>finally letting myself to get memed by The Bible >surprisingly

>>9809069

you failed the pleb filter

>>9809069

For Leviticus at least read about the Holiness code (17-26). Numbers has clear narrative sections which should not be skipped.

>>9809069
You can skip maybe the first 8 chapters of Numbers, the rest is narrative stories.

Leviticus is really important but a huge slog if you don't know why. Read a summary of what it's all about and skip it for now. Read Deuteronomy though, it'll fill you in on a chunk of the Law and is breezier than Leviticus. After that you're onto Joshua where the story picks up again.

Is there any good interpretations about the boys who made an immoral sacrifice to God and then were condemned?

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>>9809069
It depends why you're reading the Old Testament.
Most of the Old Testament is skippable if you're just reading it as a background to the New Testament and Christianity. You'd need Genesis and Exodus, along with Numbers as >>9809084 said to finish Moses' story (Deuteronomy is a recap episode). After that, Joshua and Judges have a few memorable moments but don't contribute much to the narrative besides describing Israel's settlement of Palestine. The next big arc after Moses is Saul and David's, in 1 and 2 Samuel, which should not be skipped- after Moses, David is the central figure in Israelite history. A dip into 1 and 2 Kings will give you the story with Solomon and the splitting of Israel into two rival kingdoms. These books are mostly important to understand the political landscape of the time, and you could skip these and read a summary of the Judah/Israel situation if you want. Take a quick detour into the Psalms, particular the messianic psalms 2, 22, and 45. Then you'll want to read Isaiah to see the fall of Israel and the inauguration of the Exile. A quick wrap-up in Ezra and Nehemiah (both very short) will let you see the Jewish return to Palestine, the building of the Second Tempple, and the beginnings of Pharisaism- and that about wraps up what you'll need to know for the New Testament.
As an aside, if you're going to read Revelation in the New Testament (beasts from the sea and 666 and whatnot), you absolutely have to read all the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) first. Revelation is one huge reference to this earlier Hebrew apocalyptic literature, and you have no chance to understand the symbolism unless you've familiarized yourself with the major prophets. If you want to understand the epistle to the Hebrews, you'll need to be pretty familiar with Hebrew religious practices, many of which are found in Leviticus.

On the other hand, if you're reading the Old Testament to learn Hebrew cultural and literary history, you're not allowed to skip anything, and you'll want to pay extra attention to Job, Ruth, Esther, and the like. If you want to understand Israelite religion, you'll need to pay particular attention to Leviticus and the major prophets.

That's enough for this wall of text, let me know if you'd like me to answer any other questions or anything.

>>9809168
>And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.
Offering strange fire to the LORD got them killed, probably because the manner they offered it up in was taken from Canaanite fertility cults or the like- they were mixing Hebrew religion with the religions surrounding it. They were offering sacrifice in a different manner than the LORD commanded, which was blasphemous.

>>9809168
From 1 Samuel? Here's some interpretations:

NABRE note for 1 Sam 2:25
>Who can intercede: Eli’s sons fail to understand that their crime is directly against God and that God will punish them for it. Their behavior is set in sharp contrast to Samuel’s, which meets with God’s approval.

From Rashi's commentary
2:13
>the due of the priests: They themselves established this law, since they rightfully inherited only the breast and the thigh of the peace offering.
2:25
>for the Lord desired to kill them: For their verdict had already been sealed. Before the verdict is sealed, however, the Scripture states: For I desire not the death of one who dies (Ezek. 17: 32).
2:29
>to feed yourselves from the first part, etc.: (lit., and you honor your sons above Me to feed yourselves from the first part of every offering of Israel to My people.) This is an inverted sentence, (to be explained thus): and you honor your sons above Me before My people, i.e., in the eyes of My people, you honored your son above me. And what is the honor? To feed yourselves from the first part of every offering of Israel. Your meal preceded My meal, as it is stated: Also before they caused the fat to smoke, etc. (above, verse 15).
>before My people: This reverts to: And you honor your sons above Me. You showed to My people that you are more honored than I. And with what have you shown this? To feed yourselves from the first part of My offering.

NET Bible notes
2:12
> Heb “they did not know the Lord.” The verb here has the semantic nuance “recognize the authority of.” Eli’s sons obviously knew who the Lord was; they served in his sanctuary. But they did not recognize his moral authority.

>>9809247
So it's YAHWEH or NOHWAY for sacrifices?

>>9809247
About the "Strange fire", here's some takes on what it might be:

>The expression “strange fire” (אֵשׁ זָרָה, ’esh zarah) seems imprecise (cf. NAB “profane fire”; NIV “unauthorized fire”; NRSV “unholy fire”; NLT “a different kind of fire”) and has been interpreted numerous ways (see the helpful summary in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 132-33). The infraction may have involved any of the following or a combination thereof: (1) using coals from someplace other than the burnt offering altar (i.e., “unauthorized coals” according to J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:598; cf. Lev 16:12 and cf. “unauthorized person” אִישׁ זָר (’ish zar) in Num 16:40 [17:5 HT], NASB “layman”), (2) using the wrong kind of incense (cf. the Exod 30:9 regulation against “strange incense” קְטֹרֶת זָרָה (qÿtoreh zarah) on the incense altar and the possible connection to Exod 30:34-38), (3) performing an incense offering at an unprescribed time (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 59), or (4) entering the Holy of Holies at an inappropriate time (Lev 16:1-2).

>Nadab and Abihu are the older sons of Aaron (Ex 6:23–24). Their sin apparently involves using embers from an unapproved source instead of the altar (cf. 16:12). The fire that destroys them is the same type found in 9:24.

>>9809292
Basically. That's the whole thesis of the Old Testament- in a polytheistic or henotheistic world, where the worship of any god was seen as A-OK, the Old Testament introduces the idea that there is a true religion- and it is the worship of YHWH.

>>9809300
Thanks for the sources. I want to point out that bit right at the end- Nadab and Abihu are killed by fire, the same element they had just offered up. This sort of irony runs deep in the Old Testament. It also happens when Haman is hung from the gallows he built for Mordecai, and when Miriam is struck "white" with leprosy for complaining about Moses marrying a black woman in Numbers 12.

WOW you made it through Genesis and Exodus? VERY IMPRESSIVE!

>>9809069
Skip leviticus, watch a summary video on Youtube or something. Numbers is pretty good at several parts. Deuteronomy is alright. Then everything after the Pentateuch is absolutely great.