David’s Military Census// Exodus 30:11–16; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6
1Again the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
- 2SA 24:1[TEXT]WHO STIRRED UP DAVID? This verse says Yahweh did. 1 Chronicles 21:1 says Satan did. See the Big Question pages Who Caused the Census?
2So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him, “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so that I may know their number.”
3But Joab replied to the king, “May Yahweh your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”
4Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army departed from the presence of the king to register the troops of Israel.
5They crossed the Jordan and camped near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and proceeded toward Gad and Jazer. 6Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7They went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beersheba.
8At the end of nine months and twenty days, having gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem. 9And Joab reported to the king the total number of the troops. In Israel there were 800,000 men of valor who drew the sword, and in Judah there were 500,000.
- 2SA 24:9[TEXT]THE TOTALS. 1 Chronicles 21:5 gives 1,100,000 for Israel and 470,000 for Judah. See the Big Question pages Samuel and Chronicles.
Judgment for David’s Sin// 1 Chronicles 21:7–13
10After David had numbered the troops, David’s heart struck him and he said to Yahweh, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Yahweh, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
- 2SA 24:10[HEART]David's heart struck him after the census, the same words as when he cut Saul's robe, 1 Samuel 24:5.
11When David got up in the morning, the word of Yahweh had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: 12“Go and tell David that this is what Yahweh says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’”
13So Gad went and said to David, “Do you choose to endure three years of famine in your land, three months of fleeing the pursuit of your enemies, or three days of plague upon your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”
- 2SA 24:13[TEXT]THREE OR SEVEN? The standard Hebrew text says seven years of famine. The Greek and 1 Chronicles 21:12 say three, and this Bible follows them.
14David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of Yahweh, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
A Plague on Israel// 1 Chronicles 21:14–17
15So Yahweh sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.
- 2SA 24:15[MIRACLE]Angel of Yahweh stretched out hand to destroy Jerusalem; stopped at the threshing floor
16But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, Yahweh relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of Yahweh was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
- 2SA 24:16[NOTE]ENOUGH! God speaks these words to the angel, so they print red. 1 Chronicles 21:16 says David saw the angel with a drawn sword over Jerusalem.
17When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to Yahweh, “Surely I, the shepherd, have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”
David Builds an Altar// 1 Chronicles 21:18–30
18And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19So David went up at the word of Gad, just as Yahweh had commanded.
- 2SA 24:18[FIELD NOTES]Solomon later built the temple on this threshing floor, 2 Chronicles 3:1. See the Araunah's Threshing Floor Field Notes page.
20When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king. 21“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said.
“To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to Yahweh, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
22Araunah said to David, “May my lord the king take whatever seems good to him and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May Yahweh your God accept you.”
24“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to Yahweh my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 1¼ pounds of silver. 25And there he built an altar to Yahweh and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
- 2SA 24:24[NOTABLE]Araunah offered his land and his oxen for free. David said no. Giving God what costs us nothing is not really giving. The temple was later built on this very spot, 2 Chronicles 3:1.
- 2SA 24:24[NOTE]1 Chronicles 21:25 says about 15 pounds of gold for the site. Many think Samuel gives the price of the floor and oxen, and Chronicles the price of the whole hilltop.
Then Yahweh answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.