2 Samuel 24:24

24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels[a] of silver for them.

2 Samuel 24:24 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
English Standard Version (ESV)
24 But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
New Living Translation (NLT)
24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.
The Message Bible (MSG)
24 But the king said to Araunah, "No. I've got to buy it from you for a good price; I'm not going to offer God, my God, sacrifices that are no sacrifice."
American Standard Version (ASV)
24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price. Neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
24 "No!" the king said to Araunah. "I must buy it from you at a [fair] price. I won't offer the LORD my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 1¼ pounds of silver.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
24 The king answered Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost [me] nothing." David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 ounces of silver.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No. I want to pay you for it. I won't sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that haven't cost me anything." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen. He paid 20 ounces of silver for them.

2 Samuel 24:24 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 24:24

And the king said unto Araunah, nay, but I will surely buy
[it] of thee at a price
And a full price too, ( 1 Chronicles 21:24 ) ; that is, give him as much for it as it was worth:

neither will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God of that which
doth cost me nothing;
which shows an ingenuous spirit, and contrary to the temper of many, who like to serve the Lord in the cheapest manner, or with little cost to themselves:

so David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of
silver;
which, reckoning a shekel at two shillings and sixpence, made but just six pounds five shillings of our money; though its value is but about two shillings and four pence farthing, which reduces the sum; in ( 1 Chronicles 21:25 ) , David is said to give six hundred shekels of gold by weight; two ways are proposed by the Jews F9 for the reconciling of the difficulty; the one is, that fifty shekels were collected out of every tribe, and twelve times fifty make six hundred shekels, and these were of the value or weight of gold; but this seems not likely, that it should be collected out of all the tribes, and since it appears plainly to be the king's purchase, and with his money: the other is, that there were two purchases, the first was of the threshingfloor, oxen, and instruments, which were bought for fifty shekels of silver, as here, and the other was a purchase of the place, as it is called in the book of Chronicles; that large space of ground on which afterwards the temple, and all the courts adjoining to it, were built, and which was now Araunah's farm, and on which were his dwelling house, and other buildings; and for all this David gave him six hundred shekels of gold, which made three hundred ounces F11 and reckoning gold as twelve times the value of silver, according to Brerewood F12, it amounted to four hundred fifty pounds of our money; and learned men have not been able to give a better solution of this difficulty; and with this Montanus


FOOTNOTES:

F13 agrees. Bochart and Noldius have taken another way, but not so clear and satisfactory; the Septuagint of ( 1 Chronicles 21:25 ) has fifty shekels, as here.


F9 T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 116. 2.
F11 Vid. Gronov. de Pecunia Vet. l. 3. c. 7. p. 369.
F12 De Ponder. & Pretiis, c. 5.
F13 Tubal-Cain, p. 15. So Hieron. Trad. Heb. fol. 80. F.

2 Samuel 24:24 In-Context

22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
23 Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.
25 David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

Cross References 2

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
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