וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֡ן וּלְאֶלְעָזָר֩ וּלְאִֽיתָמָ֨ר בָּנָ֜יו רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֥ם אַל־תִּפְרָ֣עוּ וּבִגְדֵיכֶ֤ם לֹֽא־תִפְרֹ֨מוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א תָמֻ֔תוּ וְעַ֥ל כָּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה יִקְצֹ֑ף וַאֲחֵיכֶם֙ כָּל־בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יִבְכּוּ֙ אֶת־הַשְּׂרֵפָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר שָׂרַ֥ף יְהוָֽה׃
(Leviticus 10:6)
Καὶ εἶπεν Μωυσῆς πρὸς Ααρων καὶ Ελεαζαρ καὶ Ιθαμαρ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ τοὺς καταλελειμμένους τὴν κεφαλὴν ὑμῶν οὐκ ἀποκιδαρώσετε καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν οὐ διαρρήξετε ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνητε καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συναγωγὴν ἔσται θυμός οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ὑμῶν πᾶς ὁ οἶκος Ισραηλ κλαύσονται τὸν ἐμπυρισμόν ὃν ἐνεπυρίσθησαν ὑπὸ Κυρίου (Leviticus 10:6 LXX)
The Context of Commanded Restraint
Leviticus 10:6 stands at a moment of unspeakable loss. Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, have just perished by divine fire after offering unauthorized incense before YHWH. Moses’ instruction to Aharon and his surviving sons, Elʿazar and Itamar, is not one of comfort, but of holy restraint.
The Hebrew text conveys this with imperatives that forbid traditional mourning acts: רָאשֵׁיכֶם אַל־תִּפְרָעוּ (“Do not let your heads go unkempt”) and וּבִגְדֵיכֶם לֹא־תִפְרֹמוּ (“Do not tear your garments”). Both gestures were standard expressions of grief in the ancient Near East (cf. Gen 37:34; 2 Sam 3:31). Yet here they are forbidden because the priests stand before YHWH, consecrated by anointing oil (Lev 10:7). The message is stark: holiness suspends natural mourning.
From Hebrew Precision to Greek Nuance
The Septuagint (LXX) translator renders this verse with both fidelity and interpretive sensitivity. The Hebrew אַל־תִּפְרָעוּ (“do not let your hair hang loose”) becomes οὐκ ἀποκιδαρώσετε, a rare Greek verb meaning “do not dishevel” or “do not uncover your heads.” The translator clearly sought a term that captured ritual rather than merely cosmetic disarray.
Similarly, לֹא־תִפְרֹמוּ (“do not tear”) is rendered by οὐ διαρρήξετε (“you shall not rend”), maintaining the idiomatic equivalence of mourning. The LXX thus stays close to the literal sense, but also shades the instruction with a tone of ritual discipline; the priests must remain composed even in the face of catastrophe.
Syntax and Theological Implications
The Hebrew syntax of this verse is structured around prohibitive imperatives introduced by אַל (“do not”), marking immediate and binding instruction. The Greek maintains the prohibitive tone with οὐ + future (a common LXX device for strong negatives equivalent to the Hebrew jussive).
Both versions preserve the motive clause: וְלֹ֣א תָמֻ֔תוּ וְעַ֥ל כָּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה יִקְצֹ֑ף / ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνητε καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συναγωγὴν ἔσται θυμός — “lest you die, and wrath fall upon the whole congregation.” Here, grammar and theology intertwine: obedience ensures not only priestly survival but communal preservation. The mourning of priests could imply divine regret or instability, threatening the sanctity of Israel’s worship.
Moses’ command, therefore, is not emotional suppression for its own sake; it is a ritual necessity, preserving order between grief and holiness.
Lexical and Morphological Comparison
| Hebrew Term | Greek Rendering | Grammatical Notes | Translation Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| אַל־תִּפְרָעוּ (Qal imperfect 2mp of פָרַע) | οὐκ ἀποκιδαρώσετε (future active indicative 2pl of ἀποκιδαρόω) | Hebrew idiom “do not let your hair hang loose” → Greek “do not dishevel your head.” Both imply controlled ritual appearance. | Formal equivalence with rare lexical innovation to preserve ritual nuance. |
| וּבִגְדֵיכֶם לֹא־תִפְרֹמוּ (Qal imperfect 2mp of פָרַם) | καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν οὐ διαρρήξετε (future active indicative 2pl of διαρρήγνυμι) | Direct equivalence; both languages preserve the mourning prohibition. | Literal correspondence retaining idiomatic mourning imagery. |
| וְעַ֥ל כָּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה יִקְצֹף | καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συναγωγὴν ἔσται θυμός | Hebrew: jussive clause “lest wrath fall.” Greek: rephrased as nominal “there will be wrath.” | Dynamic adaptation: both convey communal danger through divine wrath. |
| יִבְכּוּ (Qal imperfect 3mp of בָּכָה) | κλαύσονται (future middle indicative 3pl of κλαίω, formed from the stem κλαύ-) | Both verbs express future mourning; Hebrew’s imperfective aspect parallels the Greek future middle’s predictive nuance. The LXX uses the κλαύ- stem, the standard future formation of κλαίω. | Literal equivalence preserving aspect and emotional tone. |
The Grief Transferred: Who May Weep?
In the Hebrew, Moses redirects mourning from the priests to the people: וַאֲחֵיכֶם כָּל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל יִבְכּוּ — “Your brothers, all the house of Yisraʾel, shall weep.” The grief is not denied; it is delegated. The priestly line must embody stability, while the nation bears the sorrow.
The Greek mirrors this with οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ὑμῶν πᾶς ὁ οἶκος Ισραηλ κλαύσονται. The syntax is smoother, emphasizing unity: “your brothers, the whole house of Israel, shall mourn.” The translator here fuses emotion with liturgical order, showing sensitivity to how communal grief honors divine justice without interrupting priestly sanctity.
Echoes of the Text
The verse captures the tension between sacred duty and human feeling. The Hebrew stresses obedience within covenantal hierarchy — Moses to Aharon, priest to people, holiness above sorrow. The Greek LXX makes this more liturgical, introducing composure and order as spiritual virtues.
Both texts teach that grief, when disciplined by reverence, becomes worship. In refraining from mourning gestures, Aharon and his sons act not out of hardness, but out of surrender to divine holiness. The fire that consumed Nadav and Avihu was destructive, yet it also redefined how sacred service coexists with suffering.
Language becomes the vessel of that transformation, whether in Hebrew or Greek, the command “do not mourn as others do” stands as an eternal reminder that holiness costs something deeply human, yet leads to something profoundly divine.
