2 Samuelchapter 24
25 verses · BSB2 Samuel book hub →
The Plague of Jerusalem — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
A.Numbering the people, over Joab's protestvv. 1-9
1 Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” 2 So 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.” 3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD 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?” 4 Nevertheless, 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 count the troops of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and camped near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and proceeded toward Gad and Jazer. 6 Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7 They 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. 8 At the end of nine months and twenty days, having gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem. 9 And 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.
B.Three choices, and David falls into the hand of Godvv. 10-14
10 After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 11 When David got up in the morning, a revelation from the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: 12 “Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’” 13 So 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.” 14 David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
C.The angel's hand stayed above Jerusalemvv. 15-17
15 So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD 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 the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “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.”
D.I will not offer that which cost me nothingvv. 18-25
18 And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded. 20 When 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 the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.” 22 Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24 “No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.
Chapter summary
David orders a census of the fighting men; even Joab objects, but the king's word prevails, and the count comes in at eight hundred thousand in Israel and five hundred thousand in Judah.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
Chapter summary
David orders a census of the fighting men; even Joab objects, but the king's word prevails, and the count comes in at eight hundred thousand in Israel and five hundred thousand in Judah.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
David orders a census of the fighting men; even Joab objects, but the king's word prevails, and the count comes in at eight hundred thousand in Israel and five hundred thousand in Judah. Then David's heart smites him. Gad offers three chastisements, and David chooses the one held directly in God's hand: 'let me fall now into the hand of Jehovah; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.' Seventy thousand die, and the destroying angel stands over Jerusalem till Jehovah stays it at the threshing-floor of Araunah. David pleads as a shepherd ('these sheep, what have they done?') and buys the floor rather than take it free, refusing to offer that which cost him nothing.
Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
Context
History · Nathan, Gad — 2 Samuel overview
- A. 1–9 Numbering the people, over Joab's protest
- B. 10–14 Three choices, and David falls into the hand of God
- C. 15–17 The angel's hand stayed above Jerusalem
- D. 18–25 I will not offer that which cost me nothing
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
1 Chronicles 219 verses
- 1 Chronicles 21:1Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 21:5And Joab reported to David the total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.
- 1 Chronicles 21:12between three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies and overtaken by their swords, or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of plague upon the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”
- 1 Chronicles 21:13David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
- 1 Chronicles 21:14So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.
- 1 Chronicles 21:16When David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
- Read 1 Chronicles 21: 3 more there →
2 Samuel 243 verses
- 2 Samuel 24:10After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
- 2 Samuel 24:11When David got up in the morning, a revelation from the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:
- 2 Samuel 24:14David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
- Read 2 Samuel 24 →
Genesis 233 verses
- Genesis 23:8“If you are willing for me to bury my dead,” he said to them, “listen to me, and approach Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf
- Genesis 23:11“No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
- Genesis 23:13and said to Ephron in their presence, “If you will please listen to me, I will pay you the price of the field. Accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there.”
- Read Genesis 23 →
1 Chronicles 272 verses
- 1 Chronicles 27:23David did not count the men aged twenty or under, because the LORD had said that He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.
- 1 Chronicles 27:24Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. For because of this census wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not entered in the Book of the Chronicles of King David.
- Read 1 Chronicles 27 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
Joshua 132 verses
- Joshua 13:9The area from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon,
- Joshua 13:16The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, to the whole plateau beyond Medeba,
- Read Joshua 13 →
Joshua 192 verses
- Joshua 19:28It went on to Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon.
- Joshua 19:29The border then turned back toward Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah, and came out at the Sea in the region of Achzib,
- Read Joshua 19 →
2 Samuel 212 verses
- 2 Samuel 21:1During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
- 2 Samuel 21:14And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.
- Read 2 Samuel 21 →
Genesis 62 verses
- Genesis 6:6And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
- Genesis 6:22So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.
- Read Genesis 6 →
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.