Topical Bible: Israel: Number of, when David Counted

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The event of King David numbering the people of Israel is a significant episode recorded in the Old Testament, specifically in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21. This census, initiated by David, is notable for the divine displeasure it incurred and the subsequent consequences for the nation of Israel.

Context and Motivation

The account begins with a mysterious provocation. In 2 Samuel 24:1 , it is written, "Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He incited David against them, saying, 'Go, take a census of Israel and Judah.'" In contrast, 1 Chronicles 21:1 attributes the incitement to Satan: "Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel." This dual attribution highlights the complexity of divine sovereignty and human agency, suggesting that while Satan may have been the immediate cause, God's overarching purposes were at work.

David's motivation for the census is not explicitly stated, but it is often interpreted as an act of pride or reliance on military strength rather than trust in God. Joab, the commander of the army, expressed his disapproval and reluctance, as seen in 1 Chronicles 21:3 : "But Joab replied, 'May the LORD multiply His troops a hundredfold. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?'"

The Census

Despite Joab's objections, David insisted on the census. The enumeration took place over a period of nine months and twenty days, as recorded in 2 Samuel 24:8 . The results of the census are given in 2 Samuel 24:9 : "Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and in Judah there were five hundred thousand."

1 Chronicles 21:5 provides a slightly different account: "And Joab reported to David the number of the fighting men: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, including four hundred seventy thousand in Judah." The discrepancy in numbers between the two accounts has been the subject of much scholarly discussion, with various explanations proposed, including differences in the scope of the count or textual transmission.

Divine Judgment and Repentance

Following the census, David's conscience was stricken, and he recognized his sin. 2 Samuel 24:10 records his remorse: "After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken, and he said to the LORD, 'I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.'"

God's response to David's sin was swift. Through the prophet Gad, David was given a choice of three punishments: three years of famine, three months of fleeing from enemies, or three days of plague. David chose to fall into the hands of the LORD, resulting in a devastating plague that claimed the lives of seventy thousand men, as described in 2 Samuel 24:15 .

The Altar and Sacrifice

The plague ceased when David built an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, following Gad's instructions. David's purchase of the site and his offering of sacrifices are detailed in 2 Samuel 24:24-25 : "But the king replied to Araunah, 'No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.' So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was halted."

This event underscores the themes of repentance, divine mercy, and the importance of sacrificial worship. The site of Araunah's threshing floor would later become the location of Solomon's Temple, marking it as a place of enduring significance in Israel's history.

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2 Samuel 24:1-9
And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
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1 Chronicles 21:5,6
And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred three score and ten thousand men that drew sword.
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1 Chronicles 27:23,24
But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.
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Library

The Census of Israel
... David ordered the people to be numbered, and because his ... When the conscript number
shall be drawn we may escape ... testimony for the Lord God of Israel die not ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/the census of israel.htm

The Rebuilding of the Temple.
... 42,360 was the number of Jews who returned to their own ... he was head of the house
of David, and would ... Some of the dispersed of Israel joined the returning Jews ...
/.../yonge/the chosen people/lesson xiii the rebuilding of.htm

On the Psalms. I.
... there was a shadow in the land of Israel in the ... who is not worthy of remission, passes
the number fifty, as ... is to be given of the fact, that David alone of the ...
/.../hippolytus/the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/on the psalms i.htm

Israel's Hope Encouraged;
... he with his mouth had promised to David, with his ... despair; 'Why sayest thou, O Jacob,
and speakest, O Israel. ... from this exhortation, and they are in number four ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/israels hope encouraged.htm

Of the Meaning of the Sacrifice Abraham was Commanded to Offer ...
... division, which extends from Abraham to David, that people ... especially since part
even of that number had already ... words of God pertain to the people of Israel. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 24 of the meaning of.htm

"Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge"
... and ye shall be left few in number among the ... the prophet continued, "shall the children
of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 24 destroyed for lack.htm

Psalm LI.
... For, "How good is the God of Israel to the ... But if David's deed is not counted for
ungodliness, but ... translator hath thus used the plural number, not without ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm li.htm

Of the Agreement of the Evangelists Matthew and Luke in the ...
... And so Christ, both the Son of David and the ... hundred years, after which the people
of Israel went out of ... to the sinner himself, make up the number seventy-seven ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon i of the agreement.htm

Introduction
... speculation just as we derive from Israel and Canaan ... racial elements must have been;
even David counted a Moabitess ... have found an even larger number of tablets ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/introduction.htm

Psalms
... and the circumstance that the number of psalms ... considerations render its ascription
to David utterly untenable. ... the prophetic element in Israel's religion, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/psalms.htm