Abihu

Abihu was the second son of Aaron and Elisheba, and the brother of Nadab, Eleazar, and Ithamar (Exodus 6:23;Numbers 3:2). He was consecrated as a priest along with his brothers to serve at the tabernacle (Exodus 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 (Exodus 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 (Leviticus 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 (Leviticus 10:6). The sin of Abihu and Nadab was in offering "strange fire" which the Lord had not commanded (Leviticus 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 (Leviticus 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 (Numbers 3:4;1 Chronicles 24:1-2).