The name Avihu (אֲבִיהוּא) is a Hebrew proper name meaning 'He is my Father' — a compound of av (father) and hu (he/God). Abihu was the second son of Aaron and Elisheba, one of the four sons designated as priests of Israel alongside his brothers Nadab, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
His name itself declares a profound truth about the Israelite conception of God — the divine being understood not merely as creator or king, but as Father. The name anticipates the New Testament revelation that God is indeed Abba, our Father (Romans 8:15).
Abihu's story is a sobering warning in redemptive history. He and his brother Nadab were destroyed by fire from the LORD when they offered 'strange fire' (אֵשׁ זָרָה, esh zarah) — unauthorized worship that God had not commanded (Leviticus 10:1–2). The immediacy of judgment underscores the holiness of God and the gravity of approaching Him on human terms rather than His own prescribed terms.
This event teaches that knowing God as Father does not diminish the requirement to honor His holiness. Intimacy with God must be paired with reverence. The incident also foreshadows the principle Paul articulates in 1 Corinthians 11:29 — there is danger in receiving sacred things without proper discernment. Abihu's name is a perpetual reminder: God is Father, but He is holy Father.