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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clearImportance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV)So the king told Yoav, the commander of his army, who was with him at the time, “Travel throughout all the regions of the Israeli tribes, from Dan(in the far north) down to Beersheba (in the far south), and count the people so that I’ll know the number of fighting men.”
Key: khaki:verbs.
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 εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Ἰωὰβ ἄρχοντα τῆς ἰσχύος τὸν μετʼ αὐτοῦ, διέλθε δὴ πάσας φυλὰς Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα, ἀπὸ Δὰν καὶ ἕως Βηρσαβεέ, καὶ ἐπίσκεψαι τὸν λαὸν, καὶ γνώσομαι τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ λαοῦ. (Kai eipen ho basileus pros Yōab arⱪonta taʸs isⱪuos ton metʼ autou, dielthe daʸ pasas fulas Israaʸl kai Youda, apo Dan kai heōs Baʸrsabeʼe, kai episkepsai ton laon, kai gnōsomai ton arithmon tou laou. )
BrTrAnd the king said to Joab commander of the host, who was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel and Juda, from Dan even to Bersabee, and number the people, and I will know the number of the people.
ULTAnd the king said to Joab, the captain of the army, who was with him, “Now, roam about among all the tribes of Israel, from Dan and up to Beersheba, and inspect the people, that I may know the number of the people.”
USTSo the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Go with your officers through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the far south, and count the people, in order that I may know how many people there are who are able to be soldiers in the army.”
BSB § So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him,[fn] “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so that I may know their number.”
OEBSo the king said to Joab and the of the army who with him, ‘Go now about among all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and muster the people that I may know the number of the people.’
WEBBEThe king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, “Now go back and forth through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the sum of the people.”
NETThe king told Joab, the general in command of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba and muster the army, so I may know the size of the army.”
LSVAnd the king says to Joab, head of the host that [is] with him, “Now go to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-Sheba, and inspect the people; then I have known the number of the people.”
FBVSo David told Joab, the army commander, “Go and count the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba, so I can have a total number.”
T4TSo the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Go with your officers through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan city in the far north to Beersheba town in the far south, and count the people, in order that I may know how many people there are who are able to be soldiers in the army.”
LEBThe king said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him: “Please go about through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people that I may know the number of the people.”
BBEAnd the king said to Joab and the captains of the army, who were with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan as far as Beer-sheba, and have all the people numbered, so that I may be certain of the number of the people.
JPSAnd the king said to Joab the captain of the host that was with him: 'Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of the people.'
ASVAnd the king said to Joab the captain of the host, who was with him, Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of the people.
DRAAnd the king said to Joab the general of his army: Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Bersabee, and number ye the people that I may know the number of them.
YLTAnd the king saith unto Joab, head of the host that [is] with him, 'Go to and fro, I pray thee, through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, and inspect ye the people — and I have known the number of the people.'
DrbyAnd the king said to Joab the captain of the host, who was with him, Go, I pray thee, through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.
RVAnd the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of the people.
WbstrFor the king said to Joab the captain of the host, who was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.
KJB-1769For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.[fn] (For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye/you_all the people, that I may know the number of the people. )
KJB-1611[fn]For the king said to Ioab the captaine of the hoste, which was with him, Goe now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan euen to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people. (Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)
BshpsFor the king sayde to Ioab the captaine of the hoast which was with him: Go thou abrode now throughout al the tribes of Israel, euen from Dan to Beerseba, and number ye the people, that I may knowe the number of them. (For the king said to Yoab the captain of the host which was with him: Go thou/you abroad now throughout all the tribes of Israel, even from Dan to Beerseba, and number ye/you_all the people, that I may know the number of them.)
GnvaFor the King said to Ioab the captaine of the hoste, which was with him, Goe speedily now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan euen to Beer-sheba, and nomber ye the people, that I may knowe the nomber of the people. (For the King said to Yoab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go speedily now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye/you_all the people, that I may know the number of the people. )
CvdlAnd the kynge sayde vnto Ioab ye chefe captayne of his hoost: Go aboute in all the trybes of Israel, from Dan vnto Berseba, and nombre the people, that I maye knowe how many they be. (And the king said unto Yoab ye/you_all chief captain of his hoost: Go about in all the tribes of Israel, from Dan unto Berseba, and number the people, that I may know how many they be.)
WyclAnd the kyng seide to Joab, the prince of his oost, Go thou bi alle lynagis of Israel fro Dan `til to Bersabee, and noumbre thou the puple, that Y wite the noumbre therof. (And the king said to Yoab, the prince of his host, Go thou/you by all lynagis of Israel from Dan `til to Bersabee, and number thou/you the people, that I wite the number thereof.)
LuthUnd der König sprach zu Joab, seinem Feldhauptmann: Gehe umher in allen Stämmen Israels von Dan an bis gen Berseba und zähle das Volk, daß ich wisse, wieviel sein ist. (And the/of_the king spoke to Yoab, his Feldhauptmann: Gehe around/about in all Stämmen Israels from Dan at until to/toward Berseba and zähle the people, that I wisse, wieviel his is.)
ClVgDixitque rex ad Joab principem exercitus sui: Perambula omnes tribus Israël a Dan usque Bersabee, et numerate populum, ut sciam numerum ejus. (And_he_said king to Yoab principem exercitus sui: Perambula everyone tribus Israel from Dan until Bersabee, and numerate the_people, as sciam numerum his. )
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).
(Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_said the=king to/towards Yōʼāⱱ/(Joab) chief the,army which/who with=him/it go now in=all tribes Yisrael from,Dan and=unto בְּאֵר seven and,register DOM the,people and,know DOM number the,people )
This phrase uses two place names Dan, in the far north, and Beersheba, in the far south, to represent the entire country.
(Occurrence 0) count all the people … fit for battle
(Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_said the=king to/towards Yōʼāⱱ/(Joab) chief the,army which/who with=him/it go now in=all tribes Yisrael from,Dan and=unto בְּאֵר seven and,register DOM the,people and,know DOM number the,people )
This means to count all the men except those men who are either too young, too old, or physically unable to fight.
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.
