What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 21:20? Now Ornan was threshing wheat • Picture Ornan (also called Araunah in 2 Samuel 24:18) busy on his hilltop threshing floor, an ordinary man engaged in ordinary labor. • The threshing floor sat on what Genesis 22:2 calls “the land of Moriah,” the very site where Abraham once raised a knife over Isaac and where 2 Chronicles 3:1 later says Solomon built the temple. God often steps into the routines of life to advance His larger redemptive story. • Threshing required wind to separate chaff from grain, so the floor stood high, overlooking Jerusalem. From that vantage point Ornan could see what others below did not—much like Gideon in Judges 6:11 threshing in secret, or Ruth meeting Boaz at night on a threshing floor (Ruth 3:2–9). • David will soon buy this very spot to erect an altar, turning a workplace into a place of worship (1 Chronicles 21:25–26). God transforms the ordinary for His glory. when he turned and saw the angel • Verse 16 has already described “the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, with a drawn sword in his hand.” Ornan now turns and sees the same formidable messenger. • Encounters with angels in Scripture often produce awe: Balaam’s donkey saw the angel first (Numbers 22:31); Joshua met the Commander of the LORD’s army (Joshua 5:13–14); the shepherds at Bethlehem were “terrified” (Luke 2:9). • This angel is executing judgment for David’s census sin, yet also points toward mercy, for God will soon command the sword to be sheathed (1 Chronicles 21:27). The vision underlines God’s holiness and justice, but also His readiness to relent when atonement is made. • Ornan’s turning suggests a sudden, overwhelming awareness of the divine—proof that heaven can break into the mundane at any moment. and his four sons who were with him hid themselves • Terror is a natural human response to God’s unveiled holiness. Adam and Eve “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD” (Genesis 3:8). Israel trembled at Sinai (Exodus 20:18–19). People in Revelation 6:15 seek caves to escape the Lamb’s wrath. • The four sons’ instinct to hide highlights the contrast between sinful humanity and God’s perfect purity. Even righteous men like Daniel fell on their faces before angels (Daniel 10:7–9). • Their hiding also sets the stage for David’s bold approach. While the sons flee, David will come, purchase the floor, build an altar, and see the plague stopped—anticipating the greater Son of David who will stand where others cannot and make full atonement (Hebrews 10:12). • In mercy, God allows Ornan’s family to survive this encounter, underscoring Psalm 103:13–14—He remembers our frame and spares us despite our frailty. summary 1 Chronicles 21:20 shows an ordinary farmer suddenly confronted by the angel of the LORD. While engaged in daily work, Ornan turns, sees divine judgment, and his sons hide in fear. The scene underscores God’s ability to break into human routine, His blazing holiness that causes sinners to tremble, and His plan to convert a common threshing floor into the future site of His temple. In a single verse, God’s sovereignty over history, His justice against sin, and His mercy toward the humble all converge, preparing the ground—literally and spiritually—for redemptive worship. |
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