The Meaning of 1 Chronicles 24:2 Explained

1 Chronicles 24:2

KJV: But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest's office.

YLT: and Nadab dieth, and Abihu, in the presence of their father, and they had no sons, and Eleazar and Ithamar act as priests.

Darby: And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood.

ASV: But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest's office.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But Nadab  and Abihu  died  before  their father,  and had no children:  therefore Eleazar  and Ithamar  executed the priest's office. 

What does 1 Chronicles 24:2 Mean?

Chapter Summary: 1 Chronicles 24

1  The division of the sons of Aaron by lot into twenty-four orders
20  The Kohathites
26  and the Merarites, divided by lot

What do the individual words in 1 Chronicles 24:2 mean?

And died Nadab and Abihu before their father and children No had like therefore ministered as priests Eleazar and Ithamar
וַיָּ֨מָת נָדָ֤ב וַאֲבִיהוּא֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֲבִיהֶ֔ם וּבָנִ֖ים לֹא־ הָי֣וּ לָהֶ֑ם וַֽיְכַהֲנ֔וּ אֶלְעָזָ֖ר וְאִיתָמָֽר

וַיָּ֨מָת  And  died 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
נָדָ֤ב  Nadab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָדָב  
Sense: eldest son of Aaron by Elisheba; struck dead before the sanctuary in the wilderness for kindling the censers with strange fire.
וַאֲבִיהוּא֙  and  Abihu 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִיהוּא  
Sense: a son of Aaron destroyed for sacrificing strange fire to God.
לִפְנֵ֣י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אֲבִיהֶ֔ם  their  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וּבָנִ֖ים  and  children 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
לֹא־  No 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
לָהֶ֑ם  like 
Parse: Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
וַֽיְכַהֲנ֔וּ  therefore  ministered  as  priests 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: כָּהַן  
Sense: to act as a priest, minister in a priest’s office.
אֶלְעָזָ֖ר  Eleazar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶלְעָזָר  
Sense: Additional Information: Eleazar = “God has helped”.
וְאִיתָמָֽר  and  Ithamar 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִיתָמָר  
Sense: fourth and youngest son of Aaron.