your commentary is how I see and perceive G*D’s LOVE and GRACE and MERCY. It has given me so much comfort.
Are these not the sons who, unhappy with the priest’s allotments, selfishly poked around the meat pots, and claimed whatever stayed on their forks? Just curious.
Love this.!
Thank you for this word study! I’ve often wondered about the death of Aaron’s sons. The God I serve is my loving daddy. If I give Him a gift, even flawed, I couldn’t dream that He would ever reject it. As I read your post, I remember a prayer from my early school days. “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.”
RE: Qarav
This one was especially meaningful to me as a consequence of an experience I had some years ago. The best I can do is to liken it somewhat to that of Isaiah and had it lasted more than a nanosecond, I am sure that I would have died. Wonderfully and beautifully terrifying and so much so that it was seductive and seeking the “face of God” continues to be so. I cannot help but wonder what the “word to come” will be like in terms of our knowing and experiencig HaShem.
Chair,
I absolutely love your insights/posts!! I archive every one of them and share them too!!