2 Samuel 24:13

13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three^[a] years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

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2 Samuel 24:13 in Other Translations

KJV

13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

ESV

13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, "Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me."

NLT

13 So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose three years of famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide what answer I should give the LORD who sent me.”

MSG

13 Gad came to deliver the message: "Do you want three years of famine in the land, or three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of an epidemic on the country? Think it over and make up your mind. What shall I tell the one who sent me?"

CSB

13 So Gad went to David, told him [the choices], and asked him, "Do you want three years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, think it over and decide what answer I should take back to the One who sent me."

2 Samuel 24:13 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 24:13

So Gad came to David, and told him
Said nothing to him about his sin, but correction for it; which confirms it that David was made sensible of his sin before he came to him:

and said unto him, shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy
land?
in ( 1 Chronicles 21:12 ) , only "three years" are mentioned, and so the Septuagint version here; but Josephus ^F4, the Targum, the Syriac and Arabic versions, have the number "seven"; three seems to be more agreeable to the numbers after mentioned, and no more as to come were designed, though seven are here expressed; for the reconciling of which let it be observed, that there had been three years of famine already on account of the sin of Saul, ( 2 Samuel 21:1 ) ; and in the current year, through the rains not falling in the proper time, the land was barren and unfruitful; or through the penury of the preceding years the famine would be continued at least until the harvest; and then three years more now proposed made seven years; or, if these three years would have immediately followed the other three, the following in course would be a sabbatical year, in which were no ploughing, sowing, nor reaping, or the current year was such an one: and the sense is, shall there be a continuance of seven years of famine, that is, three more added to what had been? which must be most dreadful to think of; but a learned writer

FOOTNOTES:

F5 thinks it a mistake of the copier, writing (z) , "seven", for (g) , "three":

or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue
thee?
be in such a condition as not to be able to face or fight his enemies, or, if he did, would not be able to stand his ground, but be forced to flee before them, and be pursued by them three months running; during which time a prodigious number might well be thought to be slain, sad devastations made in the land, and great shame and disgrace endured, and what a man of David's spirit could not bear the thoughts of:

or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land?
which in ( 1 Chronicles 21:12 ) is called "the sword of the Lord", in distinction from the sword of man, it coming immediately from him, and the destroying angel, in all the coasts of the land; being inflicted by means of one:

now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me;
that is, consult with himself, or with his friends, or both, what answer the prophet must return to the Lord that sent him; for him he means.

F4 Antiqu. l. 7. c. 13. sect. 2.
F5 Dr. Kennicott's Dissert. 1. p. 474.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

2 Samuel 24:13 In-Context

11 Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:

12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’ ”

13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

14 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

15 So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.