2 Samuel 24
Study sheet, King James Version, with the original-language words this chapter turns on.
The text
1And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
2For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.
3And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?
4Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
5And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer:
6Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan, and about to Zidon,
7And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beersheba.
8So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
11For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
12Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
13So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
14And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: 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.
15So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.
16And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.
17And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.
18And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
20And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
21And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
22And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
23All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.
24And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
Words in this chapter
Definitions are Strong's own wording from his Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Counts are how often each word appears in this chapter, from the tagged text.
- אֵלʼêlH41321× in this chapter
near, with or among; often in general, to
- אֵתʼêthH85319× in this chapter
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
- יְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâhH306818× in this chapter
Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
- אָמַרʼâmarH55917× in this chapter
to say (used with great latitude)
- דָּוִדDâvidH173215× in this chapter
David, the youngest son of Jesse
- מֶלֶךְmelekH442815× in this chapter
a king
- עַםʻamH597110× in this chapter
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
- אֲרַוְנָהʼĂravnâhH7289× in this chapter
Aravnah (or Arnijah or Ornah), a Jebusite
- בּוֹאbôwʼH9358× in this chapter
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
- יִשְׂרָאֵלYisrâʼêlH34787× in this chapter
Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
- גָּדGâdH14106× in this chapter
Gad, a son of Jacob, including his tribe and its territory; also a prophet
- אֶרֶץʼeretsH7766× in this chapter
the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
- בְּאֵר שֶׁבַעBᵉʼêr ShebaʻH8846× in this chapter
Beer-Sheba, a place in Palestine
- דָּבָרdâbârH16975× in this chapter
a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
- הָיָהhâyâhH19615× in this chapter
to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
- יָדyâdH30275× in this chapter
a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),
- יוֹאָבYôwʼâbH30975× in this chapter
Joab, the name of three Israelites
- עַלʻalH59215× in this chapter
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
- עָלָהʻâlâhH59275× in this chapter
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
- רָאָהrâʼâhH72005× in this chapter
to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
- אָדוֹןʼâdôwnH1134× in this chapter
sovereign, i.e. controller (human or divine)
- גֹּרֶןgôrenH16374× in this chapter
a threshing-floor (as made even); by analogy, any open area
- חַיִלchayilH24284× in this chapter
probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength
- כֹּלkôlH36054× in this chapter
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
- אִישׁʼîyshH3764× in this chapter
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
- מֲלְאָךְmălʼâkH43974× in this chapter
a messenger; specifically, of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher)
- נָאnâʼH49944× in this chapter
'I pray', 'now', or 'then'; added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction
- קָנָהqânâhH70694× in this chapter
to erect, i.e. create; by extension, to procure, especially by purchase (causatively, sell); by implication to own
- אֲשֶׁרʼăsherH8344× in this chapter
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
- בָּקָרbâqârH12413× in this chapter
beef cattle or an animal of the ox family of either gender (as used for plowing); collectively, a herd
- דָּןDânH18353× in this chapter
Dan, one of the sons of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory; likewise a place in Palestine colonized by them
- יְהוּדָהYᵉhûwdâhH30633× in this chapter
Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
- יוֹםyôwmH31173× in this chapter
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
- יָצָאyâtsâʼH33183× in this chapter
to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.
- כִּיkîyH35883× in this chapter
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
- מְאֹדmᵉʼôdH39663× in this chapter
properly, vehemence, i.e. (with or without preposition) vehemently; by implication, wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or superlative; especially when repeated)
- מֵאָהmêʼâhH39673× in this chapter
a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction
- מָהmâhH41003× in this chapter
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses
- מִזְבֵּחַmizbêachH41963× in this chapter
an altar
- אֱלֹהִיםʼĕlôhîymH4303× in this chapter
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative