1 Chronicles 21:3
in 1 Chronicles 21But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply His troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all servants of my lord? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Joab said, Jehovah make his people a hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel?
KJV
And Joab answered, The Lord make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 21
Commentary
3 notes on this verseWhy, &c. - Or, why should this be a cause of trespass, or an occasion of punishment to Israel? God commonly punishes the people for the sins of their rulers, because they are for the most part guilty of their sins in one kind or other; or at least God takes this occasion to punish people for all their sins.
This site's exposition
bring guilt on Israel
Chronicles gives Joab a sharper objection than 2 Samuel 24:3, where he asks only why the king wants such a thing. Here Joab asks why the king should “bring guilt on Israel”. He still appeals to the king's stewardship, asking whether they are “all servants of my lord”.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?--or bring an occasion of punishment on Israel. In Hebrew, the word "sin" is often used synonymously with the punishment of sin.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יוֹאָ֗ב | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
| יוֹסֵף֩ | yosef | may he add | H3254 → | 212 times |
| יְהוָ֨ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | to | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| עַמּ֤וֹ׀ | amo | people his | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| כָּהֵם֙ | kahem | like them | ||
| מֵאָ֣ה | meah | a hundred | H3967 → | 581 times |
| פְעָמִ֔ים | feamim | times | H6471 → | |
| הֲלֹא֙ | halo' | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אֲדֹנִ֣י | ʾadoni | O lord my | H113 → | 333 times |
| הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| כֻּלָּ֥ם | kulam | [do] all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לַאדֹנִ֖י | ladoni | [belong] to lord my | H113 → | 333 times |
| לַעֲבָדִ֑ים | laavadim | to subjects | H5650 → | 799 times |
| לָ֣מָּה | lamah | <to> why? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| יְבַקֵּ֥שׁ | yevakesh | does he seek | H1245 → | 225 times |
| זֹאת֙ | zot | this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| אֲדֹנִ֔י | ʾadoni | lord my | H113 → | 333 times |
| לָ֛מָּה | lamah | <to> why? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| יִהְיֶ֥ה | yihyeh | will it become | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לְאַשְׁמָ֖ה | leashmah | <into> guilt | H819 → | |
| לְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | leyisrael | for Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
יוֹאָ֗בJoab
yoavH3097 →144 times
יוֹסֵף֩may he add
yosefH3254 →212 times
יְהוָ֨הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
עַל־to
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
עַמּ֤וֹ׀people his
amoH5971 →1873 times
כָּהֵם֙like them
kahem
מֵאָ֣הa hundred
meahH3967 →581 times
פְעָמִ֔יםtimes
feamimH6471 →
הֲלֹא֙¿ not
halo'H3808 →5168 times
אֲדֹנִ֣יO lord my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
כֻּלָּ֥ם[do] all of them
kulamH3605 →5413 times
לַאדֹנִ֖י[belong] to lord my
ladoniH113 →333 times
לַעֲבָדִ֑יםto subjects
laavadimH5650 →799 times
לָ֣מָּה<to> why?
lamahH4100 →752 times
יְבַקֵּ֥שׁdoes he seek
yevakeshH1245 →225 times
זֹאת֙this
zotH2063 →603 times
אֲדֹנִ֔יlord my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
לָ֛מָּה<to> why?
lamahH4100 →752 times
יִהְיֶ֥הwill it become
yihyehH1961 →3559 times
לְאַשְׁמָ֖ה<into> guilt
leashmahH819 →
לְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃for Israel
leyisraelH3478 →2507 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 1:11May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised.
it leads to
- Genesis 22:17
I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 115:14
May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children.
- Numbers 6:27
So they shall put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
- Genesis 26:4
I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,
- Genesis 22:17
Through
Psalms 115:14May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 1:11
May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised.
- Acts 2:39
This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
- Acts 3:25
And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
- Jeremiah 33:22
As the hosts of heaven cannot be counted and as the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so too will I multiply the descendants of My servant David and the Levites who minister…
- Deuteronomy 1:11
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Chronicles

This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Keil, The Books of the Chronicles.
