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H30 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אֲבִיהוּא
Abiyhuʾ
Proper noun (name)
Abihu (He is my Father / My Father is He)

Definition

The Hebrew proper name Abiyhuʾ (אֲבִיהוּא) means "He is my Father" or "My Father is He" — from ab (father) and hu (he). The name appears most notably as the name of Aaron's second son, a priest ordained alongside his father, his brother Nadab, and seventy elders of Israel (Exodus 24:1). Abihu and Nadab were struck dead by God for offering unauthorized fire before the LORD (Leviticus 10:1-2).

Usage & Theological Significance

The account of Abihu and Nadab is one of the most sobering in the Torah. Their offense — offering esh zarah, "unauthorized" or "strange fire" — came immediately after the inaugural consecration of the tabernacle worship. The precise nature of their sin has been debated (drunk worship? Wrong timing? Wrong incense? Self-invented ritual?), but the theological point is clear: God's holiness is not negotiable. The name Abihu — "He is my Father" — is deeply ironic in its context: these men knew God as Father but did not approach Him on His terms. God told Aaron through Moses: "Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored" (Leviticus 10:3). Nearness to God requires reverence, not presumption.

Key Bible Verses

Leviticus 10:1-2
Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them.
Exodus 24:1
Then he said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel."
Leviticus 10:3
Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: 'Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'"
Numbers 26:61
Nadab and Abihu died when they made an offering before the LORD with unauthorized fire.
Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Related Words

External Resources

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