Leviticus 10:12-20 ESV Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his surviving sons: “Take the grain offering that is left of the LORD’s food offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy. 13 You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, from the LORD’s food offerings, for so I am commanded. 14 But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your sons’ due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel. 15 The thigh that is contributed and the breast that is waved they shall bring with the food offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering before the LORD, and it shall be yours and your sons’ with you as a due forever, as the LORD has commanded.” 16 Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, saying, 17 “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? 18 Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.” 19 And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the LORD have approved?” 20 And when Moses heard that, he approved.
See my post on Nadab and Abihu.
What was left over from a grain offering belonged to the priests, but they could not take it home to eat it. It had to be eaten beside the altar. These portions of a sacrifice belonged to a priest and to his household. They could be eaten in any clean place. Leviticus 6:26, 29, Leviticus 7:11-15, 33-35. This offering was a voluntary offering and celebrated peace with God. It was to be made from a grateful heart that enjoys being at peace with God.
“The Targum of Jonathan says, ‘three goats were offered on that day, the goat of the new moon, of the sin offering for the people, and of the sin offering, which Nahshon the son of Amminadab offered at the dedication of the altar; Aaron and his sons, it adds, went and burnt these three” , Moses came and sought, etc.’ Jarchi also speaks of three goats offered, but says that only one was burnt, the goat of the new moon; and so Ben Gersom, who gives this reason for the diligent search after it, because it was always to be offered up, and was not a temporary affair, as the others were: but it rather seems to be the goat of the sin offering for the people, for it is not certain that the other goats were offered on this day, but this was, see Leviticus 9:15 now according to the law, the flesh of this goat was not to be burnt, but to be eaten by the priests in the holy place, see Leviticus 6:25. Moses now suspecting that Aaron and his sons, through their grief for the death of Nadab and Abihu, had neglected the eating of it, sought diligently after it.” – John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible
In a sacrifice presented on behalf of the people, it was the duty of the priests, as typically representing them and bearing their sins, to have eaten the flesh after the blood had been sprinkled upon the altar.
“From this it appears that Moses himself, in view of the tragic occurrence of the day, was stirred up to charge Aaron and his sons anew on matters on which he had already commanded them. And with this intensified care on his part is evidently connected the incident recorded in the verses which follow, where we read that, having repeated the directions as to the meal offering and the peace offering (Leviticus 10:16-17), ‘Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt; and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left, saying, Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and He hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord?'” – Expositor’s Bible Commentary
In verses 12-15, Moses reminds Aaron about the priest’s portions of the sacrifices and how they were to be eaten. Yet, in verse 16, Moses “diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering”.
“diligently inquired” – darash – H1875
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
A primitive root; properly to tread or frequent; usually to follow (for pursuit or search); by implication to seek or ask; specifically to worship: – ask, X at all, care for, X diligently, inquire, make inquisition, [necro-] mancer, question, require, search, seek [for, out], X surely.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions
1) to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to resort to, frequent (a place), (tread a place)
1a2) to consult, enquire of, seek
1a2a) of God
1a2b) of heathen gods, necromancers
1a3) to seek deity in prayer and worship
1a3a) God
1a3b) heathen deities
1a4) to seek (with a demand), demand, require
1a5) to investigate, enquire
1a6) to ask for, require, demand
1a7) to practice, study, follow, seek with application
1a8) to seek with care, care for
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to allow oneself to be enquired of, consulted (only of God)
1b2) to be sought, be sought out
1b3) to be required (of blood)
Part of Speech: verb
Due to their grievous sin, Nadab and Abihu had died outright but God had graciously spared Aaron and his other two sons. Having just had experience with disobedience in the new priesthood, Moses was anxious that all be done according to what God had commanded. He did not want to see Aaron, and his remaining sons, consumed by the fire of judgment as Nadab and Abihu had been. Aaron takes responsibility and says that the sin offering and burnt offering were done and only the meal had been neglected due to their grief. They didn’t have it in them to eat (or fasted) in mourning. Aaron was decidedly in the wrong. He reasoned they were not in a “festive” mood so would God accept the peace meal? By the express command of God, the sin offering was to be eaten in the holy place. Moses sympathized with his brother and nephews. He had done the right thing in pointing out the error. But he let it drop at that.
“The sorrow of the world is a very great hindrance to our acceptable performance of holy duties, both as it is discomposing to ourselves, takes off our chariot-wheels and makes us drive heavily, and as it is displeasing to God, whose will it is that we should serve him cheerfully, Deuteronomy 12:7. Mourner’s bread was polluted, Hosea 9:4. See Malachi 3:14.” – Matthew Henry’s Commentary
Deuteronomy 12:5-7 ESV But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, 6 and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7 And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.
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