Satan provoked David to number Israel, an act displeasing to God, which led to a devastating pestilence upon the land. David confessed his sin and chose to fall into God's hand, leading to the death of seventy thousand men. The plague ceased when the angel of the Lord was commanded to stay his hand at Ornan's threshingfloor, where David built an altar and offered sacrifices, accepted by fire from heaven.
And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.
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?
And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.
And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.
And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
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.
And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.
¶ Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.
And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.
And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.
And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.
For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.
But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
Study Notes for 1 Chronicles 21
Verse 1
This parallel account (cf. 2 Sam 24) explicitly names 'Satan' as the agent provoking David, highlighting the spiritual warfare dimension behind David’s prideful action. The census was a sin because it showed reliance on military power rather than trust in God.
Verse 3
Joab, often pragmatic and ruthless, recognizes the census as a theological 'trespass' (sin). He understood that numbering the people without divine command usurped God's sovereignty over the nation.
Verse 5
The large numbers provided (1.1 million in Israel, 470,000 in Judah) underscore the immense military strength David was relying upon, which was the core issue of his sin of pride.
Verse 6
Joab’s refusal to count Levi and Benjamin confirms his spiritual sensibility regarding the census, as these tribes were often exempt from military service or were already counted for religious purposes.
Verse 7
The Chronicler emphasizes God’s immediate and severe displeasure, linking David's action directly to the subsequent divine judgment upon the whole community.
Verse 8
David’s immediate confession is sincere and complete. He recognizes his actions as 'foolishly' done, acknowledging a failure of wisdom and trust in God.
Verse 12
The three choices (famine, defeat, pestilence) are typical biblical forms of divine discipline. David must choose which form of judgment he and the nation will endure.
Verse 13
David chooses the pestilence because he prefers to fall directly into God's hands, trusting in the certainty of God's great mercy rather than the cruelty or unpredictability of human enemies.
Verse 14
The immense loss of life (70,000 men) demonstrates the gravity of David’s sin and the corporate suffering that results from the disobedience of a leader.
Verse 15
The Angel of the LORD is the agent of judgment. God 'repented' (meaning, he relented or changed the course of action) when the destruction reached Jerusalem, showing compassion amidst the deserved judgment.
Verse 16
David’s vision of the Angel confirms the reality of the divine intervention. David and the elders adopt the customary posture of repentance (sackcloth and prostration).
Verse 17
David intercedes passionately, accepting full personal responsibility and pleading for the people, echoing the sacrificial role of a true shepherd-king.
Verse 18
The command to build an altar at the exact spot where judgment stopped transforms the site of terror into the location of atonement, foreshadowing the future Temple site.
Verse 24
David insists on paying the full price, establishing a crucial principle: true sacrifice must cost the worshiper and cannot be offered to God freely at another’s expense.
Verse 25
The price (600 shekels of gold) is substantial, emphasizing the great value David placed on the acquisition of this holy ground for the purpose of national atonement.
Verse 26
God’s acceptance is signaled by fire descending from heaven, confirming divine approval of the sacrifice and validating this specific location as consecrated ground for future worship.
Verse 28
David recognizes that God’s response by fire established this spot as the permanent, divinely chosen location for sacrifice and the future Temple, superseding the traditional site at Gibeon.
Verse 29
The Chronicler notes that the original Mosaic Tabernacle was still functioning at Gibeon, highlighting the tension between the old, established site and the new, divinely designated location in Jerusalem.
Verse 30
David’s fear of the Angel’s sword prevents him from traveling to Gibeon, thus confirming the immediate necessity and legitimacy of the newly consecrated altar in Jerusalem.
Use ←→ arrow keys to navigate
Settings
Reading Style
Typeface
Font Size px
The Calling of Disciples
19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Options
Choose a Book
Study Note
Bible Version
Recent History
Get the App
Add TrulyRandomVerse to your home screen for instant access
TRV