5070. Nadab

Lexical Summary

Nadab: Nadab

Original Word: נָדָב
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Nadab
Pronunciation: nah-DAHV
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-dawb')
KJV: Nadab
NASB: Nadab
Word Origin: [from H5068 (נָדַב - offered willingly)]

1. liberal
2. Nadab, the name of four Israelites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Nadab

From nadab; liberal; Nadab, the name of four Israelites -- Nadab.

see HEBREW nadab

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from nadab
Definition
an Isr. name
NASB Translation
Nadab (20).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

נָדָב proper name, masculine (generous, noble) —

1 eldest son of Aaron Exodus 6:23; Exodus 24:1,9; Exodus 28:1; Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:2,4; Numbers 26:60,61; 1 Chronicles 5:29; 1 Chronicles 24:1. ᵐ5 Ναδαβ (so 3, 4).

2 son of Jeroboam I 1 Kings 14:20; 1 Kings 15:25,27,31. ᵐ5 Ναβατ, Ναβαθ, ᵐ5^L Ναδαβ.

3 a Jerahmeelite 1 Chronicles 2:28,30.

4 a Gibeonite 1 Chronicles 8:30; 1 Chronicles 9:36.

Topical Lexicon

Name and General Significance

Nādāb (“willing,” “generous”) appears twenty times in the Hebrew Scriptures, designating four different men. Together their accounts trace the themes of consecration, accountability, royal apostasy, and covenant lineage.

Nadab son of Aaron – Consecrated Yet Consumed

• Firstborn of Aaron and Elisheba (Exodus 6:23).
• Admitted, with Moses, Aaron, Abihu, and seventy elders, to the covenant meal on Sinai: “Come up to the LORD—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu…” (Exodus 24:1; cf. 24:9).
• Set apart for priestly office (Exodus 28:1) but disqualified almost immediately. He and Abihu “offered unauthorized fire before the LORD” and were consumed by divine fire (Leviticus 10:1-2).
• Their death became a standing reminder that even privileged service demands exact obedience (Numbers 3:4; 26:61).
• Though childless, Nadab’s name persists in priestly registers (1 Chronicles 24:1-2), underscoring that holiness, not genetics, guarantees priestly continuity.

Nadab son of Jeroboam – A Throne Cut Short

• Eldest son of Jeroboam I, the first king of the northern kingdom.
• Succeeded his father and reigned two years: “He did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father” (1 Kings 15:25-26).
• Killed while besieging Philistine Gibbethon; Baasha usurped the throne and exterminated Jeroboam’s house (1 Kings 15:27, 31).
• His brief reign fulfills the prophetic word that Jeroboam’s dynasty would be swept away (1 Kings 14:20). Nadab’s life therefore illustrates how idolatry swiftly unravels political power.

Nadab of the Judean Clan of Jerahmeel

• Listed among the great-grandsons of Judah: Shammai fathered “Nadab and Abishur” (1 Chronicles 2:28-29).
• Became father of Seled (who died childless) and Appaim (1 Chronicles 2:30).
• Though a minor figure, his inclusion preserves the record of covenant faithfulness to Judah’s line and shows that even seemingly obscure families mattered in God’s unfolding redemptive plan.

Nadab of Benjamin – An Ancestor in Saul’s Line

• Named among the sons of Gibeon: “Abdon his firstborn, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab” (1 Chronicles 8:30; repeated in 9:36).
• His place in the genealogy that leads to King Saul highlights the tribal complexity of Benjamin and the interweaving of personal accounts into the larger narrative of Israel’s monarchy.

Ongoing Priestly Memory

Although Nadab the priest left no offspring, the chronicler still lists him when assigning the twenty-four priestly divisions (1 Chronicles 24:1-2). His mention beside Eleazar and Ithamar warns every generation of priests that calling without obedience is perilous.

Theological Themes

1. Proximity to God Requires Purity. Nadab stood on Sinai and died at the tabernacle. Nearness magnifies accountability.
2. Leadership Without Loyalty Fails. Priestly Nadab and royal Nadab both illustrate that position cannot shield from judgment.
3. God Preserves Covenant Lineage. Lesser-known Nadabs in Judah and Benjamin affirm that every name within God’s covenant family is recorded and significant.
4. Divine Judgment Is Swift but Righteous. Fire in Leviticus 10 and the sword in 1 Kings 15 both showcase God’s consistent response to willful sin.

Lessons for Believers

• Privilege in worship or office must be matched by reverence (Hebrews 12:28-29 echoes Leviticus 10).
• Family heritage offers no exemption from obedience; each generation must choose faithfulness.
• God’s steadfast memory of His people, even the obscure, assures believers that “the Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19).

Thus the several men named Nadab collectively testify that willingness toward God must be genuine, for the Holy One both invites and disciplines those who bear His name.

Forms and Transliterations

וְנָדָ֣ב וְנָדָֽב׃ וְנָדָב֙ ונדב ונדב׃ נָדָ֑ב נָדָ֖ב נָדָ֣ב נָדָ֤ב נָדָ֥ב נָדָ֧ב נָדָ֨ב נָדָב֙ נדב nā·ḏāḇ nāḏāḇ naDav venaDav wə·nā·ḏāḇ wənāḏāḇ

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 6:23
HEB: ל֗וֹ אֶת־ נָדָב֙ וְאֶת־ אֲבִיה֔וּא
NAS: and she bore him Nadab and Abihu,
KJV: and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu,
INT: to wife bore Nadab and Abihu Eleazar

Exodus 24:1
HEB: אַתָּה֙ וְאַהֲרֹן֙ נָדָ֣ב וַאֲבִיה֔וּא וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים
NAS: you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu
KJV: thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu,
INT: you and Aaron Nadab and Abihu and seventy

Exodus 24:9
HEB: מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְאַהֲרֹ֑ן נָדָב֙ וַאֲבִיה֔וּא וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים
NAS: up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,
KJV: and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu,
INT: Moses Aaron Nadab and Abihu and seventy

Exodus 28:1
HEB: לִ֑י אַהֲרֹ֕ן נָדָ֧ב וַאֲבִיה֛וּא אֶלְעָזָ֥ר
NAS: to Me -- Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,
KJV: [even] Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,
INT: to minister Aaron Nadab and Abihu Eleazar

Leviticus 10:1
HEB: בְנֵֽי־ אַ֠הֲרֹן נָדָ֨ב וַאֲבִיה֜וּא אִ֣ישׁ
NAS: Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons
KJV: And Nadab and Abihu, the sons
INT: the sons of Aaron now Nadab and Abihu their respective

Numbers 3:2
HEB: אַהֲרֹ֖ן הַבְּכ֣וֹר ׀ נָדָ֑ב וַאֲבִיה֕וּא אֶלְעָזָ֖ר
NAS: of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn,
KJV: of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn,
INT: of Aaron the firstborn Nadab and Abihu Eleazar

Numbers 3:4
HEB: וַיָּ֣מָת נָדָ֣ב וַאֲבִיה֣וּא לִפְנֵ֣י
NAS: But Nadab and Abihu died
KJV: And Nadab and Abihu died
INT: died Nadab and Abihu before

Numbers 26:60
HEB: לְאַהֲרֹ֔ן אֶת־ נָדָ֖ב וְאֶת־ אֲבִיה֑וּא
NAS: were born Nadab and Abihu,
KJV: was born Nadab, and Abihu,
INT: were born to Aaron Nadab and Abihu Eleazar

Numbers 26:61
HEB: וַיָּ֥מָת נָדָ֖ב וַאֲבִיה֑וּא בְּהַקְרִיבָ֥ם
NAS: But Nadab and Abihu died
KJV: And Nadab and Abihu died,
INT: died Nadab and Abihu offered

1 Kings 14:20
HEB: אֲבֹתָ֔יו וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ נָדָ֥ב בְּנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃
NAS: with his fathers, and Nadab his son
KJV: with his fathers, and Nadab his son
INT: his fathers reigned and Nadab his son his place

1 Kings 15:25
HEB: וְנָדָ֣ב בֶּן־ יָרָבְעָ֗ם
NAS: Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam
KJV: And Nadab the son of Jeroboam
INT: now Nadab the son of Jeroboam

1 Kings 15:27
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֣ר לַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים וְנָדָב֙ וְכָל־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
NAS: belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all
KJV: which [belonged] to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel
INT: which to the Philistines Nadab and all Israel

1 Kings 15:31
HEB: וְיֶ֛תֶר דִּבְרֵ֥י נָדָ֖ב וְכָל־ אֲשֶׁ֣ר
NAS: of the acts of Nadab and all
KJV: of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did,
INT: now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all he

1 Chronicles 2:28
HEB: וּבְנֵ֣י שַׁמַּ֔י נָדָ֖ב וַאֲבִישֽׁוּר׃
NAS: of Shammai [were] Nadab and Abishur.
KJV: of Shammai; Nadab, and Abishur.
INT: and the sons of Shammai Nadab and Abishur

1 Chronicles 2:30
HEB: וּבְנֵ֥י נָדָ֖ב סֶ֣לֶד וְאַפָּ֑יִם
NAS: The sons of Nadab [were] Seled
KJV: And the sons of Nadab; Seled,
INT: the sons of Nadab Seled and Appaim

1 Chronicles 6:3
HEB: וּבְנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֔ן נָדָב֙ וַאֲבִיה֔וּא אֶלְעָזָ֖ר
NAS: of Aaron [were] Nadab, Abihu,
KJV: also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu,
INT: and the sons of Aaron Nadab Abihu Eleazar

1 Chronicles 8:30
HEB: וְקִ֖ישׁ וּבַ֥עַל וְנָדָֽב׃
NAS: Kish, Baal, Nadab,
KJV: and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab,
INT: Kish Baal Nadab

1 Chronicles 9:36
HEB: וּבַ֥עַל וְנֵ֖ר וְנָדָֽב׃
NAS: Baal, Ner, Nadab,
KJV: and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab,
INT: Baal Ner Nadab

1 Chronicles 24:1
HEB: בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֔ן נָדָב֙ וַאֲבִיה֔וּא אֶלְעָזָ֖ר
NAS: of Aaron [were] Nadab, Abihu,
KJV: of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu,
INT: the sons of Aaron Nadab Abihu Eleazar

1 Chronicles 24:2
HEB: וַיָּ֨מָת נָדָ֤ב וַאֲבִיהוּא֙ לִפְנֵ֣י
NAS: But Nadab and Abihu died
KJV: But Nadab and Abihu died
INT: died Nadab and Abihu before

20 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5070
20 Occurrences

nā·ḏāḇ — 16 Occ.
wə·nā·ḏāḇ — 4 Occ.