1 Chronicles21
New Living Translation
1Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel.
2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the people of Israel—from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north—and bring me a report so I may know how many there are.”
3But Joab replied, “May the Lord increase the number of his people a hundred times over! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this? Are they not all your servants? Why must you cause Israel to sin?”
4But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab traveled throughout all Israel to count the people. Then he returned to Jerusalem
5and reported the number of people to David. There were 1,100,000 warriors in all Israel who could handle a sword, and 470,000 in Judah.
6But Joab did not include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the census because he was so distressed at what the king had made him do.
7God was very displeased with the census, and he punished Israel for it.
8Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing.”
9Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer. This was the message:
10“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”
11So Gad came to David and said, “These are the choices the Lord has given you.
12You may choose three years of famine, three months of destruction by the sword of your enemies, or three days of severe plague as the angel of the Lord brings devastation throughout the land of Israel. Decide what answer I should give the Lord who sent me.”
13“I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”
14So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 people died as a result.
15And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But just as the angel was preparing to destroy it, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
16David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, reaching out over Jerusalem. So David and the leaders of Israel put on burlap to show their deep distress and fell face down on the ground.
17And David said to God, “I am the one who called for the census! I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? O Lord my God, let your anger fall against me and my family, but do not destroy your people.”
18Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to instruct David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him through Gad.
20Araunah, who was busy threshing wheat at the time, turned and saw the angel there. His four sons, who were with him, ran away and hid.
21When Araunah saw David approaching, he left his threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground.
22David said to Araunah, “Let me buy this threshing floor from you at its full price. Then I will build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.”
23“Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, and the threshing boards for wood to build a fire on the altar, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all to you.”
24But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!”
25So David gave Araunah 600 pieces of gold in payment for the threshing floor.
26David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And when David prayed, the Lord answered him by sending fire from heaven to burn up the offering on the altar.
27Then the Lord spoke to the angel, who put the sword back into its sheath.
28When David saw that the Lord had answered his prayer, he offered sacrifices there at Araunah’s threshing floor.
29At that time the Tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of burnt offering that Moses had made in the wilderness were located at the place of worship in Gibeon.
30But David was not able to go there to inquire of God, because he was terrified by the drawn sword of the angel of the Lord.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 1 Chronicles 21.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: David's numbering the people. (1-30).
vv1-30
No mention is made in this book of David's sin in the matter of Uriah, neither of the troubles that followed it: they had no needful connexion with the subjects here noted. But David's sin, in numbering the people, is related: in the atonement made for that sin, there was notice of the place on which the temple should be built. The command to David to build an altar, was a blessed token of reconciliation. God testified his acceptance of David's offerings on this altar. Thus Christ was made sin, and a curse for us; it pleased the Lord to bruise him, that through him, God might be to us, not a consuming Fire, but a reconciled God. It is good to continue attendance on those ordinances in which we have experienced the tokens of God's presence, and have found that he is with us of a truth. Here God graciously met me, therefore I will still expect to meet him.
Key Words
שָׂטָן: an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch-enemy of good
עָמַד: to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive)
עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
סוּת: properly, to prick, i.e. (figuratively) stimulate; by implication, to seduce
דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse
מָנָה: properly, to weigh out; by implication, to allot or constitute officially; also to enumerate or enroll
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
יוֹאָב: Joab, the name of three Israelites
שַׂר: a head person (of any rank or class)
Cross References
1 Chronicles 21The parallel account attributing the prompt to the Lord's anger, whereas Chronicles names Satan.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel account of David's confession of sin and heart-smiting after the numbering.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The Mosaic law requiring atonement money when numbering people to avoid a plague.
Supported by JFB
Identifies Ornan's threshingfloor as the location where Solomon would build the temple.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Prophetic vision of Satan standing in accusation before the Lord, matching his posture here.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The divine law exempting the tribe of Levi from standard military census registration.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The parallel text offering the three options, with slight variation in famine duration.
Supported by JFB
Parallel text where David insists he will not offer burnt offerings to God without cost.
Parallel instance of God answering prayer by consuming the sacrifice with fire from heaven.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel text of David pleading for the sheep when seeing the angel of judgment.
Parallel sighting of the Angel of the Lord with a drawn sword in hand.
Confirms the tabernacle and brass altar remained at Gibeon during David's reign.
The massive numbers in the census demonstrate the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham.
Supported by JFB
Similar transaction where Abraham insists on paying full price to Ephron for burial land.
Details Solomon sacrificing at the high place in Gibeon before the temple was built.
David declares this altar site to be the future house of the Lord God.