1 Chronicles 21:20

KJV

And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

KJV (with Strong's)

And Ornan {H771} turned back {H7725}, and saw {H7200} the angel {H4397}; and his four {H702} sons {H1121} with him hid {H2244} themselves. Now Ornan {H771} was threshing {H1758} wheat {H2406}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. As Ornan was threshing wheat,

Berean Standard Bible

Now Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves.

American Standard Version

And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons that were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
1 Chronicles 21:20 vividly portrays a pivotal moment of divine intervention where Ornan the Jebusite, engaged in the ordinary act of threshing wheat, suddenly turns to behold the awe-inspiring and terrifying sight of the Lord's angel, poised for judgment. This direct encounter, which causes his four sons to hide in fear, marks the precise geographical and temporal point where God's wrath, unleashed due to King David's unauthorized census, was commanded to cease, transforming a mundane agricultural site into a place of profound sacred significance.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is situated at a critical juncture in the narrative of God's judgment upon Israel, following King David's sin of taking a census, an act of pride and reliance on human strength rather than divine provision (1 Chronicles 21:1-8). The preceding verses detail the Lord's decision to send a devastating plague upon Israel (1 Chronicles 21:14) and the angel of the Lord's progression towards Jerusalem, poised to destroy the city (1 Chronicles 21:15a). Verse 20 specifically pinpoints the moment the angel reached the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, just as God, moved by David's repentance and the severity of the plague, commanded the angel to stop (1 Chronicles 21:15b). Ornan's direct witnessing of this divine agent of judgment and mercy sets the stage for David's subsequent purchase of the threshing floor and the building of an altar there (1 Chronicles 21:21-26), ultimately foreshadowing the site of Solomon's Temple, a central theme in the Chronicler's work.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Threshing floors were common agricultural spaces in ancient Israel, typically elevated and open to the wind, used for separating grain from chaff. They were often communal and located outside city gates, making them visible and accessible. Ornan, identified as a Jebusite, represents the indigenous inhabitants of Jerusalem who continued to live alongside the Israelites after David's conquest of the city (compare [2 Samuel 5:6-9](/2_samuel/5-6-9 "David Conquers Jerusalem")). The fact that this pivotal divine encounter occurs at a Jebusite's threshing floor underscores God's sovereignty over all peoples and places, even those not initially part of the covenant community. The visual manifestation of an angel, particularly one associated with judgment and wielding a drawn sword (as described in [1 Chronicles 21:16](/1_chronicles/21-16 "1 Chronicles 21:16 - David Sees the Angel")), would have been understood within ancient Near Eastern cultures as a terrifying and awe-inspiring display of divine power, demanding immediate and absolute reverence. This specific threshing floor would later become the highly significant Temple Mount, the spiritual heart of Israel.
* **Key Themes:** The encounter in 1 Chronicles 21:20 contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Chronicles. Firstly, it highlights **Divine Sovereignty and Mercy**, demonstrating God's absolute control over judgment and His compassionate intervention in response to repentance, as seen in the angel's cessation of destruction. Secondly, it underscores the theme of **Sacred Space and Transformation**, as an ordinary agricultural site is divinely chosen and consecrated, foreshadowing its future as the holy site for the Temple, a place of atonement and worship (as detailed in [2 Chronicles 3:1](/2_chronicles/3-1 "2 Chronicles 3:1 - Solomon Begins Building the Temple")). Thirdly, the verse illustrates the **Interruption of the Mundane by the Miraculous**, showing that profound divine encounters can occur in the midst of daily life, calling individuals to a heightened awareness of God's active presence. Finally, Ornan's fearful reaction speaks to the **Awe and Reverence** due to God's holy presence, a foundational concept throughout the Old Testament, emphasizing that [the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom](/proverbs/9-10 "Proverbs 9:10 - The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Ornan (Hebrew, _ʾOrnān'_):** This proper name, paralleled by "Araunah" in 2 Samuel 24, identifies the Jebusite owner of the threshing floor. The slight variation in spelling is common in ancient texts and does not indicate a different individual. His ethnicity as a Jebusite is significant, emphasizing that God's redemptive plan can intersect with and sanctify those outside the immediate covenant community, transforming a non-Israelite's property into the future site of Israel's most sacred sanctuary.
* **Angel (Hebrew, _mălʼâk'_):** The term _mălʼâk_ literally means "messenger" or "agent," but in this context, it refers to a divine being acting as God's instrument of judgment. The angel is depicted with a drawn sword (1 Chronicles 21:16), indicating its destructive mission. Ornan's ability to "see" the angel signifies a unique, terrifying, and direct revelation of divine power, not merely an abstract concept but a visible, tangible manifestation of God's wrath and subsequent mercy.
* **Threshing (Hebrew, _dûwsh'_):** This word describes the agricultural process of separating grain from its husks, a common and laborious daily activity. The detail that Ornan "was threshing wheat" highlights the stark contrast between the ordinary, earthly routine and the sudden, extraordinary intervention of the divine. It grounds the miraculous event in the reality of human labor, emphasizing that God's presence and purposes can break into and transform even the most mundane aspects of life.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel":** This clause describes Ornan's sudden and unexpected encounter with the divine. "Turned back" implies a moment of realization, a physical turning to face something previously unseen or ignored, often suggesting a sudden awareness of a profound presence. The act of "seeing the angel" is a direct, terrifying visual confrontation with the divine agent of judgment, a sight granted to few in scripture and always accompanied by profound awe or fear, signaling a direct divine intervention into human affairs.
* **"and his four sons with him hid themselves":** This detail underscores the overwhelming nature of the angelic appearance. The sons' immediate reaction to "hide themselves" is a natural, instinctive response to the terrifying manifestation of divine power and holiness, reflecting a deep sense of vulnerability and fear in the face of the supernatural. It emphasizes the profound reverence and dread that such a revelation could inspire, highlighting the unapproachable holiness of God's presence.
* **"Now Ornan was threshing wheat":** This final clause provides the immediate, mundane context for the divine interruption. It sets the scene, grounding the extraordinary event in the ordinary activity of daily life. The stark contrast between the laborious, everyday task of separating grain and the sudden, awe-inspiring appearance of a divine messenger highlights God's ability to intersect with human existence at any moment, transforming the ordinary into the sacred and revealing His active involvement in the world.

#### Literary Devices
The verse effectively employs several literary devices to heighten its impact and convey its theological significance. **Juxtaposition** is prominently featured, contrasting the mundane, everyday act of "threshing wheat" with the sudden, terrifying appearance of "the angel." This stark contrast emphasizes the unexpected and overwhelming nature of divine intervention, highlighting how God's purposes can break into the ordinary. **Symbolism** is also at play, as the threshing floor, inherently a place of separation (grain from chaff), becomes symbolically significant as the precise location where God's judgment is separated from His mercy, and later, a consecrated place of atonement. Furthermore, the narrative employs **Foreshadowing**, as this specific threshing floor, initially a site of judgment's cessation, is implicitly marked as the future location for the Temple, Israel's central place of worship and sacrifice. The subtle **Dramatic Irony** is present: Ornan is initially unaware that his ordinary workplace is the very spot where a divine drama of judgment and mercy is unfolding, only realizing its profound significance when he "turned back" and saw the angel.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Chronicles 21:20 profoundly illustrates the dual nature of God's character – His righteous judgment against sin and His compassionate mercy in response to repentance. Ornan's terrifying vision of the angel, an agent of divine wrath, underscores the fearful consequence of sin, yet the angel's presence also signals the imminent cessation of the plague, showcasing God's willingness to relent when His people humble themselves. This encounter transforms an ordinary place into a sacred site, emphasizing that God can consecrate any space for His redemptive purposes. It also highlights the "fear of the Lord" as a proper response to divine holiness and power, a reverence that leads to wisdom and understanding, acknowledging the vast chasm between human frailty and divine majesty.

* [2 Samuel 24:16](/2_samuel/24-16 "2 Samuel 24:16 - The Angel of the Lord at the Threshing Floor")
* [Genesis 28:16-17](/genesis/28-16-17 "Genesis 28:16-17 - Jacob's Ladder and the Fear of God")
* [Exodus 3:5-6](/exodus/3-5-6 "Exodus 3:5-6 - Moses at the Burning Bush")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The scene at Ornan's threshing floor offers a powerful reminder that God's presence is not confined to sacred buildings or designated holy times; He can and does intersect with our lives in the most ordinary of circumstances. Ornan was simply doing his daily work when he was confronted by the awesome reality of the divine. This challenges us to cultivate a posture of spiritual awareness, recognizing that every moment holds the potential for God's intervention, revelation, or guidance. His presence, whether in judgment or mercy, demands our reverence and awe, calling us to a deeper understanding of His holiness and power. Furthermore, the transformation of a common threshing floor into a holy site for worship teaches us that God can redeem and sanctify any aspect of our lives, any place, or any circumstance, turning areas of mundane labor or even past brokenness into spaces where His glory is revealed and His purposes are fulfilled, inviting us to see His hand at work in every detail.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does Ornan's sudden encounter with the angel, and his sons' reaction, inform our understanding of the "fear of the Lord" in a contemporary context?**
* **In what "mundane" or ordinary areas of our daily lives might God be seeking to reveal His presence, purpose, or intervention, and how can we become more attuned to these moments?**
* **How can we cultivate a greater awareness of God's sovereignty and His potential to transform our circumstances, even those that seem ordinary or challenging, into opportunities for His glory?**

### FAQ
**Why did Ornan and his sons hide when they saw the angel?**

Answer: Ornan and his sons hid because encountering a divine messenger, especially one with a drawn sword and associated with a devastating plague, was an overwhelming and terrifying experience. This reaction is a common biblical response to direct manifestations of God's holiness or His agents, reflecting a natural human fear in the face of immense power and purity. It underscores the profound awe and reverence that such an encounter inspires, acknowledging the vast chasm between human frailty and divine majesty, and the natural human instinct to recoil from such unapproachable holiness.

**What is the significance of the threshing floor in this narrative?**

Answer: The threshing floor holds immense significance beyond its agricultural function. It was the specific, divinely chosen location where the angel of the Lord stopped the plague, marking it as a point of divine mercy and cessation of judgment. This ordinary site was then consecrated by David's altar and sacrifice, becoming a place of atonement and reconciliation between God and His people. Most importantly, it was the very ground upon which Solomon would later build the First Temple (as recorded in [2 Chronicles 3:1](/2_chronicles/3-1 "2 Chronicles 3:1 - Solomon Begins Building the Temple")), transforming a place of daily labor and divine judgment into the holiest site in Israel, symbolizing God's dwelling presence, the center of worship, and the ongoing covenant relationship with His people.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The scene at Ornan's threshing floor, where divine judgment is stayed and a place of atonement is established, powerfully foreshadows the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The terrifying angel of the Lord, an agent of divine wrath poised to destroy, points to the ultimate judgment that humanity faced due to sin. However, just as God commanded the angel to sheath its sword at this specific location, so too in Christ, God's righteous wrath against sin was fully satisfied, and His judgment was turned away from all who believe. Jesus is the true [Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), whose perfect sacrifice on the cross transformed the ultimate place of judgment (Calvary) into the ultimate place of salvation and reconciliation. The threshing floor, a place of separation (grain from chaff), also subtly prefigures Christ's role as the one who will ultimately [gather His wheat into the barn, but burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire](/matthew/3-12 "Matthew 3:12 - John the Baptist on the Coming One's Threshing Fan") at the final judgment. Through Christ, the fear inspired by the angel's presence is replaced by a reverent awe and worship of a God who is both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus (as articulated in [Romans 3:26](/romans/3-26 "Romans 3:26 - God's Righteousness Through Faith")). His work transforms not just a physical space, but the human heart, making it a temple for the Holy Spirit (as taught in [1 Corinthians 6:19](/1_corinthians/6-19 "1 Corinthians 6:19 - Your Body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit")), where true worship, reconciliation with God, and eternal life are eternally possible.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Judges 6:11

¶ And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which [was] in Ophrah, that [pertained] unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide [it] from the Midianites.