Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Draw near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp.”
- KJV And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
- NKJV Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.”
- NASB Moses called also to Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come forward, carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to an area outside of the camp.”
- NLT Then Moses called for Mishael and Elzaphan, Aaron’s cousins, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel. He said to them, “Come forward and carry away the bodies of your relatives from in front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses summons cousins to carry the bodies out of the camp. The dead must be removed from the holy sphere of God's dwelling.
Overview
Mishael and Elzaphan, relatives outside the immediate priestly line, remove the corpses since the officiating priests must not be defiled. Even in tragedy, the holiness of the sanctuary is preserved and order maintained. The careful handling of death outside the camp underscores that death and defilement cannot dwell with the holy God — a separation finally overcome by Christ's victory over death.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Exod 6:22The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
- Exod 6:18The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.
- Acts 5:6Then the young men stepped forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
- Num 3:30and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
- Num 3:19The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
- Acts 5:9–10“How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Peter replied. “Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
- 1 Chr 6:2The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
- Luke 7:12As He approached the town gate, He saw a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
- Acts 8:2God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 10:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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