2 Sam 24:1–25 The Lord’s anger and David’s sin lead to a plague. It also leads to the purchase of a place of worship in Jerusalem.
2 Sam 24:1 Here the text says the Lord . . . incited David, while the parallel account in 1 Chron. 21:1 reads, “Satan . . . incited David.” God himself never does evil, but sometimes he uses either Satanic forces or sinful human beings to accomplish his purposes. For more on how to reconcile the two accounts, see note on 1 Chron. 21:1; see also notes on Gen. 50:18–21; 1 Sam. 16:14; Mark 14:21; Acts 2:23.
2 Sam 24:3 By numbering the people for military purposes (v. 9), David apparently was showing a lack of trust in the Lord to supply soldiers when they were needed. He was also displaying a sinful pride in the hundreds of thousands of fighting men at his command (see v. 10). Joab knew it was wrong. See note on 1 Chron. 21:5–6.
2 Sam 24:5–8 The fortress of Tyre was probably an Israelite fortress.
2 Sam 24:9 For the contradiction between these numbers and those given in 1 Chron. 21:5–6, see note there.
2 Sam 24:10 I have sinned. See note on v. 3.
2 Sam 24:13 Pestilence kills faster (three days) than famine (three years).
2 Sam 24:17 Behold, I have sinned. David pleads that the people may not suffer for his sin. But he is the representative of God’s people: they will bear the consequences of his behavior, whether good or evil.
2 Sam 24:18 Go up. From David’s home there was a yet higher place, the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. The Jebusites were the previous inhabitants of Jerusalem (see 5:6), and some still lived there.
2 Sam 24:20 Araunah looked down. Threshing floors were usually on a high place so that the wind could blow the chaff away. This site was on the top of a hill about 450 yards (412 m) to the north of the city of David (see illustration).
2 Sam 24:23–24 David feels that, because he is the one who sinned, and because it is for the sake of the nation, he should pay for the sacrifice. He pays fifty shekels of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.
2 Sam 24:25 The parallel account in 1 Chron. 22:1 states that this threshing floor is where Solomon would build the temple. This is a fitting end to the story of David.
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The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
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