The First Book of the Chronicles

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- Chapter 21 -

(Exodus 30:11–16; 2 Samuel 24:1–9)

An adversary arose against Israel and incited David to count Israel.

David said to Joab and to the commanders of the army, “Go, count the people of Israel from Beersheba to Dan and report back to me, that I may know their number.”

Joab said, “May Yahweh make his army a hundred times greater than it is. But my master the king, do they not all serve my master? Why does my master want this? Why bring guilt on Israel?”

But the king’s word was final against Joab. So Joab left and went throughout all Israel. Then he came back to Jerusalem.

Then Joab reported the total of the count of the fighting men to David. There were in Israel 1,100,000 men who drew the sword. Judah alone had 470,000 soldiers.

But Levi and Benjamin were not counted among them, for the king’s command had disgusted Joab.

Judgment for David’s Sin

(2 Samuel 24:10–14)

God was offended by this action, so he attacked Israel.

David said to God, “I have greatly sinned by doing this. Now take away your servant’s guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.”

Yahweh told Gad, David’s prophet,

“Go say to David, ‘This is what Yahweh says: I am giving you three choices. Choose one of them.’”

So Gad went to David and said to him, “Yahweh says this, ’Choose one of these:

Either three years of famine, three months being pursued by your enemies and being caught by their swords, or else three days of Yahweh’s sword, that is, a plague in the land, with the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the land of Israel.’ Now then, decide what answer I should take to the one who sent me.”

Then David said to Gad, “I am in deep trouble. Let me fall into the hand of Yahweh rather than into the hand of man, for his merciful actions are very great.”

A Plague on Israel

(2 Samuel 24:15–17)

So Yahweh sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand people died.

God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy it, Yahweh watched and changed his mind about the harm. He said to the destroying angel, “Enough! Now draw back your hand.” At that time the angel of Yahweh was standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

David looked up and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand raised over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, lay facedown on the ground.

David said to God, “Is it not I that commanded that the army be numbered? I did this wicked thing. But these sheep, what have they done? Yahweh my God! Let your hand strike me and my family, but do not let the plague remain on your people.”

David Builds an Altar

(2 Samuel 24:18–25)

So the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar for Yahweh at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of Yahweh.

While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel. He and his four sons with him hid themselves.

When David came to Araunah, Araunah looked and saw David. He left the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground.

Then David said to Araunah, “Sell me this threshing floor, so I can build an altar for Yahweh. I will pay the full price, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”

Araunah said to David, “Take it as your own, my master the king. Do with it what is good in your sight. Look, I will give you oxen for burnt offerings, threshing sledges for wood, and wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all to you.”

King David said to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and offer it as a burnt offering to Yahweh if it costs me nothing.”

So David paid six hundred shekels of gold for the place.

David built an altar for Yahweh there and offered on it burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on Yahweh, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar for burnt offerings.

Then Yahweh gave an order to the angel, and the angel put his sword back into its sheath.

When David saw that Yahweh had answered him at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he performed the sacrifice there at that same time.

Now at that time, Yahweh’s tabernacle, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar for burnt offerings, were at the high place at Gibeon.

However, David could not go there to ask for God’s direction, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of Yahweh.

(Exodus 30:11–16; 2 Samuel 24:1–9)

Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel.

David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know how many there are.”

Joab said, “May the LORD make his people a hundred times as many as they are. But, my lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guilt to Israel?”

Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel, then came to Jerusalem.

Joab gave the sum of the census of the people to David. All those of Israel were one million one hundred thousand men who drew a sword; and in Judah were four hundred seventy thousand men who drew a sword.

But he didn’t count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.

Judgment for David’s Sin

(2 Samuel 24:10–14)

God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel.

David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. But now put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

The LORD spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying,

“Go and speak to David, saying, ‘The LORD says, “I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”’”

So Gad came to David and said to him, “The LORD says, ‘Take your choice:

either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days of the sword of the LORD, even pestilence in the land, and the LORD’s angel destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.’”

David said to Gad, “I am in distress. Let me fall, I pray, into the LORD’s hand, for his mercies are very great. Don’t let me fall into man’s hand.”

A Plague on Israel

(2 Samuel 24:15–17)

So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.

God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy, the LORD saw, and he relented of the disaster, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough. Now withdraw your hand.” the LORD’s angel was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

David lifted up his eyes, and saw the LORD’s angel standing between earth and the sky, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.

David said to God, “Isn’t it I who commanded the people to be counted? It is even I who have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father’s house; but not against your people, that they should be plagued.”

David Builds an Altar

(2 Samuel 24:18–25)

Then the LORD’s angel commanded Gad to tell David that David should go up and raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in the LORD’s name.

Ornan turned back and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.

Then David said to Ornan, “Sell me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar to the LORD on it. You shall sell it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people.”

Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes. Behold, I give the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal offering. I give it all.”

King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will most certainly buy it for the full price. For I will not take that which is yours for the LORD, nor offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

So David gave to Ornan six hundred shekels

(a)

of gold by weight for the place.

David built an altar to the LORD there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and he answered him from the sky by fire on the altar of burnt offering.

Then The LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.

For the LORD’s tabernacle, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.

But David couldn’t go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of the LORD’s angel.

Footnotes

(a)21:25 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.32 Troy ounces, so 600 shekels was about 6 kilograms or about 192 Troy ounces.