Chapter 24

1 David, tempted by Satan, forceth Joab to number the people. 5 The captains, in nine months and twenty days, bring the muster of thirteen hundred thousand fighting men. 10 David, having three plagues propounded by Gad, repenteth, and chooseth the three days’ pestilence. 15 After the death of threescore and ten thousand, David by repentance preventeth the destruction of Jerusalem. 18 David, by Gad’s direction, purchaseth Araunah’s threshingfloor; where having sacrificed, the plague stayeth.

1. Was kindled. The cause of the displeasure is here not given. The context suggests that the source may have been the increased pride and self-confidence of Israel that resulted from the newly attained national greatness. Ambition for worldly greatness and a desire to be like the nations round about had arisen, and with it had come a decreasing sense of the solemn destiny to which the nation had been called.

He moved. That is, the Lord did so. The parallel account says, “And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel” (1 Chron. 21:1). These statements are not necessarily contradictory but may simply represent two aspects of the same incident. In the verse under consideration we have another instance where God is said to do that which He does not prevent (see PP 728, 739). It was actually Satan who instigated the pride and ambition that led Israel’s king to promote procedures to increase the size of his army for the purpose of extending the boundaries of Israel by new military conquests (see PP 747).

Number Israel. There is nothing in the narrative to indicate precisely when in the life of David this incident took place. The fact that Joab was engaged in the work for almost ten months (v. 8) shows that it must have been at a time of freedom from war. In the parallel account (1 Chron. 24:21) the narrative is immediately followed by the record of David’s preparations for the building of the Temple. In both Samuel and Chronicles these preparations are among the last items to be recorded for David’s reign. All this leads to the conclusion that the military census took place toward the end of David’s reign.

2. To Joab. The work was assigned to Joab because he was in command of the army, and the census was for military purposes (see v. 9; PP 747).

From Dan even to Beer-sheba. The phrase is reversed in 1 Chron. 21:2, “From Beer-sheba even to Dan” (see 2 Chron. 30:5). In all the earlier books—in Judges, Samuel, and Kings—the reading is “from Dan even to Beer-sheba” (Judges 20:1; 1 Sam. 3:20; 2 Sam. 3:10; 17:11; 24:2, 15; 1 Kings 4:25). A possible explanation for the reversal is that at the time when Chronicles was written, about the 5th centuryb.c., the part of the early kingdom uppermost in the Hebrew mind was Judah, for the northern kingdom of Israel had ended two centuries earlier. Since Dan was in the northern kingdom, it would hardly have seemed appropriate to name it before Beersheba. Thus the use of this expression, “from Dan even to Beer-sheba,” is an indication of the early date of the books of Samuel.

3. Why? Joab was a hardened and unscrupulous general, but even he could see that the taking of such a census was out of keeping with the fundamental principles of the Hebrew monarchy. By a number of questions he endeavored to cause David to recognize the folly of his course.

5. They passed over Jordan. These details of the method of taking the census are omitted in Chronicles. Crossing the Jordan, Joab and the captains of the host began the work in the extreme south, at Aroer. This city was on the banks of the river Arnon (Deut. 2:36; Joshua 13:16), on the southern border of Israel’s territory in Transjordan. Its ruins still bear the name ФAraЖФir.

Midst of the river. Or, “midst of the wadi” (see Joshua 13:9).

Of Gad. One of the recensions of the LXX reads “toward Gad” or “unto Gad.”

Jazer. A city on the border of Gad (Joshua 13:24, 25).

6. To Gilead. Gilead lay to the southeast of the Sea of Galilee and included Gad and Manasseh.

Tahtim-hodshi. Nothing is known of this land and nothing whatsoever can be made of this name. One of the recensions of the LXX reads “Kadesh in the land of the Hittites.”

Dan-jaan. This is the only place where the name “Dan” appears with the suffix “jaan.” There is no question that “Dan” is meant, since it is twice referred to (vs. 2, 15) and since at this point in the description a place at the extreme northern limit, in the vicinity of Sidon, would be in order (see Joshua 19:47; Judges 18:27–29).

Zidon. Although Sidon was nominally within the tribe of Asher, it does not appear ever to have been possessed by the Asherites (Judges 1:31, 32).

7. The strong hold of Tyre. They came to some strong place on the Phoenician boundary in the vicinity of Tyre, although they did not come to the city itself. Tyre was at this time an independent state whose ruler, Hiram, was a friend of both David (2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Chron. 14:1) and Solomon (1 Kings 5:1).

The Hivites. It appears that the remnants of these ancient inhabitants of the land (Deut. 7:1; Judges 3:5) still occupied portions on the borders of Israel.

To Beer-sheba. No details are given of the places visited in the taking of the census in the main parts of Israel and Judah.

8. Nine months and twenty days. This exact detail reflects the reliability of the record. The fact that so long a time was taken indicates the fact that careful work must have been done.

9. Gave up the sum. The figures given here differ from those in 1 Chron. 21:5. Some believe that the total assigned to Israel in Chronicles may have included the standing army of 288,000 men (1 Chron. 27:1–15). Others take this total to include estimates of the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, whose census was not taken (1 Chron. 21:6). Perhaps a distinction can be found between the “valiant men” here designated and the “all they of Israel” in 1 Chron. 21:5 by regarding the former group as troops eligible for active duty, and the latter as including, in addition, reserve units. In any case the figures as given are obviously round numbers.

10. I have sinned greatly. As the census was under way, David began to think over the implications of what he had done and to realize that he was making a mistake. It was the Spirit of God that spoke to him and showed him the folly of his course. In deep humility he confessed his mistake before God and asked for forgiveness.

13. Seven years. The LXX reads “three years,” as does the parallel passage, 1 Chron. 21:12.

14. The hand of the Lord. David does not here seem to have made an absolute choice as to exactly what his judgment should be, only that it should come from God. Either the pestilence or the famine might be regarded as coming directly from the Lord. Both judgments would fall upon the nation as much as upon the king, but inasmuch as the people cherished the same sins as those that prompted David’s action, the Lord through David’s error punished the sins of Israel (see PP 748).

15. To the time appointed. The three days specified (v. 13).

16. The Lord repented. See on Gen. 6:6, Ex. 32:14.

Araunah. Or “Ornan” (1 Chron. 21:15).

17. Lo, I have sinned. David frankly confessed his sin. There was no attempt to cast the blame on anyone else. He was the one who was primarily responsible, and this responsibility he acknowledged before God.

18. Rear an altar. The spot where the angel halted was on Mt. Moriah, the mountain where Abraham had erected an altar for the offering of Isaac and where God had appeared unto him (Gen. 22:1–14; 2 Chron. 3:1), and it was here that Solomon later erected his temple. The place where death had been stayed by mercy was holy ground and was henceforth recognized as such by God’s people (see PP 748, 749).

23. As a king. This passage should read: “All these things, O king, does Araunah give unto the king.” As soon as Araunah knew that David desired the threshing floor for an altar he was willing to give it to him, together with the oxen and threshing instruments. He was willing to make his own personal sacrifice in order that the plague might be stayed.

24. I will surely buy it. It was only right that David should purchase the threshing floor for money and not accept it as a gift. The principle on which David acted underlies all true service and sacrifice.

Fifty shekels of silver. Chronicles gives the price as “six hundred shekels of gold” (1 Chron. 21:25). It may be that the record in Samuel deals with the price paid for only one part of the purchase. David paid 50 shekels (570 gm., or 1 1/4 lb.) of silver for the “threshingfloor and the oxen.” Chronicles states that he bought “the place” for 600 shekels (6.84 kg., or 15 lb.). “The place” may mean the entire hill of Moriah on which the Temple was later to be built.

25. Offered burnt offerings. Burnt offerings at this time were offered at Gibeon where the Mosaic tabernacle then was located (1 Chron. 16:39, 40; 21:29; 2 Chron. 1:3–6). 1 Chron. 21:26 states that when these offerings were offered, the Lord “answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.” David settled upon this site as the place for the house of the Lord (1 Chron. 21:1; 2 Chron. 3:1).

With this account of David’s repentance and reconciliation to God the book of Samuel closes. David’s life is a constant testimony to the goodness and mercy of God and to the power of His saving grace in the experiences of those who earnestly and humbly give their lives to Him.

Ellen G. White comments

1–25PP 747–749

1–13PP 747

14   TM 354; 5T 57

14–25PP 748

24        2T 127