2 Samuel 24

1 Again the anger [wrath, fierce indignation] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] burned [was kindled, intensely heated] against Israel [the descendants of Jacob], and He stirred up [incited, provoked] David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] against them, saying, “Go [walk, move from one place to another] and take a census [number, count] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob] and Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob].” word study 2 So the king [ruler, sovereign] said to Joab [Jehovah is father] the commander [captain, leader] of his army [troops, military forces], who was with him, “Go now [please, I pray] throughout the tribes [clans, families] of Israel [God’s chosen people] from Dan [the city of Dan] to Beersheba [the well of the sevenfold oath] and register [number, count] the troops [people, warriors], so that I may know [understand, be aware of] their number [quantity, amount].” word study 3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme Creator] multiply the troops [add to the people, increase the army] a hundred [numerous, abundant] times over, and may the eyes [source of perception, understanding] of my lord [master, ruler] the king see it. But why does my lord [master, ruler] the king want to do [delight in, take pleasure in] such a thing [this matter, this affair]?” word study 4 Nevertheless, the king’s [ruler, sovereign] word [command, decree] prevailed [was stronger, took hold] against Joab [Jehovah is father, a prominent Israelite] and against the commanders [captains, leaders] of the army [military force, host]. So Joab and the commanders [princes, rulers] of the army [troops] departed [went out, left] from the presence [face, sight] of the king [monarch, sovereign] to count [number, reckon] the troops [people, nation] of Israel [God’s chosen people, descendants of Jacob]. word study 5 They crossed [passed over, transitioned] the Jordan [the river running from Lebanon to the Dead Sea] and camped [set up their tents, pitched] near Aroer [a place of ruins], south [on the right side] of the town [city, settlement] in the middle [midst, center] of the valley [low area of land, brook], and proceeded [went, moved] toward [in the direction of] Gad [a tribe of Israel, named after the seventh son of Jacob] and Jazer [an Amorite city, originally]. word study 6 Then they went [came, approached] to Gilead [a mountainous region east of the Jordan River] and the land [territory, region] of Tahtim-hodshi [possibly meaning lowest-moon], and on [toward, in the direction of] to Dan-jaan [a place in Palestine, possibly meaning purposeful judgment] and around [surrounding, encompassing] to Sidon [an ancient city on the Mediterranean coast]. word study 7 They went toward [approaching, coming near to] the fortress [stronghold, walled city] of Tyre [a major Phoenician city] and all [every, the whole] the cities [towns, settlements] of the Hivites [an ancient tribe in Palestine] and Canaanites [inhabitants of the land of Canaan]. Finally, they went on [proceeded, continued] to the Negev [the southern district, south country] of Judah [the tribe and region], to [toward, in the direction of] Beersheba [the well of the sevenfold oath, a city in Palestine]. word study 8 At the end [conclusion, final point] of nine months [lunar cycles, periods of renewal] and twenty days [periods of time, opportunities], having gone through [traveled throughout, roamed] the whole [entire, all-encompassing] land [territory, region], they returned [came back, arrived] to Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital]. word study 9 And Joab reported [delivered, gave up] to the king the total number [sum, count] of the troops [men of war, army]. In Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, God’s chosen people] there were 800,000 [eight hundred thousand] men of valor [strong, mighty, courageous] who drew [pulled out, unsheathed] the sword [cutting instrument, weapon], and in Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, son of Jacob] there were 500,000 [five hundred thousand]. word study 10 After David had numbered [counted, taken a census of] the troops, his conscience [heart, inner self] was stricken [smote, felt remorse] and he said to the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], “I have sinned [missed the mark, gone wrong] greatly [exceedingly, very much] in what I have done [committed, acted]. Now, O LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], I beg [beseech, implore] You to take away [remove, forgive] the iniquity [moral evil, sin] of Your servant [slave, one who serves], for I have acted [done, committed] very foolishly [in a foolish manner, without wisdom].” word study 11 When David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] got up [rose, stood up] in the morning [at the break of day, a time of new beginnings], a revelation [word, message, Chronicles] from the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] had come [existed, happened] to Gad [Gad the prophet, David’s seer] the prophet [someone who speaks for God, a spokesperson], David’s seer [a prophet, someone who receives visions from God]: word study 12 “Go [to approach, draw near] and tell David that this is what the LORD [Yehovah] says: ‘I am offering [presenting, giving] you three [a triad, a set of three] options [choices, possibilities]. Choose [select, pick] one of them, and I will carry [execute, bring to pass] it out against you [toward you, upon you].’” word study 13 So Gad went and said to David, “Do you choose to endure [suffer patiently] three years [a period of time, a season] of famine [hunger, scarcity] in your land [territory, kingdom], three months [a period of time, a lunar cycle] of fleeing [running away, escaping] the pursuit [chase, persecution] of your enemies [adversaries, foes], or three days [a short period, a brief time] of plague [pestilence, disease] upon your land [country, nation]? Now then, think it over [consider, reflect] and decide how I should reply [answer, respond] to Him who sent me [the One who commissioned me, the Lord].” word study 14 David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed [in a great strait, extremely troubled]. Please, let us fall [yield, surrender] into the hand [power, care] of the LORD [Yehovah, the merciful God], for His mercies [compassion, tender love] are great [many, abundant]; but do not let me fall [be given over, succumb] into the hands [power, control] of men [humans, mortal beings].” word study 15 So the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] sent a plague [pestilence, a disease that affects people or animals] upon Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants] from that morning [the break of day, a time of new beginnings] until the appointed time [a meeting or sacred season], and seventy thousand [a large number, a company of people] of the people [a nation, a tribe] from Dan [the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel] to Beersheba [a city in Palestine, the well of the sevenfold oath] died [to die, either literally or as a punishment]. word study 16 But when the angel [messenger of God, heavenly representative] stretched out his hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share] to destroy [to ruin, bring calamity upon] Jerusalem [the city of peace, God’s holy city], the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] relented [had pity, showed compassion] from the calamity [evil, affliction] and said to the angel [messenger, divine envoy] who was destroying [bringing ruin upon] the people [the nation, the community], “Enough [it is sufficient, cease]! Withdraw your hand [stop, refrain from action] now [at this time, immediately]!” At that time the angel of the LORD [God’s heavenly messenger] was by the threshing floor [the place of separation, judgment] of Araunah [a descendant of Jebus] the Jebusite [an inhabitant of Jebus, the early name for Jerusalem]. word study 17 When David [the shepherd king] saw the angel [messenger of God] striking down the people, he said to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], “Surely I, the shepherd [leader and caretaker], have sinned [missed the mark, gone wrong] and acted wickedly [done wrong, committed iniquity]. But these sheep [innocent people], what have they done [what is their guilt]? Please [I pray], let Your hand [power and direction] fall upon me and my father’s house [my family and descendants].” word study 18 And that day [the same day, at that time] Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up [ascend, rise] and build [rear, establish] an altar [a place of sacrifice] to the LORD [Yehovah] on the threshing floor [the grain-floor, a place of separation] of Araunah [meaning joyful shouting or shining] the Jebusite [a descendant of Jebus, an early inhabitant of Jerusalem].” word study 19 So David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] went up [to ascend, as in a spiritual sense] at the word [chronicles, a matter or affair] of Gad [the seventh son of Jacob, founder of the tribe of Gad], just as [which, a conjunction connecting ideas] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] had commanded [to give orders, appoint or ordain]. word study 20 When Araunah [gazed down] looked out and saw the king [royal person, ruler] and his servants [slaves, attendants] coming toward him, he went out [came forth, emerged] and bowed [prostrated himself, showed respect] facedown [with his face to the ground, in humility] before the king [the monarch, sovereign]. word study 21 “Why [for what reason, on what account] has my lord [master, ruler] the king [sovereign, monarch] come to his servant [slave, bondservant]?” Araunah [the Jebusite, joyful shouting] said. “To buy [acquire, purchase] your threshing floor [grain floor, place of separation],” David [the king, beloved] replied, “that I may build [construct, establish] an altar [place of sacrifice, worship] to the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], so that the plague [pestilence, judgment] upon the people [nation, community] may be halted [restrained, stopped].” word study 22 Araunah said to David, “My lord [sovereign ruler] the king may take [receive, accept] whatever seems good [pleasant, beneficial] and offer it up [as a sacrifice, a gift to God]. Here are the oxen [cattle, domesticated animals] for a burnt offering [a sacrifice completely consumed by fire] and the threshing sledges [instruments for separating grain] and ox yokes [tools for binding, equipment] for the wood [fuel, material for the fire]. word study 23 O king, Araunah [the Jebusite, joyful shouting] gives all these [everything, the whole] to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme One] accept you [be pleased with, receive favorably].” word study 24 “No,” replied the king [ruler, monarch], “I insist on paying a price [at a cost, with a valuable consideration], for I will not offer to the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] my God [Elohim, the supreme Deity] burnt offerings [sacrifices, acts of worship] that cost me nothing [without any value, for free].” So David [the king of Israel, a man after God’s heart] bought the threshing floor [a place of separation, a site for sacrifice] and the oxen [cattle, domesticated animals] for fifty shekels [a unit of weight, a measure of value] of silver [a precious metal, a form of payment]. word study 25 And there [at that specific location, in that very place] he built [constructed, established] an altar [a place of sacrifice, for worship] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] and offered [presented, sacrificed] burnt offerings [totally consumed by fire] and peace offerings [a voluntary sacrifice, to show thanks and maintain fellowship]. Then the LORD [the supreme God, Yehovah] answered [responded to, heard] the prayers [supplications, requests] on behalf of the land [the earth, the territory of Israel], and the plague [a divine judgment, a pestilence] upon [afflicting, affecting] Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] was halted [restrained, stopped, stayed]. word study