David's Census and the Resulting Plague
2 Samuel 24:1-17
2 S.24.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויסף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אף: ADV
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לחרות: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויסת: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- מנה: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:1 (verbal): Direct parallel/alternate account of the same episode; Chronicles attributes the incitement to Satan rather than 'the anger of the LORD' moving David (textual and theological contrast).
- Numbers 1:2 (verbal): Uses the same census-language (command to 'take a census' of Israel); provides a canonical background for the practice of numbering the people and highlights contrast between a commanded census and David's censusing.
- Exodus 32:9-10 (thematic): God's anger is kindled against Israel and he threatens judgment—Moses must intercede; thematically parallels divine wrath toward Israel and the threat of punishment that frames the census episode.
- Psalm 78:59-61 (thematic): Recounts God's wrath against Israel and punitive actions (plagues/consumption) in response to Israel's sin; thematically echoes the motif of divine anger leading to national calamity following Israel's wrongdoing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
- And again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
2 S.24.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- יואב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- החיל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- שוט: VERB,qal,imp,2,ms
- נא: PART
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שבטי: NOUN,m,pl,con
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מדן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- באר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שבע: NUM,card
- ופקדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- מספר: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- 1Chron.21.2 (verbal): Direct parallel account in Chronicles—Joab is commanded to 'number Israel from Dan to Beersheba' using essentially the same wording as 2 Samuel 24:2.
- 1Chron.21.1 (thematic): Chronicles places the initiative for the census with Satan (rather than with God as in 2 Sam 24:1), offering a theological variant on the cause and setting for the same event.
- 2Sam.24.1 (structural): Immediate narrative context: the preceding verse explains the divine/historical motivation for the census ('the anger of the LORD was kindled... he incited David'), directly linked to the command in 24:2.
- Num.1.2 (thematic): An earlier Israelite precedent for taking a census—Moses is commanded to 'take a census' of Israel—showing the common administrative/ritual practice of numbering the people.
- 1Sam.3.20 (verbal): Uses the same geographic formula 'from Dan to Beersheba' to describe the scope of Israel; parallels 2 Sam 24:2's phrasing that frames the census as covering the whole land.
Alternative generated candidates
- The king said to Joab, commander of the army who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and take a census of the people, that I may know the number of the people.”
- The king said to Joab, commander of the army who was with him, “Pass now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.”
2 S.24.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יואב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- אל: NEG
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וכהם: CONJ+PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- מאה: NUM,f,sg,abs
- פעמים: NOUN,m,du,abs
- ועיני: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ראות: VERB,qal,ptc,3,f,pl
- ואדני: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- למה: ADV
- חפץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:3 (verbal): Chronicles retells the same exchange almost word for word—Joab objects to numbering Israel and appeals to the king, expressing the same wish that the LORD would multiply the people.
- 2 Samuel 24:4 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation in the same episode: Joab persists in his refusal and urges the king not to press the census—directly linked to v.3 as part of the same protest.
- 1 Chronicles 21:1 (thematic): Chronicles locates the origin of the census in Satan's incitement (contrast with 2 Sam 24:1), offering an alternative theological explanation for why Joab resists the king's order.
- Exodus 30:11-16 (thematic): Law concerning a census and the required atonement payment; provides the normative ritual/theological framework for conducting a numbering of Israel and contrasts with David's apparently irregular census that provokes objection.
- Numbers 1:1-3 (thematic): God's direct command to take a census of Israel under Moses—serves as a structural/theological contrast to David's self-initiated census and highlights why Joab questions the king's motive and propriety in ordering the count.
Alternative generated candidates
- Joab said to the king, “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, add to the people a hundred times as many. My lord the king—are your eyes not seeing this? Why does my lord delight in this thing?”
- Joab said to the king, “May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many; my lord the king, why does my lord delight in this thing?”
2 S.24.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויחזק: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- יואב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- שרי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- החיל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יואב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושרי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- החיל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לפני: PREP
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לפקד: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Chron.21.4 (quotation): Direct parallel account of the same event in Chronicles with language almost identical to 2 Samuel describing Joab and the commanders leaving the king to number Israel.
- 2 Sam.24.2 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same chapter: the preceding verse records David's command to Joab to number the people, providing the direct context for v.4 and Joab's resistance.
- 1 Chron.21.2-3 (structural): Chronicles' broader narrative of the census (including the role of Satan/temptation and Joab's objections) parallels and reframes the Samuel account, showing the same sequence of events.
- Num.1.2-3 (thematic): An earlier, normative census of Israel instituted by divine command; thematically related as a background for understanding the significance and procedure of numbering the people.
- 2 Sam.24.10 (thematic): Later verse describing David's remorse after the census and the ensuing divine displeasure—connects to why Joab and the captains resisted and to the consequences of carrying out the king's command.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army; so Joab went out and the commanders of the army before the king to register the people of Israel.
- But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army; so Joab and the commanders went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.
2 S.24.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעברו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הירדן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויחנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בערוער: PREP+NOUN,prop,sg
- ימין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בתוך: PREP
- הנחל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הגד: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- יעזר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:4-5 (structural): Chronicles gives a parallel account of David’s census/movements; the same campaign/route and place-listing are recounted as a companion narrative to 2 Samuel 24.
- Numbers 32:34 (verbal): Mentions Aroer and Jazer as towns in the territory of Gad—same geographic markers used in 2 Samuel’s description of where the forces camped.
- Joshua 13:25 (verbal): Lists the towns and boundaries in Gilead (including Aroer and Jazer) in the allotment narratives, paralleling Samuel’s place names and regional setting.
- Deuteronomy 3:14 (verbal): Records the giving of Jazer (and related towns) to the tribe of Gad after the conquests—provides the same territorial context referenced in 2 Samuel 24:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- They crossed the Jordan and encamped at Aroer, on the right of the city that lies in the middle of the valley, and toward Jazer.
- They crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, on the edge of the town which is in the valley of the Gadites and toward Jazer.
2 S.24.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- הגלעדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תחתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חדשי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- דנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יען: CONJ
- וסביב: CONJ+PREP
- אל: NEG
- צידון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Chron.21.6 (verbal): Almost word‑for‑word parallel in Chronicles — the same list of places reached in the census (Gilead, Tahtim‑hodshi, Dan and the suburbs of Sidon).
- 2 Sam.24.5 (structural): Immediate literary parallel in the same chapter; verse 5 begins the sequence of places the commanders passed through, of which v.6 is part.
- 1 Chron.21.5 (structural): The preceding verse in Chronicles corresponds to 2 Samuel 24:5 and shows the duplicated census narrative and route in the parallel account.
- Judges 18.29 (thematic): Describes the city of Dan and the tribe’s northern location; thematically parallels the geographic reference to Dan (and its regional context) in Samuel’s route list.
Alternative generated candidates
- They came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and came to Dan and to Sidon, all around to Tyre.
- They came to Gilead, to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.
2 S.24.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מבצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- ערי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- החוי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והכנעני: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויצאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- נגב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- באר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שבע: NUM,card
Parallels
- 1 Chron.21.8 (quotation): Near-verbatim parallel in Chronicles: same listing of peoples (Hivites and Canaanites) coming out to the Negev of Judah, to Beersheba.
- Genesis 15:19-21 (verbal): Early catalog of the inhabitants of the land (Canaanites, Hivites, Jebusites, Amorites, etc.); shares the same ethnic group names appearing in 2 Samuel 24:7.
- Numbers 13:29 (verbal): Spies' report listing where the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and Canaanites dwell, and noting the Amalekites in the Negev—parallels the geographic and ethnic material in 2 Samuel 24:7.
- Deuteronomy 7:1 (thematic): Law/command concerning the nations to be dispossessed (Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, Jebusite); thematically related to the presence and threat of these peoples in the land.
Alternative generated candidates
- They went to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites; then they marched out to the Negev of Judah to Beersheba.
- They came to the strongholds of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; then they went out to the Negeb of Judah, to Beersheba.
2 S.24.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישטו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מקצה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תשעה: NUM,card
- חדשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ועשרים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Chr.21.8 (verbal): Almost verbatim parallel in Chronicles: it likewise records that the numbering was completed in nine months and twenty days (direct repetition of the duration).
- 1 Chr.21.1 (allusion): Chronicles retells the same census episode but alters the theological agent (Satan incites David) — a direct narrative parallel framing the same events that include the nine months and twenty days.
- 2 Sam.24.1 (structural): Earlier verse in the same Samuel account that introduces the census (the event whose duration is then given in 24:8); provides the immediate narrative context for the timing remark.
- 2 Sam.24.9 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same episode in Samuel: after noting the duration, the text proceeds to give the census totals — closely connected material within the same narrative unit.
Alternative generated candidates
- They scoured the whole land, and after nine months and twenty days they returned to Jerusalem.
- They marched through the whole land; after nine months and twenty days they returned to Jerusalem.
2 S.24.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יואב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- מספר: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- מפקד: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ותהי: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמנה: NUM,card,f,pl,abs
- מאות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלף: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- חמש: NUM,card,f,sg
- מאות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:5 (verbal): Direct parallel account of David’s census; Joab gives the totals and the same figures for Israel (800,000) and Judah (500,000).
- Numbers 1:2-3 (thematic): Earlier Israelite precedent for numbering men 'able to go to war'—a census specifically of fighting-age men, echoing the purpose of David’s count.
- Exodus 30:12-13 (thematic): Procedure for a census in the Pentateuch (levying a ransom rather than direct counting) highlights different approaches to numbering the people and the risks associated with a census.
- 1 Chronicles 27:1-7 (thematic): Description of David’s military organization and numbered divisions in his reign; parallels the concern with tallying fighting men and organizing Israel’s military resources.
Alternative generated candidates
- Joab gave the list of the numbering of the people to the king; and in Israel there were eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand.
- Joab gave the number of the census of the people to the king: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand men.
2 S.24.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- אחרי: PREP
- כן: ADV
- ספר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- חטאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- מאד: ADV
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ועתה: CONJ
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- העבר: VERB,qal,ptcp,m,sg,def
- נא: PART
- את: PRT,acc
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עבדך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,ms
- כי: CONJ
- נסכלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- מאד: ADV
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:8 (verbal): Direct parallel account of the same episode (David's census). The confession and plea for forgiveness use nearly identical language to 2 Samuel 24:10.
- 2 Samuel 12:13 (verbal): After Nathan's rebuke over Bathsheba and Uriah, David confesses 'I have sinned against the LORD,' a concise admission of guilt comparable to his confession after the census.
- Psalm 51:3-4 (thematic): A penitential psalm of David that acknowledges great sin and petitions God to remove guilt; thematically echoes David's recognition of serious sin and plea for forgiveness.
- Psalm 32:5 (thematic): Confession and divine forgiveness language ('I acknowledged my sin... you forgave the guilt') parallels the movement from admission of sin to appeal for the removal of iniquity in 2 Samuel 24:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; now, O LORD, take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
- David’s heart struck him after he had counted the people. David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
2 S.24.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בבקר: PREP
- ודבר: VERB,qal,fut,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- גד: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- הנביא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- חזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:9 (quotation): Direct parallel account in Chronicles: God sends the prophet Gad to David (same event, closely corresponding wording).
- 1 Chronicles 21:11 (structural): Continues the Chronicles version of the episode—Gad appears to David and delivers God's message and choices, paralleling the narrative sequence in 2 Samuel 24.11–13.
- 2 Samuel 24:12 (structural): Immediate continuation in Samuel: Gad conveys God’s judgment to David and presents the three punishments—this verse functions as the close literary parallel/continuation of 24:11.
- 2 Samuel 12:1 (thematic): Nathan the prophet confronts David with God's message about sin and punishment; thematically parallels Gad’s role as mediator delivering God’s judgment to the king.
Alternative generated candidates
- In the morning David rose up, and the word of the LORD came to Gad the prophet, David’s seer, saying,
- When David rose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to Gad the prophet, David’s seer, saying,
2 S.24.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלוך: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- ודברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- שלש: NUM,card,f,sg
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- נוטל: VERB,qal,ptcp,NA,m,sg
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- בחר: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אחת: NUM,f,sg
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ואעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Chron.21.12 (quotation): Nearly identical wording — Gad (or the prophet) relays God’s offer of three choices to David; a direct parallel account of the same scene in Chronicles.
- 2 Sam.24.13 (structural): Immediate continuation in Samuel: the three specific alternatives are presented and David is asked to choose, completing the same narrative unit.
- 1 Kings.3.5 (thematic): God appears to Solomon and offers to grant whatever he asks — a similar divine offer/choice motif (choose a blessing or request from the LORD).
- 2 Sam.24.10 (structural): Contextual precursor: David’s confession of sin after the census. That repentance and God’s anger provide the setting for God’s subsequent offer of three punishments.
Alternative generated candidates
- “Go and speak to David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Three things I offer you; choose one of them, and I will do it to you.’”
- “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the LORD: I offer you three things; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’ ”
2 S.24.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- גד: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויגד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- התבוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- שבע: NUM,card
- שנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- רעב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארצך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,m
- אם: CONJ
- שלשה: NUM,m
- חדשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נסך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- צריך: ADJ,m,sg
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- רדפך: PART,qal,m,sg+PRON,2,m,sg
- ואם: CONJ
- היות: VERB,qal,inf
- שלשת: NUM,m,pl,abs
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארצך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,m
- עתה: ADV
- דע: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- וראה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- אשיב: VERB,hiphil,impf,1,sg
- שלחי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:11-12 (quotation): Chronicles repeats Gad’s oracle almost verbatim: the three alternative judgments offered to David (seven years famine, three months flight, or three days pestilence).
- 2 Samuel 24:14 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation — David’s reply to Gad, choosing the three days of pestilence over longer national calamity, showing the moral choice implicit in the options.
- Leviticus 26:16-21 (thematic): Lists covenant curses in which God brings pestilence, sword and famine on the people as punishment — thematically parallel to the punishments Gad offers David to choose between.
- Deuteronomy 28:22-24 (thematic): Part of the covenant curses describing disease, drought and agricultural failure as divine judgments, echoing the motifs of famine and pestilence presented in Gad’s options.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Gad came to David and told him. He said to him, “Shall there come to you seven years of famine in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
- So Gad came to David and told him. He said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come upon you in your land? Or three months’ flight before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
2 S.24.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- גד: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- צר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- מאד: ADV
- נפלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- נא: PART
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- רחמיו: NOUN,m,pl,suff3ms
- וביד: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אפלה: VERB,qal,juss,1,sg
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:13 (verbal): Direct parallel account of the same incident with nearly identical wording: David urges, 'let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great; do not let me fall into the hand of man.'
- 2 Samuel 24:10 (structural): Immediate context: David's conviction and confession of sin precede his distressed plea in 24:14, explaining the cause of his desire to be in God's hand rather than man's.
- Lamentations 3:22 (thematic): Affirms that it is 'because of the LORD's mercies' that people are not consumed—echoing the reliance on God's abundant mercy expressed in 2 Sam 24:14.
- Psalm 86:15 (thematic): Describes God's character as merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, providing theological basis for preferring God's judgment/mercy over human hands.
Alternative generated candidates
- David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercies are abundant; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
- David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercies are great; and do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
2 S.24.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מהבקר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- עת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- מועד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וימת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מן: PREP
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מדן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- באר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שבע: NUM,card
- שבעים: NUM,card,m,pl
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:14-15 (verbal): Direct retelling of the Davidic census/plague narrative; Chronicles uses nearly identical language about the plague and the number (70,000) who died.
- 2 Samuel 24:13 (structural): Immediate antecedent in the same episode where God (through Gad) offers three punishments, including a pestilence, which sets up the plague described in v.15.
- 2 Samuel 24:16 (structural): Immediate continuation: the angel of the LORD is seen over Jerusalem and the plague ceases after David intercedes, linking v.15's deaths to the angelic action that follows.
- Numbers 16:46-50 (thematic): Another instance where a divinely sent plague strikes Israel for sin and is halted by priestly intercession and sacrifice (Aaron's incense), reflecting the motif of pestilence as divine judgment and its cessation through cultic action.
Alternative generated candidates
- So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel; from the morning until the appointed time there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men.
- So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men.
2 S.24.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- המלאך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לשחתה: PREP+VERB,qal,inf,0,f,sg+obj:3,f,sg
- וינחם: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- למלאך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- המשחית: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בעם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- עתה: ADV
- הרף: VERB,hif,imp,2,m,sg
- ידך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,f,sg
- ומלאך: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עם: PREP
- גרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הארונה: NOUN,m,sg,def,prop
- היבסי: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 21:15 (quotation): Direct parallel/retelling of the same episode; Chronicles repeats the language about the angel poised over Jerusalem and God commanding the destroyer to stop, with the angel at Araunah's threshing floor.
- Exodus 32:14 (verbal): Uses the same verb/idea of God 'relenting' (וינחם) after intercession; parallels the theme of God withholding planned punishment.
- Jonah 3:10 (thematic): God relents from intended destruction of a city after intercession/repentance (Nineveh); parallels divine forbearance in response to averting judgment.
- Numbers 14:20-23 (thematic): God pardons Israel following Moses' plea ('I have pardoned, as you asked'); parallels the motif of divine reversal or restraint of a threatened punishment after mediation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God sent out his angel against Jerusalem to destroy it; and as he was destroying, the LORD saw and relented of the calamity, and he said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
- And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; and as he was destroying, the LORD saw and relented of the disaster and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; restrain your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2 S.24.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בראתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- המלאך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- המכה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בעם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הנה: PART
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- חטאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- ואנכי: PRON,1,sg
- העויתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ואלה: CONJ+DEM,pl,abs
- הצאן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מה: PRON,int
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- תהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,f,sg
- נא: PART
- ידך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,f,sg
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ובבית: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,construct
- אבי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
Parallels
- 1 Chron.21.16-17 (verbal): Parallel account of the same event—David sees the angel striking the people and offers himself and his household to bear the punishment; language and sequence closely correspond to 2 Sam 24:16–17.
- 2 Sam.24.10 (structural): Immediate context in the same chapter: David’s prior confession 'I have sinned' (24:10) prepares the repentant stance expressed when he asks that the punishment fall on him and his house (24:17).
- Exod.32.31-32 (thematic): Moses’ intercession for Israel after their sin—he offers to have his name blotted out instead of the people—echoes the motif of a leader accepting culpability or offering himself on behalf of the nation.
- Ps.51.4 (thematic): Davidic language of confession and acknowledgment of personal guilt before God ('I have sinned against you') parallels the repentant tone of 2 Sam 24:17 and reflects David’s penitential theology.
Alternative generated candidates
- When David saw the angel who was striking the people, he said to the LORD, “Behold, I have sinned; I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
- When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the LORD, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
The king said to Joab the commander of the army, “Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” But Joab said to the king, “May the LORD add to your people a hundredfold; my lord the king, are the eyes of the LORD your God on this? Why does my lord take delight in this thing?”
Yet the king’s command prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army; so Joab and the commanders went out from before the king to number the people of Israel.
They crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, on the right of the city that lies in the ravine of the Arnon, and to Jazer.
They entered Gilead and the land of Tahtim‑hodshi, and came to Dan and round about to Sidon.
They came to the strongholds of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites; then they went to the border of Judah at Beersheba.
They marched through the whole land; at the end of nine months and twenty days they came back to Jerusalem.
Joab gave the census of the numbering to the king: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand men.
When David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people, David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; now, I beseech you, O LORD, take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
David rose up early the next morning; and the word of the LORD came to Gad the prophet, David’s seer, saying,
“Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the LORD: I will bring three things upon you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’ ” So Gad came to David and told him. He said to him, “Shall there come to you seven years of famine in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of pestilence in the land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall now into the hand of the LORD, for his mercies are great; and let me not fall into the hand of man.” So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel, and from the morning until the appointed time seventy thousand men of the people died, from Dan to Beersheba. And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented of the evil and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing‑floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel who was striking the people, he said to the LORD, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep—what have they done? Let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”