2 Samuel 24:2

2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, "Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the troops so I can know their number."^[a]

2 Samuel 24:2 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 24:2

For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which [was]
with him
Or who was with him, even Joab, who was now at court, and was a counsellor of David, as well as his general; or which army was with Joab, a standing army he had the command of:

go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba;
from the northern part of the land of Israel to the southern part of it, and this course was accordingly steered, ( 2 Samuel 24:6 2 Samuel 24:7 ) ;

and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people;
so that this appears to be done not through any urgent necessity, but merely out of curiosity, and to gratify the pride of his heart, and please himself with the thought of ruling such a numerous people, and brag of their numbers to other nations, and place his confidence therein; and no wonder it was displeasing to the Lord.

2 Samuel 24:2 In-Context

1 The Lord's anger burned against Israel again, and it stirred up David against them to say: "Go, count [the people of] Israel and Judah."

2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, "Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the troops so I can know their number."

3 Joab replied to the king, "May the Lord your God multiply the troops 100 times more than they are-while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this?"

4 Yet the king's order prevailed over Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army left the king's presence to register the troops of Israel.

5 They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and then [proceeded] toward Gad and Jazer.

Footnotes

• [a]. 2 Sm 18:1; Nm 1:2-3; 1 Sm 13:15