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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clearImportance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV)Then Yahweh was angry against Israel again and he incitedDavidto cause problems for them by saying, “Go andorder a census of Israel and Yehudah.”
Key: khaki:verbs, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXΚαὶ προσέθετο ὀργὴν Κύριος ἐκκαῆναι ἐν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἐπέσεισε τὸν Δαυὶδ ἐν αὐτοῖς, λέγων, βάδιζε, ἀρίθμησον τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν. (Kai prosetheto orgaʸn Kurios ekkaaʸnai en Israaʸl, kai epeseise ton Dawid en autois, legōn, badize, arithmaʸson ton Israaʸl kai ton Youdan. )
BrTrAnd the Lord caused his anger to burn forth again in Israel, and Satan stirred up David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Juda.
ULTAnd the nose of Yahweh continued to be hot against Israel. And he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
USTYahweh was angry with the Israelite people again, so he incited David to cause trouble for them. He said to David, “Send some men to count the people of Israel and Judah.”
BSB § Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
OEBThen Jehovah’s anger was again aroused against Israel, and he instigated David against them, saying, ‘Go number Israel and Judah!’
WEBBEAgain the LORD’s anger burnt against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, “Go, count Israel and Judah.”
NETThe Lord’s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.”
LSVAnd the anger of YHWH adds to burn against Israel, and [an adversary] moves David about them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
FBVThe Lord[fn] was angry with Israel, and he provoked David against them, saying, “go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
24:1In 1 Chronicles 21:1 Satan is the one identified as provoking David to conduct the census. Here as elsewhere in Scripture it may be that since God is all-powerful he is credited with responsibility even for actions he does not specifically commit.
T4TYahweh was angry with the Israeli people again, so he incited David to cause trouble for them. He said to David, “Send some men to count the people of Israel and Judah.”
LEBAgain Yahweh was angry with Israel, and he[fn] incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.”
24:1The parallel passage in 1 Chr 21 names the “he” as Satan
BBEAgain the wrath of the Lord was burning against Israel, and moving David against them, he said, Go, take the number of Israel and Judah.
JPSAnd again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them, saying: 'Go, number Israel and Judah.'
ASVAnd again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.
DRAAnd the anger of the Lord was again kindled against Israel, and stirred up David among them, saying: Go, number Israel and Juda.
YLTAnd the anger of Jehovah addeth to burn against Israel, and [an adversary] moveth David about them, saying, 'Go, number Israel and Judah.'
DrbyAnd again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.
RVAnd again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.
WbstrAnd again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go number Israel and Judah.
KJB-1769And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. (And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Yudah. )
KJB-1611¶ [fn]And againe the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and hee mooued Dauid against them, to say, Goe, number Israel and Iudah. (¶ And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, to say, Go, number Israel and Yudah.)
BshpsAnd agayne the Lorde was wroth against Israel, and he moued Dauid agaynst them, in that he sayde: Go number Israel & Iuda. (And again the Lord was wroth against Israel, and he moved David against them, in that he said: Go number Israel and Yudah.)
GnvaAnd the wrath of the Lord was againe kindled against Israel, and he moued Dauid against them, in that he saide, Goe, number Israel and Iudah. (And the wrath of the Lord was again kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, in that he said, Go, number Israel and Yudah. )
CvdlAnd the LORDE was wrothfully displeased of ye new agaynst Israel, and moued Dauid amonge them, because he saide: Go, nombre Israel and Iuda. (And the LORD was wrothfully displeased of ye/you_all new against Israel, and moved David among them, because he said: Go, number Israel and Yudah.)
WycAnd the strong veniaunce of the Lord addide to be wrooth ayens Israel [Note: of this that the Lord wolde punysche the puple, he suffride Dauyth to be reisid bi pride to the noumbring of the puple; wherfor the gloss of Gregre on this place seith thus, The dedis of gouernours ben disposid for the maneris of sugetis, that ofte for the yuel of the floc, the liyf yhe of a good schepparde trespassith, for Dauyth was preisid bi God witnesse, and he was blowun with the bolnyng of sudeyn pride, and synnede in noumbringe puple, and the puple resseyuede peyne; for the hertis of gouernours ben disposid, vp the meritis of the puplis. The synne of the puple for which it was punyschid, is not expressid in the text, but in the book of Ebreu questiouns it is seid, that this was herfor, for the puple ayen stood not Dauyth as it ouyte, in the dede of Vrie, but for this dede was priuy til it was al doon; the puple myyte not withstonde Dauyth in the synne to be lettid, and aftir that this synne cam in to the knowing of the puple, the puple ouyte not to punysche it, for the peyne was determynd thanne of God, as it is opin in xii. co. bi the wordis of Nathan, therfor it is seid betere, that the synne of the puple, was the rebelte therof ayenus Dauyth in suynge Siba, sone of Bothry, that was the worste man and ful of dissencioun, and Siba aloone was punyschid for this rebelte. ], and he stiride in hem Dauid, seiynge to Joab, Go thou, and noumbre thou Israel and Juda. (And the strong veniaunce of the Lord addide to be wrooth against Israel [Note: of this that the Lord would punysche the people, he suffered Dauyth to be reisid by pride to the noumbring of the puple; wherfor the gloss of Gregre on this place saith/says thus, The dedis of governors been disposid for the manneris of subjectis, that ofte for the evil of the floc, the liyf yhe of a good schepparde trespassith, for Dauyth was preisid by God witnesse, and he was blowun with the bolnyng of sudeyn pride, and sinned in noumbringe people, and the people received peyne; for the hearts of governors been disposid, up the meritis of the puplis. The sin of the people for which it was punyschid, is not expressid in the text, but in the book of Hebrew questions it is said, that this was herfor, for the people again stood not Dauyth as it ouyte, in the dede of Vrie, but for this dede was priuy till it was all done; the people might not withstonde Dauyth in the sin to be lettid, and after that this sin came in to the knowing of the people, the people ouyte not to punysche it, for the peyne was determynd then of God, as it is opin in 12 co. by the words of Nathan, therefore it is said betere, that the sin of the people, was the rebelte thereof ayenus Dauyth in suynge Siba, son of Bothry, that was the worste man and full of dissencioun, and Siba alone was punyschid for this rebelte. ], and he stiride in them David, seiynge to Yoab, Go thou/you, and number thou/you Israel and Yudah.)
LuthUnd der Zorn des HErr’s ergrimmete abermal wider Israel und reizte David unter ihnen, daß er sprach: Gehe hin, zähle Israel und Juda. (And the/of_the anger the LORD’s enraged abermal against Israel and reizte David under ihnen, that he spoke: Gehe there, zähle Israel and Yuda.)
ClVgEt addidit furor Domini irasci contra Israël, commovitque David in eis dicentem: Vade, numera Israël et Judam.[fn] (And addidit furor Master irasci on_the_contrary Israel, commovitque David in to_them dicentem: Vade, numera Israel and Yudam. )
24.1 GREG., lib. XXV Moral., cap. 14. Pro qualitatibus subditorum, etc., usque ad ut sicut magistrorum facta displicent, ita subditorum mens a magisterii reverentia non recedat. HIERON. Notandum quia in Paralipomenis legitur: Mille millia centum millia de Isræl, et de Juda quadraginta septuaginta millia quos intelligendum est Joab numerasse, sed noluisse ostendere nisi quanti in Samuelis libro scribuntur.
24.1 GREG., lib. XXV Moral., cap. 14. Pro qualitatibus subditorum, etc., until to as like magistrorum facts displicent, ita subditorum mens from magisterii reverentia not/no recedat. HIERON. Notandum because in Paralipomenis legitur: Mille thousands hundred thousands about Isræl, and about Yuda quadraginta septuaginta thousands which intelligendum it_is Yoab numerasse, but noluisse ostendere nisi quanti in Samuelis libro scribuntur.
24:1 The reason God’s anger . . . burned against Israel is unknown (but see Deut 4:25; 6:14-15; 29:22-28; 31:16-18). • Caused . . . to harm reflects a Hebrew verb (suth) used elsewhere in the sense of enticing or inciting someone to do wrong (1 Sam 26:19, “stirred you up against me”). Census-taking was usually unpopular with citizens, who resented it as an intrusion into their private affairs. They regarded it as a prelude to taxation or forced military service (see study note on 2 Sam 24:9). If David was motivated by pride or was preparing for an illegitimate war (as 24:9 might suggest), this might explain why it was a sin for him (24:10).
Who is responsible for trials and difficulties? Strangely, Scripture attributes some instances to God, some to Satan, and some to both. How can this be? The difference is one of perspective.
There is a notable difference between the accounts of David’s census in Samuel and in Chronicles. Second Samuel 24:1 attributes the census taking to God (“the Lord . . . caused David to harm them by taking a census”), while 1 Chronicles 21:1 attributes the action to Satan (“Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel”).
Second Samuel 24:1-25 tells the census story from God’s perspective as the primary agent; God permitted Satan’s action in order to fulfill his own purpose.
This phenomenon is not uncommon in Scripture. Matthew 4:1 contains a similar instance of dual agency, where Jesus is led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. Perhaps the most notable similar experience is Job’s trial: It was brought on by Satan and permitted by God—after the Lord had spoken glowingly about Job (Job 1:6–2:7). Through all the trials that followed, Job’s heart was righteous despite Satan’s attempts to elicit a curse against God. Similarly, 2 Corinthians 12:7 teaches that a God-sent affliction can be delivered by a messenger from Satan. When Paul wrote that he was given a “thorn,” he used a passive verb, indicating that this affliction was given by God.
Satan works in many ways in an attempt to discourage or destroy God’s people. Yet God is sovereign. God does not author evil, but sometimes God makes use of others’ evil deeds to accomplish his good purposes (Gen 50:20).
(Occurrence 0) the anger of Yahweh was ignited against Israel
(Some words not found in UHB: and,again also/though YHWH to,burned in/on/at/with,Israel and,incited DOM Dāvid (is)_in=them to=say go count DOM Yisrael and=DOM Yehuda )
The word “ignite” means start a fire. Here Yahweh’s anger is compared to that of a fire. Alternate translation: “the anger of Yahweh started to burn like a fire”
(Occurrence 0) he moved David against them
(Some words not found in UHB: and,again also/though YHWH to,burned in/on/at/with,Israel and,incited DOM Dāvid (is)_in=them to=say go count DOM Yisrael and=DOM Yehuda )
Alternate translation: “he caused David to oppose them”
(Some words not found in UHB: and,again also/though YHWH to,burned in/on/at/with,Israel and,incited DOM Dāvid (is)_in=them to=say go count DOM Yisrael and=DOM Yehuda )
In the law of Moses, God prohibited the kings of Israel from taking a census of fighting men. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit.
The Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, where all Israelite males were commanded to offer sacrifices to the Lord (Exodus 23:14-19; Deuteronomy 16:16-17), underwent several stages of reconstruction and development over hundreds of years. The first Temple was built by King Solomon to replace the aging Tabernacle, and it was constructed on a threshing floor on high ground on the north side of the city (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21). Hundreds of years later King Hezekiah expanded the platform surrounding the Temple. When Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C., the Temple was completely destroyed (2 Kings 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21; Jeremiah 39:1-10; 52:1-30). It was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after a group of Jews returned to Judea from exile in Babylon (Ezra 1:5-6:15; Nehemiah 7:5-65). Herod the Great completely rebuilt and expanded the Temple once again around 20 B.C., making it one of the largest temples in the Roman world. Jesus’ first believers often met together in Solomon’s Colonnade, a columned porch that encircled the Temple Mount, perhaps carrying on a tradition started by Jesus himself (John 10:23; Acts 3:11; 5:12). But Herod’s Temple did not last long: After many Jews revolted against Rome, the Romans eventually recaptured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70.
After David had secured his reign over all Israel and greatly expanded his rule over neighboring nations, he commissioned Joab, the commander of his army, to “count the people of Israel and Judah.” Though Scripture does not explicitly state the reason for this order, the report that Joab provided to David nearly ten months later at the conclusion of the census makes his intentions clear: David was seeking a tally of all troops he had at his disposal throughout his kingdom. Joab initially resisted David’s order, and after the census was completed David was stricken with guilt over his actions, and ultimately the Lord punished Israel for David’s census. Yet nowhere in Scripture is the counting of troops clearly condemned. In fact, during the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness the Lord commanded two different censuses to be taken of Israel’s troops (Numbers 1; 26), and many of the accounts of Israel’s battles throughout the Old Testament include a careful tally of the troops involved, so it must have been normal practice to take a census such as David commissioned. Most scholars explain this discrepancy by inferring that Joab and others must have discerned that David was wrongly looking to military might instead of the Lord’s promise to fight for his people (Deuteronomy 20:1-4) or that he was disobeying the law by including those under twenty years of age (see Exodus 30:11-16; 1 Chronicles 27:23-24). While this may be true, it does not fully explain what this author has found to be a curious peculiarity about David’s census: The census takers do not appear to have traveled hardly anywhere within the core settlement areas of Israel or Judah. Instead, the census takers followed a route almost entirely along the perimeter of Israel’s core area of initial settlement, as shown on this map. They started out at Aroer and “the town in the middle of the gorge,” probably referring to modern Mudaynet as-Saliya in the Arnon Gorge (see also Deuteronomy 2:36; Joshua 13:9, 16), which were located at the far corner of Israel’s allotted land. Then they headed north to Jazer and Gilead, likely following the King’s Highway, which ran along the outer edge of Israel’s lands. Then they came to Tahtim-hodshi, which this author suspects is referring to the “lowlands of Kedesh.” The Israelite city of Kedesh was situated among the hills of upper Galilee, but just to the east of it lay a valley occupied primarily by the people of Maacah, who fought against and were defeated by David earlier in his reign. Then the census takers traveled to Dan, which is often cited along with Beersheba as marking the distant boundary of Israel (Judges 20:1; 1 Samuel 3:20; 2 Samuel 3:10; 17:11; 1 Chronicles 21:2), and on to Sidon and Tyre. The Bible never indicates that Sidon and Tyre were subdued by David, but he appears to have wielded considerable influence over Tyre (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Chronicles 14:1; see also 1 Kings 5:2-11) and perhaps over Sidon as well. After this the census takers went to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, likely indicating that they traveled through the coastal lands along the Mediterranean Sea. Lastly, they completed their route at the city of Beersheba in the Negev. This route along the perimeter of Israel’s core settlement areas suggests that, while David’s census takers were no doubt collecting troop information from the tribes of Israel (see 1 Chronicles 21:5-6), their primary focus appears to have been on David’s newly acquired lands, which would have been largely comprised of non-Israelites. This theory may also be supported by 2 Chronicles 2:17, which notes that “Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David his father had taken.” Thus, this author suspects that Joab may have been urging David not to rely on troops from these non-Israelites to protect Israel and instead called upon the Lord to increase the number of “the people” (perhaps meaning the Israelite people) a hundredfold. At the same time, however, the biblical account of the census takers’ route never uses any of the names for the subdued nations (e.g., Moab, Ammon, Aram, Maacah, Philistia, etc.), though it does use vague references to “Canaanites” and “Hivites.” This may reflect a tension that existed at the time between David’s efforts to integrate these new lands into one great empire (thus explaining the aversion to identifying people by their former national affiliation) and the convictions of those like Joab, who may have been opposed to such integration.
