Leviticus 10:4

“And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron, etc.] Uzziel was a son of Kohath, a brother of Amram, the father of Aaron, and so Aaron’s uncle, as here; he had four sons, two of which are here mentioned as called by Moses; these were first cousins to Aaron, and second to his sons; (see <020618>Exodus 6:18,22): and said unto them, come near; it is very probable they were in the court of the tabernacle, being Kohathites, of the tribe of Levi; but not being priests, had no right to go into the holy place, where the two sons of Aaron lay dead, without a special order for it, which they here had for this time, and upon this occasion: carry your brethren from before…”

“Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan--The removal of the two corpses for burial without the camp would spread the painful intelligence throughout all the congregation; and the remembrance of so appalling a judgment could not fail to strike a salutary fear into the hearts both of priests and people. The interment of the priestly vestments along with Nadab and Abihu, was a sign of their being polluted by the sin of their irreligious wearers.”

“The first cousins of Aaron Exodus 6:22 are selected by Moses to convey the bodies of Nadab and Abihu out of the camp and bury them, probably because they were the nearest relations who were not priests. See Numbers 9:6. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Moses called Mishael - For Aaron and his sons were employed in their holy ministrations, from which they were not called for funeral solemnities. Brethren - That is, kinsmen, as that word is oft used. Out of the camp - Where the burying - places of the Jews were, that the living might neither be annoyed by the unwholesome scent of the dead, nor defiled by the touch of their graves. Leviticus 10:5”

“10:4 Mishael and Elzaphan . . . uncle Uzziel: See Exod 6:18, 22. • carry away the bodies of your relatives: Aaron, the high priest, and the priests Eleazar and Ithamar (Lev 10:6) could not defile themselves by making contact with a dead person (21:10-12).”

“Uzziel: Exo 6:18, Exo 6:22; Num 3:19, Num 3:30; Ch1 6:2 carry: Luk 7:12; Act 5:6, Act 5:9, Act 5:10, Act 8:2 Leviticus 10:6”

“Moses then commanded Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel Aaron's paternal uncle, Aaron's cousins therefore, to carry their brethren (relations) who had been slain from before the sanctuary out of the camp, and, as must naturally be supplied, to bury them there. The expression, "before the sanctuary" (equivalent to "before the tabernacle of the congregation" in Lev 9:5), shows that they had been slain in front of the entrance to the holy place. They were carried out in their priests' body-coats, since they had also been defiled by the judgment. It follows from this, too, that the fire of Jehovah had not burned them up, but had simply killed them as with a flash of lightning. Leviticus…”