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:[fromH5068 (נָדַב - offered willingly)]
1. liberal
2. Nadab, the name of four Israelites
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Nadab
Fromnadab; liberal; Nadab, the name of four Israelites -- Nadab.
see HEBREWnadab
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
nadabDefinitionan Isr. name
NASB TranslationNadab (20).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(
generous, noble) —
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. (so ).
I1 Kings 14:20;1 Kings 15:25,27,31. , ,L .
1 Chronicles 2:28,30.
1 Chronicles 8:30;1 Chronicles 9:36.
Topical Lexicon
Name and General SignificanceNādāb (“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 inLeviticus 10 and the sword in1 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 echoesLeviticus 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
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