E A 1-. Yahaveh. Anger.
B -1-10. Sin committed.
A 11-16-. Yahaveh. Judgment.
B -16-25. Sin expiated.930-923 B.C.
2 Samuel 24)
1: And again (the history in this Chapter precedes Ch.23. by Fig. See 23:1) the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel,
B a -1,2. David. Command.
b 3,4. Joab's objection.
b 5-9. Joab' obedience.
a 10-16. David. Confession.
and He moved David against them to say (He suffered him to be moved. By Hebrew idiom [and also by modern usage] a person is said to do that which he permits to be done. Here we have the historical fact. In 1 Cron.21:1. we have the real fact from the Divine standpoint. Here the esoteric, in 1 Chron.21:1. the esoteric. For examples, see Ex. 4:21; 5:22. Jer.4:10. Ezek.14:9; 20:25. Matt.11:25; 13:11. Rom.9:18; 11:7,8. 2 Thess.2:11. God's permission, but Satan's suggestion [Jas.1:13,14]; or yãsath, may be taken impersonally, "David was moved". Satan can whisper in your ear and play with your mind and put you on an ego trip IF you allow him to.), “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
2: For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, “Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number you all the People, that I may know the number of the People.” (God did not ask for this. David did not consult)
3: And Joab said to the king, “Now the Lord your God add to the People, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” (this was by the military for the military, and they said we don't need it!)
4: Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the People of Israel. (Satan had prevailed in his mind)
5: And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city (i.e. the south side facing east) that lies in the midst of the river valley belonging to Gad which was the Jabbok, and toward Jazer:
6: Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi (site unknown. If translated = the lower parts of the country where the new moon was worshiped. Like Beth-shemesh = Hose of the Sun); and they came to Dan-jaan (= a judge [Dan] in the wood, perhaps Laish-Dan [Josh.19:47. Judg.18:29]), and passed round to Zidon,
7: And came to the strong hold of Tyre (cp. Josh.19:29), and to all the cities of the Hibites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out (some codices read "came in") to the south (= the Negeb. Some codices read "land". See Gen.13:1) of Judah, even to Beer-sheba.
8: So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days (the long time implies a period of great peace).
9: And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people to the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men (He's counting on his troops rather than God. Cp. 1 Chron.21:5, a different classification. Israel = 1,100,000, "all they of Israel that drew sword", i.e. all adults, not necessarily "valiant". Judah = 470,000 "men that drew sword"; not all of the "men" by 30,000).
10: And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the People. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done (probably conviction of pride or other sinful motive): and now, I beseech you, O Lord, cause to pass over the iniquity of Your servant; for I have done very foolishly.” (This is the thing to do when you realize you messed up)
A c 11-13. Divine offers.
d 14. David's decision made.
d 15. David's decision carried out.
c 16-. David's forbearance.
11: And when David rose up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad (cp. 1 Sam.9:9. Gad last mentioned, 1 Sam.22:5. Probably inspired to write this history), David's seer, saying,
12: “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, ‘I impose on you three things (a choice out of God's 4 sore judgments [Ezek.14:21]); choose you one of them, that I may do it to you.’ ’ ” (God's not going to let him get off the hook)
13: So Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? (1 Chron.21:12 = 3 years; also Sept. The Hebrew numerical letters for 3 and 7 were probably much alike. Hence perhaps mistaken by an ancient scribe. Both may be right = "seven, or even three") or will you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? or that there be three days' pestilence in your land? now consider (or know), and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.”
14: And David said to Gad, “I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for His compassion's are manifold: and let me not fall into the hand of man.” (Do not cease from repenting or trusting in God no matter what)
15: So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed (the Sept. and Syr. say the plague lasted only till noon. So this "time" may mean for the evening sacrifice, 3 p.m. [cp. v.18]): and there died of the People from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. (God cut his census down)
16: And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented Him of the evil,
B e -16,17. Entreaty for the Land. David's.
f 18. David. Command given to.
g h¹ 19. David's obedience.
i¹ 20,21-. Araunah's reception.
h² -21. David's request.
i² 22,23. Araunah's offer.
h³ 24. David's refusal.
f 25-. David. Obedience.
e -25. Entreaty for the Land. Yehovah.
and said to the angel that destroyed the People, “It is enough: stay now your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing-place of Araunah the Jebusite (Perhaps spared in the taking of Jebus. See 5:8. This is where the "Dome of the Rock" is today. Mt. Moriah where Christ rose, and where Isaac was offered. See Ezek.16).
17: And David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the People, and said, “Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let Your hand, I pray You, be against me, and against my father's house.”
18: And Gad came that day to David, and said to him, “Go up, rear an altar to Yehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. (This is where the Eternal Temple will be)
19: And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up according as the Lord commanded.
20: And Araunah looked down, and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. (He loved him and was loyal to him)
21: And Araunah said, “Why is my lord the king come to his servant?”
And David said, “To buy the threshing-floor of you, to build an altar to the Lord , that the plague may be stayed from the people.”
22: And Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.”
23: All these things did Araunah, as a king, give to the king. And Araunah said to the king, “The Lord your God accept you.”
24: And the king said to Araunah, “No; but I will surely buy it of you at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God of that which does cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver (50 = Jubilee, Pentecost. Heb. goren [Ruth 3:2], mentioned in vv. 16,18,21. [50 shekels of silver = aprox. 25 oz.] Not the "place", Heb. mãkõm, of 1 Chron.21:25 [Ruth 4:10], which was afterward the Temple area, about 8 acres, and for which David gave the much larger sum of 600 shekels of gold [= 180 lbs]. Two separate purchases effected, the one here was hurried, as an earnest, and the other was made later).
25: And David built there an altar to the Lord (see 1 Chron.22:1), and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
So the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.