2 Samuel 24

CHAPTER 24

David Counts the Fighting Men (24:1–17)
(1 Chronicles 21:1–17)

1 Again the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. Evidently the Lord’s anger had burned on a previous occasion, perhaps at the time of the famine mentioned in 2 Samuel 21:1. On this occasion the writer gives no reason why the Lord was angry. Possibly He was angry with the Israelites who had followed Absalom in the effort to overthrow David, God’s chosen king (2 Samuel 15:2). Or perhaps the Israelites had become self-confident and had stopped depending on God. Whatever the reason for God’s anger, He intended to punish Israel, and He used David to bring about the punishment.

The writer says that the Lord incited David against the Israelites. According to 1 Chronicles 21:1, it was Satan who incited David. Which is correct?

Both are correct. God is the ultimate cause—the “first cause”—of everything that happens; nothing can happen apart from God. However, there are “secondary” or intermediate causes which are under God’s ultimate control, and one of these intermediate causes is Satan (see Job 1:812; 2:3–7; Luke 22:31–34; 2 Corinthians 12:7–9). So God incited Satan to incite David to commit a sin that would result in Israel’s being punished.

What was the sin that David was “incited” to commit? It was the taking of a census of Israel and Judah.

Two questions arise. First, why was it a sin for David to take a census? At other times God had commanded that a census be taken (Numbers 1:1–2; 26:1–2). This time, however, it wasn’t God who commanded David to take the census; it was David’s own pride and also a lack of trust in God that led him to do it. David wanted to count Israel’s fighting men to prove to himself how mighty he was. He also wanted to be sure he had enough men to fight his battles; he was putting his trust in military power rather than in God’s power. And he knew he was disobeying God; his sin was deliberate. He was even warned not to do it by his chief commander, Joab (verse 3).

The second question that arises is this: Who was responsible for David’s sin? God, Satan, or David? The answer is: David.

God never causes or even tempts anyone to sin (see James 1:13–15). Satan, on the other hand, does tempt people to sin; he is called the tempter (Matthew 4:3). But even though Satan tempts us, the choice of whether to sin or not is up to us. No one can say: “Satan made me do it.” Much less can anyone say that another human being—or one’s upbringing or one’s environment—“made me do it.” We are always responsible for our own behavior. Yes, we are influenced by evil, we are tempted by evil, but God always gives us the means to avoid sinning (1 Corinthians 10:13). When we sin, the choice is ours.

When we accept responsibility for our sin, as David did in this case (verses 10,17), we open the way for God to forgive us, cleanse us, and restore us to fellowship with Him (1 John 1:9).

2–4 After being “incited,” tempted, David ordered his commanders to take a census of all the Israelite fighting men—that is, men of military age—from the north to the south, including both Israel and Judah (verse 2). Joab expressed hesitation, but David overruled him (verses 3–4).

5–9 The census took almost ten months to complete. The fighting men of Israel numbered eight hundred thousand; those of Judah numbered five hundred thousand⁸¹ (verse 9).

10–14 Once the census had been completed, David was conscience-stricken (verse 10). It is a common experience that once the anticipated pleasure of a sin has passed, then regret sets in. In David’s case it was more than regret: he was overcome with guilt. He fully confessed his sin and asked God to take his guilt away.

God would indeed remove David’s guilt, but the punishment for David’s sin would still have to be carried out. Our sins can be forgiven, but their consequences remain. Through the prophet Gad (1 Samuel 22:5), God gave David a choice of three punishments (verse 13). David chose the plague, the severest but quickest punishment, one that would come directly from God and not through men (verses 14–15). He knew God was merciful, whereas men were not.

15–16 God struck down seventy thousand Israelites from all over Israel⁸² (verse 15). God used an angel to deliver the plague to the Israelites. Angels are God’s messengers,⁸³ and are sent to do His bidding; they speak and act on God’s behalf (see Exodus 12:23; 33:2; Psalm 78:49; Acts 12:23). As the angel was about to strike Jerusalem, however, the Lord was grieved and had mercy upon His people. He ordered the angel to stop the plague. At that very moment the angel was at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (verse 16).

This threshing floor was located on a prominence just outside Jerusalem; it was still owned by a Jebusite, one of the original inhabitants of the city (2 Samuel 5:6–7). It was on this very site that Solomon would later build the Lord’s temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). Furthermore, it was on this site-also called Mount Moriah—that Abraham was told to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1–2).

Think of the significance of Jerusalem in God’s eyes. From the beginning, this was the place where sacrifices of atonement were to be offered. Abraham sacrificed a ram in place of his son. The Israelites sacrificed animals at the temple to atone for their sins. And finally, in the greatest sacrifice of all, Jesus Christ was crucified just outside Jerusalem to atone for the sins of the whole world. Jerusalem reminds us that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). Jerusalem was central to God’s provision of forgiveness to mankind. No wonder God was grieved when its people were about to be destroyed by the angel!

17 When David saw the angel striking the people, He asked the Lord to spare the people and punish him instead (see Exodus 32:32). David considered the people to be innocent sheep—though we know they were not (verse 1)—and he was willing to assume full blame. Like a true “shepherd-king,” David put his people before himself. David had many weaknesses and failings, but overall his heart was sincere. He was a worthy forerunner of Jesus, our ultimate ShepherdKing, who also put His people before Himself and bore their punishment so that they might live.

David Builds an Altar (24:18–25)
(1 Chronicles 21:18–30)

18–19 The prophet Gad then told David what he must do in order to avert God’s wrath: he must build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah. Only by blood sacrifice could David’s (and the people’s) sin be atoned for and the plague stopped. Notice that two things are at work here: first, God’s mercy in providing a means of forgiveness—the altar; and second, man’s offering of a sacrifice on that altar to atone for sin.⁸⁴

20–25 When David approached the threshing floor, Araunah, a non-Israelite, immediately offered David everything he needed to build the altar and to offer the sacrifices—all without charge. But David insisted on paying for everything (verse 24). He knew that the Lord took no pleasure in the offering of any sacrifice or any service that entailed no cost to the offerer. Whenever we offer something to the Lord, the greater the cost to us, the greater will be the Lord’s pleasure in accepting what we offer (see Mark 12:41–44; Romans 12:1).

So David bought the threshing floor for fifty shekels (over half a kilogram) of silver,⁸⁵ and then he built an altar there (verse 25). On the altar, David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.⁸⁶ Then the Lord answered David’s prayer (verse 17) and the plague stopped. According to 1 Chronicles 21:26, the Lord answered with fire from heaven—a sign that the Lord had accepted David’s offerings and that covenant fellowship between the Lord and Israel had been restored.

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¹ Gath and Ashkelon were two Philistine cities, which in this lament poetically represent all of Philistine territory. In verse 20, notice the typical parallelism of Hebrew poetry: the first pair of lines and the second pair of lines each state the same thought using different words.

² In verse 21, David says that Saul’s shield was no longer rubbed with oil. Shields in ancient times were often covered with leather, and the oil was applied to preserve the leather.

³ In verse 26, David is not saying that he preferred Jonathan to women in any sexual sense. He is simply saying in a poetic way that Jonathan’s love was truly wonderful.

⁴ Abner was Saul’s cousin (1 Samuel 14:50); somehow he had survived the battle with the Philistines in which Saul and his three sons had died (1 Samuel 31:1–2,6). Now he was trying to gain power and influence for himself by making Ish-Bosheth king in Saul’s place. Ish-Bosheth was a weak person; he had not fought in the battle with the Philistines. In 1 Samuel 14:49, he is referred to by the name Ishvi.

⁵ Ish-Bosheth’s reign over all Israel was only a claim, never a reality. Most of Israel was in Philistine hands after Saul’s defeat on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:1). Mahanaim, because of its location east of the Jordan, was safe from Philistine attack.

⁶ Notice that in verse 28 Ish-Bosheth and Abner’s forces are called “Israel,” even though they represented only the northern part of the promised land. After Solomon’s death, the nation of Israel would be divided into two kingdoms: a northern kingdom called “Israel” and a southern kingdom called “Judah.” Perhaps the books of 1 and 2 Samuel were written after that division had taken place; thus the writer was accustomed to referring to the northern tribes as “Israel.”

⁷ According to 1 Chronicles 3:1, David’s second son Kileab (verse 3) had an alternate name, Daniel. Many Israelites were called by more than one name.

⁸ Here again, the word Israel is being used to designate only the northern Israelite tribes, as opposed to the southern tribe of Judah. For this use of the word “Israel,” see footnote to comment on 2 Samuel 2:28–32.

⁹ Later on, when the nation of Israel was divided into northern and southern kingdoms following Solomon’s death, the tribe of Benjamin sided with Judah and became part of the southern kingdom.

¹⁰ It is hard to say if David really believed the good things he said about Abner. Abner had sided with Ish-Bosheth against David, even knowing that David was God’s anointed king; Abner then betrayed Ish-Bosheth and sided with David. These are not the actions of a great man (verse 38). Perhaps David praised Abner only to convince people that he had had no part in the plot to kill him.

¹¹ When Saul and Jonathan were killed (1 Samuel 31:6), Mephibosheth’s nurse correctly assumed that as an heir to the throne he would be in great danger; but she dropped him during their flight, with the result that he became crippled (verse 4).

¹² For further discussion of the term “covenant,” see Exodus 19:5–6; 24:1–8; Jeremiah 31:31–34 and comments; Word List: Covenant.

¹³ Notice in verse 5 that the writer continues to differentiate between all Israel (the northern tribes) and Judah in the south. During the reigns of David and his son Solomon, “Israel” and “Judah” remained united as one nation. Only afterward did they split apart (1 Kings 12:1–24).

¹⁴ Jerusalem was a royal city in Abraham’s time; its short name was Salem (Genesis 14:18). It was also called Jebus, because of the Jebusites who lived there (Judges 19:10).

¹⁵ The Jebusites were Canaanites, descendants of Canaan, the grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:15–16). They were among the Canaanite tribes that the Israelites were to drive out of the promised land and destroy completely (Deuteronomy 7:1–2).

¹⁶ In David’s time, the name Zion was used to refer either to the entire city of Jerusalem or, more specifically, just to its fortified part. Later on, when the temple was built, the name Zion was also applied to the high part of the city (the temple mount) where the temple was located; this was also called “Mount Zion.” The meaning of the word “Zion” is unknown.

¹⁷ Verses 11–12 suggest that David’s palace was built very soon after he captured Jerusalem. But other verses indicate that the palace was built much later. The writer of 2 Samuel often writes thematically rather than chronologically.

¹⁸ The sons born to David in Jerusalem are also listed in 1 Chronicles 3:5–8; 14:4–7. There are minor differences in the lists, the main one being that the lists in 1 Chronicles have two additional names.

¹⁹ Baal Perazim means “the lord who breaks out”; Baal means “lord.” But in this case, the “lord” who “broke out” wasn’t Baal but the Lord God of Israel.

²⁰ Two explanations have been given for the sound of marching in the balsam trees (verse 24), and they are not contradictory. Some say that the angelic army of the Lord was marching to defeat the Philistines; others say that the Lord caused a breeze to blow in the balsam trees which sounded like marching and which prevented the Philistines from hearing the approach of David’s army. Whatever the explanation, it was God who did the planning and it was God who gained the victory. It should also be noted that the specific instructions God gave must have been given to David directly—not by means of the Urim and Thummim. The Spirit of the Lord was with David (1 Samuel 16:13), and in this case the Spirit was directly guiding David.

²¹ The ark symbolically represented both God’s presence and also His “throne,” His lordship. Symbolically, God was enthroned between the cherubim which were on the cover of the ark (verse 2). For a full discussion of the ark and its significance, see Exodus 25:10–22 and comment.

    The ark was called by the Name, the name of the Lord (verse 2). This means that the ark belonged to Him. The “Name” signified the person and presence of the Lord. For further discussion of the Name of the Lord, see footnote to comment on Exodus 23:20–22; Deuteronomy 12:4–7 and comment.

²² According to 1 Chronicles 13:9, the trouble occurred at the threshing floor of Kidon, not Nacon. In Hebrew (the language in which the Old Testament was originally written), the two names are almost identical; they represent variant spellings of the same name. Such variant spellings occur frequently in the Old Testament.

²³ Jesus, being both man and God, crossed that barrier which separated sinful man from God. He came to us. Through faith we are clothed with His righteousness and holiness and are thereby made acceptable to God the Father. However, as long as we are on earth, it is not given to us to see the heavenly Father face to face.

²⁴ Obed-Edom was a Levite of the clan of Kohath, family of Korah, and was thus a suitable person to care for the ark. And the Lord rewarded him for his devotion by giving him a large family (1 Chronicles 26:1,4–5).

Notice that for one man, Uzzah, the ark was a cause of “stumbling.” For another man, Obed Edom, the ark was a cause of blessing. In the same way, Jesus Christ is a stone that causes men to stumble (Isaiah 8:14; 1 Peter 2:8); but He is also a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6).

²⁵ For further discussion on the subject of worship, see Exodus 23:25–26 and comment.

²⁶ The writer of 2 Samuel does not always write according to exact chronological order. For a similar example, see comment on 2 Samuel 5:11–12 and footnote to comment.

²⁷ As the Israelites carried the tabernacle across the desert to the promised land, they may have been tempted to think that they were “carrying” God. But, in fact, it was God who was carrying them.

²⁸ Some Bible scholars say that the first of the Old Testament covenants was made in the Garden of Eden when God made man and woman rulers of the earth (Genesis 1:26–30) and promised that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent, Satan (Genesis 3:15). The second covenant was made with Noah, the “Noahic covenant,” in which God promised not to destroy mankind again by a natural catastrophe (Genesis 9:8–17). The third covenant was the “Abrahamic covenant,” in which God promised to make Abraham’s descendants a great nation and to be their God and to give them their own land (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:9–21; 17:1–22). Fourth was the “Sinaitic covenant,” which God made with the whole nation of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 19:3–8). Fifth was the “Levitical covenant” made with Phinehas the priest, in which God promised to provide Israel with a faithful priesthood (Numbers 25:10–13). Sixth and last of the Old Testament covenants was the “Davidic covenant,” described here in verses 8–16.

    One way of looking at these Old Testament covenants is to see them as one great covenant of God’s grace unfolding over human history. At different stages of history God has extended and amplified this covenant in order to meet mankind’s changing circumstances. But at every stage God in His grace has provided a means for men and women to enter into a covenant relationship with Him, through which He can bless them and invite them into fellowship with Himself.

    The final and greatest covenant God made with mankind was the “new covenant,” established through the death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hebrews 8:713). The Davidic covenant and indeed the entire Old Testament point to this new covenant, which has replaced the covenants of the Old Testament and which is the main subject of the New Testament.

²⁹ As in English, the Hebrew word for house can mean either a dwelling place (a temple) or a dynasty (the “house of David”).

³⁰ In verse 14, God says: “I will be his (Solomon’s) father and he will be my son.” God promised to have a father son relationship with Solomon and his descendants. God was offering to “adopt” Solomon, just as through faith in Christ we are “adopted” into God’s family (see Romans 8:12–17). God promised to punish (discipline) Solomon if he disobeyed, just as a human father disciplines the son he loves (see Hebrews 12:5–11).

However, God’s patience has limits; if a son continues to deliberately disobey and to despise the blessings of being a son, then that son will eventually be cut off. Solomon was not cut off during his lifetime, even though his sins were great (1 Kings 11:1–8); God allowed him to complete his reign as king for the sake of David (1 Kings 11:12–13). But many of his descendants were rejected by God, and eventually the kings of Israel and Judah became so wicked that God allowed the Assyrians and Babylonians to take their kingdoms away altogether.

Jesus was a Son whom God never had to reject; He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). When God promised to make Solomon His son, He was also promising to make Solomon’s descendant Jesus His Son as well (Psalm 2:7; Mark 1:11; Hebrews 1:1–5). And through Jesus, we too become sons and daughters of God.

³¹ For a discussion of redemption, see Exodus 13:11–16; Ruth 2:19–20 and comments; Word List: Redemption.

³² We must be very careful about “claiming” God’s promises; too many Christians today think they can simply “name it and claim it” and expect God to automatically do what they want. God’s promises are always contingent upon our faith, our humility, our reverence, and our obedience. Often God fulfills His promises in ways we do not expect; often He fulfills His promises far beyond what we have asked or imagined (Ephesians 3:20–21).

³³ To “hamstring” a horse means to cut a major tendon in one of its legs to keep it from running or, in David’s case, from pulling a chariot. It seems that early in David’s reign the Israelites didn’t use large numbers of chariots, probably because their territory at the time was mostly hilly and chariots were more effective on the plains.

³⁴ Damascus is the capital of presentday Syria.

³⁵ Edom (or Seir) was the land settled by the descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau (Genesis 36:8–9). The Edomites had often been hostile to the Israelites (Numbers 20:14–21), but the Lord had commanded the Israelites not to attack their territory (Deuteronomy 2:1–6). Now centuries later, the Lord had led David to subdue the Edomites.

³⁶ Amalek was a longstanding enemy of the Israelites (Exodus 17:8–16; 1 Samuel 15:1–9; 30:1–20).

³⁷ Zadok was descended from Aaron’s son Eleazar (1 Chronicles 6:4–8), and eventually became Israel’s sole high priest under Solomon. Ahimelech was descended from Aaron’s other son Ithamar (1 Chronicles 24:3). His father was Abiathar, the only surviving descendant of Eli, from whose family the priesthood was ultimately taken away because of Eli’s unfaithfulness as a priest (see 1 Samuel 2:27–33; 22:18–21).

³⁸ Mephibosheth was not the only surviving heir of Saul; two of Saul’s daughters also had sons, seven of whom David later put to death (see 2 Samuel 21:7–9).

³⁹ David appointed Ziba, one of Saul’s servants, to manage Mephibosheth’s property. Later Ziba would betray Mephibosheth in order to obtain that property for himself (see 2 Samuel 16:1–4; 19:24–30).

⁴⁰ It is likely that the Nahash mentioned here in verse 2 is the same as the Nahash mentioned in 1 Samuel 11:1. Assuming that to be so, it is possible that Nahash befriended David while David was being pursued by Saul. Since Nahash had shown kindness to David, David now wanted to show kindness to his son Hanun (verse 2).

⁴¹ Shaving half of a man’s beard and causing his buttocks to be exposed (verse 4) were demeaning acts that were sometimes inflicted on prisoners of war. To spare his men further embarrassment, David told them to stay at Jericho until their beards grew back; ever since Joshua’s time, Jericho had remained largely uninhabited (Joshua 6:26).

⁴² According to 1 Chronicles 19:6, the Ammonites paid these foreign troops a thousand talents (34 tons) of silver to get them to fight against Israel. In 1 Chronicles 19:6–7, the types of troops and names of the kingdoms sending troops are different from those mentioned here in verse 6. 1 Chronicles was written two or three centuries after 2 Samuel was written, and the names had undoubtedly changed.

⁴³ For a discussion of the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, see Exodus 17:10–13; Esther 4:12–14; Jeremiah 18:1–10 and comments.

⁴⁴ David had fought Hadadezer before (see 2 Samuel 8:3–10), but had been unable to destroy his forces. Hadadezer was a powerful king, and was able to call upon the armies of many lesser nations that were under his control.

⁴⁵ The correct number is seven thousand (1 Chronicles 19:18), not seven hundred (verse 18). A copyist’s error is the most likely explanation for this discrepancy. Biblical manuscripts were copied by hand over and over down through the centuries. It is a miracle of God that there are so few errors; and even where an error has been made, it never involves anything of importance.

⁴⁶ During the winter rainy season, conditions were not good for fighting, so most military campaigns began in the spring.

⁴⁷ If Joab had sent Uriah alone, it would have looked like a plot to murder him; if a few other men were with him, Uriah’s death would be seen as an ordinary battle casualty.

⁴⁸ Joab warned the messenger that David, in his anger over the loss of his men, might cite the famous example of Abimelech, who got so close to a city wall that a woman dropped a millstone on his head (Judges 9:52–53).

⁴⁹ The affair with Bathsheba and Uriah was not David’s only sin, but it was surely his greatest sin.

⁵⁰ For further discussion of the deceptiveness of sin, see comment on Judges 2:20–23.

⁵¹ The Lord had even given Saul’s wives to David (verse 8). The Bible only mentions one wife, Ahinoam (1 Samuel 14:50), and one concubine, Rizpah (2 Samuel 3:7); but there may have been others. It was customary in ancient times for a new king to take for himself the concubines of the preceding king. But since God had never sanctioned the taking of multiple wives (Genesis 2:24), it’s likely He simply meant that He had given the rights and privileges of Saul’s kingship to David.

⁵² In the Old Testament, the concept of “life after death” is not fully developed. According to the Old Testament, people go to the grave—a translation of the Hebrew word “Sheol.” For further discussion, see Word List: Grave; General Article: What Happens After Death?

⁵³ David’s second son Kileab (1 Samuel 3:3) probably died young, because nothing else is written about him.

⁵⁴ In verse 14, the precise meaning of the woman’s statement is uncertain. She seems to be saying that since God forgives, David should too.

⁵⁵ Hebron was the city in Judah where David was first crowned king (2 Samuel 2:4) and where Absalom was born (2 Samuel 3:2–3). Absalom could more easily organize his rebellion from Hebron; if he stayed in Jerusalem he risked getting caught.

⁵⁶ David’s thoughts at this time are reflected in some of the Psalms he wrote, especially Psalm 3.

⁵⁷ It is not certain what bloodshed Shimei was referring to in verse 8; the only bloodshed in Saul’s household that David was directly responsible for was the execution of Saul’s seven grandsons mentioned in 2 Samuel 21:1–9. Since we know that the writer of 2 Samuel did not always write in chronological order, perhaps it was the deaths of these grandsons that Shimei was referring to.

⁵⁸ Abishai called Shimei a dead dog (verse 9), an expression of utter contempt.

⁵⁹ Jesus’ disciples also showed signs of hotheadedness from time to time (see Luke 9:53–55; John 18:10–11), and Jesus rebuked them for it. Like His ancestor David, Jesus did not retaliate . . . Instead, he entrusted himself to God (1 Peter 2:23). And Peter tells us that we Christians have been called to follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21).

⁶⁰ King Saul also had set up a monument in his own honor (1 Samuel 15:12). In verse 18, the writer quotes Absalom as saying, “I have no son.” Presumably the three sons mentioned in 2 Samuel 14:27 all died at a young age.

⁶¹ Judah and Simeon were the two southern tribes at that time. Simeon is rarely mentioned, because it had been assimilated into Judah.

⁶² The territory of Benjamin was just north of Judah; among the ten northern tribes, therefore, the Benjamites would be first to hear that the men of Judah had gone out to meet David.

⁶³ The house of Joseph is another term for the ten northern tribes of Israel. The two largest of the ten tribes were Ephraim and Manasseh, named for the two sons of Joseph. Because Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, he received the blessing usually reserved for the firstborn; hence he received a double inheritance in the promised land, which took the form of separate allotments for each of his two sons.

⁶⁴ “Crossing the Jordan” was of great symbolic and emotional importance to all Israelites; it was by crossing the Jordan that they had entered the promised land (Joshua Chapter 3).

⁶⁵ The names mentioned in verses 23–26 should be compared with the names mentioned in 2 Samuel 8:16–18, which represent David’s officials during the early part of his reign. Four changes can be seen. First, a new appointment is added: Adoniram is in charge of forced labor; prisoners of war were often forced to work on major public construction projects.

    Second, Shiva is secretary; Shiva is possibly an alternate name for the Seraiah mentioned in 2 Samuel 8:17.

    Third, Abiathar is a priest together with Zadok. In 2 Samuel 8:17, Ahimelech son of Abiathar was the priest. It is possible that the Abiathar mentioned here is the son of Ahimelech and thus the grandson of the former Abiathar; in biblical times, sons were often named after their grandfathers.

    Finally, Ira is David’s own personal priest or royal advisor; this time David’s sons are not included in the list of officials (2 Samuel 8:18).

⁶⁶ Probably one of the priests inquired of the Lord using the Urim and Thummim (see comment on 1 Samuel 23:1–6 and footnote to comment).

⁶⁷ Saul’s killing of the Gibeonites is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. The Gibeonites were Amorites (Canaanites) who had been living in the promised land before the Israelites got there. In Joshua’s time, the Israelites had sworn to spare the Gibeonites (see Joshua 9:15–21); but later, Saul had tried to destroy them. Because Saul had broken Israel’s oath and had shed innocent blood, God was now cursing the land by sending this famine.

⁶⁸ In the Bible, the number seven symbolizes completeness; thus by killing seven descendants,

complete” amends would be made.

⁶⁹ Most famines in biblical times were the result of drought. As long as the Israelites obeyed God, He sent rain; when they sinned, He often withheld it (see Leviticus 26:3–4; Deuteronomy 11:13–15).

⁷⁰ According to 1 Chronicles 20:5, the giant was Lahmi the brother of Goliath. Bible scholars believe that a scribe incorrectly copied the text of verse 19 by writing Bethlehemite instead of “Lahmi the brother.” Furthermore, we know that Goliath was killed by David, not by Elhanan (1 Samuel 17:50).

⁷¹ In verse 3, the horn symbolizes strength. The salvation referred to is physical “salvation” from earthly enemies, not the eternal salvation described in the New Testament. For further discussion, see Word List: Salvation.

⁷² In verse 6, the word grave is used figuratively to mean “death.” The Hebrew word for “grave” is “Sheol,” which also means the “realm of the afterlife” or the “abode of the dead.” For further discussion, see Word List: Grave; General Article: What Happens After Death?

⁷³ For further discussion of anthropomorphism, see footnotes to comments on Genesis 8:21–22; Exodus 3:7–9.

⁷⁴ For further discussion concerning salvation and the relationship between God’s grace (faithfulness) and our faith (righteousness), see Word List: Faith, Grace, Righteousness, Salvation. Also see comments on Galatians 2:15–16; Ephesians 2:8–9; General Article: The Way of Salvation, in The Applied New Testament Commentary.

⁷⁵ One example of overstated speech occurs in verse 35: my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Bronze is not bendable! David is simply indicating that God gave him remarkable strength.

⁷⁶ For further discussion of the fear of God, see Deuteronomy 6:1–3; Proverbs 1:7 and comments.

⁷⁷ In comparing verses 8–39 with the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 11:10–47, one notices that some of the names have different spellings. We must remember that 1 Chronicles was written several centuries after 2 Samuel was written; it is natural that spelling patterns would have changed over that long period. For further discussion of apparent discrepancies in names and numbers found in the Old Testament, see comment on Exodus 12:40–42 and footnotes to comment.

⁷⁸ According to 1 Chronicles 11:11, Josheb-Basshebeth (or Jashobeam) killed only three hundred men, not eight hundred. This difference is probably due to a scribal copying error in the 2 Samuel manuscript.

⁷⁹ In verse 23, the Three could refer either to the three men mentioned in verses 8–12 or to the three who brought water to David (verses 13–17).

⁸⁰ Sixteen additional men are listed in the parallel account in 1 Chronicles (see 1 Chronicles 11:41–47).

⁸¹ According to 1 Chronicles 21:5, the number of fighting men for all Israel was 1,100,000 and the number for Judah was 470,000. The writer of 1 Chronicles was including in his total for Israel 288,000 men in the regular army (see 1 Chronicles 27:1–15). The writer of 2 Samuel rounded off the numbers for both Israel and Judah. Thus, though the numbers in 1 Chronicles are more detailed, there is no basic discrepancy in the two accounts.

⁸² This seems like a very severe punishment for simply taking a census. But it was David’s motive—his heart—that was so wrong in God’s sight. The taking of the census was the outward manifestation of an inner pride and a rebellious will. In God’s sight, the inward sins of attitude are just as great as the outward sins of lust and violence (see Matthew 5:21–22,27–28).

⁸³ The Hebrew word for angel also means “messenger.” Sometimes God appears in the form of an angel; usually, however, an angel of the LORD (verse 16) should not be equated with the Lord Himself. For further discussion, see Genesis 16:7–10; 18:1–8 and comments; Word List: Angel.

⁸⁴ For further discussion of atonement, see Exodus 25:17–22; 27:1–8; Leviticus 1:1–4 and comments; Word List: Atonement.

⁸⁵ According to 1 Chronicles 21:25, David paid six hundred shekels of gold for the site. Clearly the “site” mentioned in 1 Chronicles included much more than just the threshing floor; it would have included the entire summit of Mount Moriah. Perhaps David initially bought only the threshing floor, and then later bought the whole site. On this site his son Solomon would soon build God’s temple.

⁸⁶ For a discussion of burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, see Leviticus 1:1–17; 3:1–17 and comments.