1 Chronicles 21:16
in 1 Chronicles 21When 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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
KJV
And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 21
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Here a picture of awful grandeur takes the place of the bare statement of the earlier historian 2Sa 24:17. And here, as elsewhere, the author probably extracts from the ancient documents such circumstances as harmonize with his general plan.
This site's exposition
he repented him of the evil
on 1 Chronicles 21:15-16
Chronicles marks the halt with the Lord's own change of mind, he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, the mercy landing at the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, the site Samuel names Araunah's. Verse sixteen adds what Samuel's shorter report does not carry: David sees the angel standing between the earth and the heaven with a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem, and the elders of Israel are with him, all clothed in sackcloth, falling on their faces together. Jamieson Fausset and Brown read the fuller picture as the Chronicler's own contribution, a scene of grandeur where the earlier history gave only the bare report of the angel's presence. The king does not answer alone; the elders bear sackcloth beside him, the whole leadership standing for what one man's pride began.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
While we lie under the wrath of God the holy angels are armed against us, though we see them not as David did. How he bore the correction. He made a very penitent confession of his sin, and prayed earnestly for the pardon of it,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
David and the elders . . . clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces--They appeared in the garb and assumed the attitude of humble penitents, confessing their sins, and deprecating the wrath of God.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
extended over Jerusalem In Joshua (5:13), it says: “.. and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, etc.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
but these sheep, what have they done for they are like sheep brought to the slaughter, who cannot be saved from slaughter because they are destined for it.
But as [the angel] was about to wreak destruction, the Lord saw and renounced.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשָּׂ֨א | vaiyisa' | and he lifted up | H5375 → | 656 times |
| דָוִ֜יד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עֵינָ֗יו | ʾeinav | eyes his | H5869 → | 887 times |
| וַיַּ֞רְא | vaiyar' | and he saw | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מַלְאַ֤ךְ | malakh | [the] angel of | H4397 → | 213 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| עֹמֵ֗ד | ʾomed | standing | H5975 → | 521 times |
| בֵּ֤ין | bein | between | H996 → | |
| הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וּבֵ֣ין | uvein | and between | H996 → | |
| הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וְחַרְבּ֤וֹ | vecharbo | and sword his | H2719 → | 413 times |
| שְׁלוּפָה֙ | shelufah | drawn | H8025 → | 25 times |
| בְּיָד֔וֹ | beyado | in hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| נְטוּיָ֖ה | netuyah | [was] stretched out | H5186 → | 214 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| וַיִּפֹּ֨ל | vaiyipol | and he fell | H5307 → | 435 times |
| דָּוִ֧יד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וְהַזְּקֵנִ֛ים | vehazekenim | and the elders | H2205 → | 178 times |
| מְכֻסִּ֥ים | mekhusim | covered | H3680 → | |
| בַּשַּׂקִּ֖ים | basakim | in <the> sackcloth<s> | H8242 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| פְּנֵיהֶֽם׃ | peneihem | faces their | H6440 → | 2123 times |
וַיִּשָּׂ֨אand he lifted up
vaiyisa'H5375 →656 times
דָוִ֜ידDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עֵינָ֗יוeyes his
ʾeinavH5869 →887 times
וַיַּ֞רְאand he saw
vaiyar'H7200 →1300 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מַלְאַ֤ךְ[the] angel of
malakhH4397 →213 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
עֹמֵ֗דstanding
ʾomedH5975 →521 times
בֵּ֤יןbetween
beinH996 →
הָאָ֙רֶץ֙the earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
וּבֵ֣יןand between
uveinH996 →
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וְחַרְבּ֤וֹand sword his
vecharboH2719 →413 times
שְׁלוּפָה֙drawn
shelufahH8025 →25 times
בְּיָד֔וֹin hand his
beyadoH3027 →1618 times
נְטוּיָ֖ה[was] stretched out
netuyahH5186 →214 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑םJerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
וַיִּפֹּ֨לand he fell
vaiyipolH5307 →435 times
דָּוִ֧ידDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
וְהַזְּקֵנִ֛יםand the elders
vehazekenimH2205 →178 times
מְכֻסִּ֥יםcovered
mekhusimH3680 →
בַּשַּׂקִּ֖יםin <the> sackcloth<s>
basakimH8242 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
פְּנֵיהֶֽם׃faces their
peneihemH6440 →2123 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
2 Kings 6:17Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and…
it leads to
- Psalms 68:17
The chariots of God are tens of thousands— thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai.
- Psalms 34:7
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.
- Zechariah 6:1–7
And again I lifted up my eyes and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze.
- Acts 26:18
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified…
- Hebrews 1:14
Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
- Psalms 68:17
Through
Numbers 14:5Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.
it leads to
- Numbers 16:4
When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.
- Numbers 16:22
But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
- Numbers 16:4
Through
1 Kings 21:27When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 6:30
When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
- 2 Kings 6:30
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Chronicles
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.