1 Chronicles 21:3

3 Joab answered, "May the Lord make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now! Your Majesty, they are all your servants. Why do you want to do this and make the whole nation guilty?"

1 Chronicles 21:3 Meaning and Commentary

1 Chronicles 21:3

(See Gill on 1 Chronicles 21:1).

1 Chronicles 21:3 In-Context

1 Satan wanted to bring trouble on the people of Israel, so he made David decide to take a census.

2 David gave orders to Joab and the other officers, "Go through Israel, from one end of the country to the other, and count the people. I want to know how many there are."

3 Joab answered, "May the Lord make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now! Your Majesty, they are all your servants. Why do you want to do this and make the whole nation guilty?"

4 But the king made Joab obey the order. Joab went out, traveled through the whole country of Israel, and then returned to Jerusalem.

5 He reported to King David the total number of men capable of military service: 1,100,000 in Israel and 470,000 in Judah.