Why does Araunah offer everything to King David in 2 Samuel 24:22? Immediate Narrative Context (2 Samuel 24:18–25) David has sinned by numbering Israel; a devastating plague kills 70,000. “That day Gad came to David and said to him, ‘Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite’ ”(v. 18). God’s angel is visibly poised over Jerusalem. David ascends, seeking to halt the judgment through sacrifice, and encounters Araunah. Who Is Araunah (Ornan) the Jebusite? • Araunah (Heb. ’Ărawnāh) is a former Jebusite landowner now living under Davidic rule in Jerusalem. • The Chronicler’s spelling “Ornan” (1 Chronicles 21:18) reflects a dialectal variation; the Dead Sea Scroll fragment 4QSamuel⁽ᵃ⁾ confirms the Samuel spelling, evidencing textual stability. • His possession—a high, exposed threshing floor—was ideal for winnowing grain by the prevailing western winds and is located on Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1), the future Temple site. Ancient Near-Eastern Royal Etiquette Near-Eastern custom required subjects to honor a sovereign’s request with lavish generosity: “All that the king desires, the servant supplies” (cf. Genesis 47:12; 1 Samuel 25:18–27). Araunah thus offers his entire estate without charge: “Let my lord the king take it and offer whatever is good in his sight. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering, the threshing sledges and yokes for the wood” (2 Samuel 24:22). This gesture embodies loyalty, hospitality, and self-submission to divinely ordained authority (Romans 13:1). The Spiritual Atmosphere—Fear and Faith Araunah witnesses the visible angel (1 Chronicles 21:20). A non-Israelite confronted with Yahweh’s holiness reacts with immediate surrender, paralleling Rahab (Joshua 2) and the sailors with Jonah (Jonah 1:16). He recognizes that only an acceptable sacrifice mediated through God’s anointed king can stay the plague. His offer, therefore, is both pragmatic and worshipful. Recognition of Divine Ownership Psalm 24:1 declares, “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof.” Araunah’s language—“Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king” (v. 23)—acknowledges that what he “gives” already belongs to Yahweh’s appointed ruler. This mirrors Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20) and anticipates believers’ stewardship (1 Corinthians 4:7). Typology—From Moriah to Calvary 1 Chronicles 3:1 identifies the threshing floor as Mount Moriah, the site where Abraham offered Isaac (Genesis 22) and where Solomon later built the Temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). Araunah’s willingness anticipates the Father’s giving of His “only Son” (John 3:16). Threshing floors symbolized judgment and purification (Jeremiah 51:33; Matthew 3:12); here judgment is stayed by substitutionary sacrifice, foreshadowing Christ’s atonement (2 Corinthians 5:21). David’s Response—Sacrifice Must Cost David refuses a gratis gift: “I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (v. 24). Authentic worship requires costly devotion (Romans 12:1). Araunah’s offer highlights this principle by contrast; David ensures the sacrifice reflects genuine repentance, not convenience. Harmonizing Purchase Prices (50 Shekels vs. 600 Shekels) 2 Samuel 24:24 records 50 shekels of silver; 1 Chronicles 21:25 records 600 shekels of gold. The most straightforward harmony: • Samuel cites the price for the threshing floor and oxen only. • Chronicles records the later full purchase of the entire mount. Comparable dual pricing occurs in Jeremiah 32: 9–15, demonstrating separate deeds for field and buildings. Ancient Near-Eastern tablets (e.g., Nuzi documents) confirm staged land transactions. Archaeological Corroboration of the Site Temple-Mount bedrock hosts a 10 × 12 m flat prominence consistent with pre-Iron Age threshing activities. Israeli archaeologist Leen Ritmeyer identifies a surviving rock-cut trench matching sledges’ grooves, supporting an original threshing floor beneath the Second-Temple platform. Such finds harmonize with Josephus’ description (Ant. 7.13.4). Practical Applications 1. Generosity: Hold possessions loosely; God may use them for redemptive purposes (Acts 4:34-37). 2. Worship: Offer God what costs something—time, talent, treasure. 3. Leadership: Accept responsibility for sin; lead in repentance as David did. 4. Mission: Even outsiders (Araunah) can perceive God’s work; share Christ boldly. Answer in Summary Araunah freely offers everything to King David out of royal deference, awe of Yahweh’s judgment, recognition of divine ownership, and a desire to participate in the atoning act that would spare the nation. His generosity serves God’s unfolding redemptive plan, marking the very ground where substitutionary sacrifice would culminate centuries later in Christ. |
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