1 Chronicles 21:21 kjv
And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
1 Chronicles 21:21 nkjv
So David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed before David with his face to the ground.
1 Chronicles 21:21 niv
Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.
1 Chronicles 21:21 esv
As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground.
1 Chronicles 21:21 nlt
When Araunah saw David approaching, he left his threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground.
1 Chronicles 21 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 24:18-20 | Gad told David...go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite... | Parallel account; confirms location and purpose. |
| 2 Chr 3:1 | Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared...at the place David had prepared... | Identifies Ornan's floor as the future Temple site. |
| Gen 18:2 | Abraham saw three men, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth. | Example of bowing in deep respect. |
| Gen 19:1 | Lot saw them and rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. | Another instance of bowing in reverence. |
| Gen 23:7 | Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the Hittites. | Respectful bowing in ancient Near East. |
| Josh 5:15 | The commander of the army of the Lord said...Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy... | Highlights the emerging holiness of the site. |
| Exod 3:5 | Do not come near...Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. | Similar emphasis on encountering holy ground. |
| 1 Chr 29:20 | And David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the Lord your God." And all the assembly...bowed down... | Public homage to God and King. |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? | Emphasizes the importance of David's obedience. |
| Ps 34:18 | The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. | David's prior humility and broken spirit are significant. |
| Ps 51:17 | The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. | Emphasizes God's favor towards repentance. |
| Lev 16:20-22 | Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat... | Background on atonement and sacrifice. |
| Heb 9:22 | Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. | Theological principle of sacrifice and forgiveness. |
| 1 Pet 5:6 | Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. | Ornan's humility illustrates a godly principle. |
| Jas 4:10 | Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. | Emphasizes humility leading to divine exaltation. |
| Phil 2:9-11 | Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name...every knee should bow... | The ultimate example of bowing to divine authority. |
| Rom 14:11 | "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." | Universal submission to God. |
| Isa 45:23 | By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.' | Prophetic declaration of universal submission. |
| 2 Chr 7:1-3 | When Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering...all the people of Israel bowed down with their faces to the ground. | People's response to God's glory at the Temple. |
| Exod 25:8-9 | And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. | Future purpose of the site as God's dwelling place. |
| Matt 21:12-13 | Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought...it is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer. | Sanctity and proper use of the Temple. |
| Luke 7:6-7 | The centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself...But only say the word..." | Example of great deference shown to authority. |
| Exod 12:29-30 | At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn...Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up! Get out..." | Illustrates the urgency of response to plague/judgment. |
1 Chronicles 21 verses
1 Chronicles 21 21 Meaning
The verse describes the exact moment King David arrived at Ornan's threshing floor. Upon seeing the King, Ornan, who was actively engaged in separating grain, immediately stopped his work and demonstrated profound respect by bowing fully, prostrating himself with his face to the ground. This action signifies his recognition of David's royal authority and the grave seriousness of the king's presence, indicating his readiness to attend to the matter at hand—the building of an altar to cease a divinely sent plague.
1 Chronicles 21 21 Context
First Chronicles chapter 21 opens with David, incited by an adversary, taking a census of Israel, an act viewed as a display of self-reliance over dependence on God. This sin incurred the LORD's wrath, resulting in a devastating plague that killed 70,000 people. Overcome with repentance, David confessed his sin, and the prophet Gad delivered the LORD's command: build an altar at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Verse 21 describes David's arrival at this divinely designated location. Historically, this threshing floor, an open-air area for winnowing grain, was located on Mount Moriah, a site imbued with previous biblical significance (Gen 22:2). This episode not only addresses the immediate crisis of the plague but also serves as the foundational narrative for the site of the future Temple, emphasizing the crucial connection between atonement, divine command, and sacred space in Israel's history. Ornan's immediate cessation of work and respectful prostration highlights the immediate reverence due to God's anointed king and the gravity of the divine purpose unfolding.
1 Chronicles 21 21 Word analysis
- "So": The Hebrew va-ya-vo links David's immediate action to the preceding divine command given through Gad, signifying prompt obedience.
- "David came": Hebrew: Dawid. Refers to King David, indicating his authority yet also his humility in seeking atonement as instructed by God. His arrival denotes purposeful action to address the national crisis.
- "to Ornan": Hebrew: Ornan. The owner of the threshing floor. His identity as a Jebusite is significant, indicating that this critical location for Israel's future temple was owned by a non-Israelite, and yet he was cooperative and respectful. The parallel account in 2 Samuel refers to him as Araunah.
- "and Ornan looked and saw David": Hebrew: vayyab·beṭ Ornan vay·yir’. "Looked" (navat) implies a discerning, intentional gaze, signifying recognition and immediate comprehension of the profound importance of the royal visit. He didn't just casually notice; he perceived David and his entourage.
- "and left his threshing": Hebrew: mi-go-ren. "Threshing" is the process of separating grain on a "threshing floor" (goren). Ornan’s abrupt cessation of this essential labor demonstrates immediate deferral to the king, prioritizing the royal presence over his personal work and livelihood.
- "and bowed himself": Hebrew: vay·yiš·taḥă·w. This term indicates profound reverence, submission, and often, worship. In this context, it signifies a deep, respectful acknowledgment of King David's authority and status.
- "to David": Clarifies that Ornan's obeisance is directed towards the King, signifying the established authority and social hierarchy.
- "with his face to the ground": Hebrew: ap·pa·yim ar·tza. This phrase precisely describes the posture of full prostration. It visually communicates absolute humility, deep respect, and unreserved submission, appropriate for approaching a king, especially in such a solemn circumstance.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "So David came to Ornan": This phrase captures David’s obedient and urgent movement to the divinely designated location to carry out God’s command to stop the plague, demonstrating his commitment despite his recent sin.
- "and Ornan looked and saw David": This highlights Ornan's prompt and discerning recognition of the king, indicating not just physical sight but also an understanding of the gravity and unusual nature of David's visit to a private threshing floor.
- "and left his threshing": This action immediately signifies Ornan's absolute submission and willingness to set aside his own interests and vital work to attend to the king. It demonstrates an immediate reordering of priorities in the face of royal, and implicitly divine, demand.
- "and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground": This is a powerful visual of complete and humble prostration. It underlines Ornan's profound reverence and shows immediate acknowledgment of David's authority, paving the way for the smooth acquisition of the site for the pivotal act of atonement and future Temple construction.
1 Chronicles 21 21 Bonus section
- The location of Ornan’s threshing floor on Mount Moriah has profound biblical pre-echoes, traditionally linked to Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac (Gen 22:2). This association elevates the site as a place of divine encounter, obedience, and ultimate provision, deepening its significance as the chosen ground for the Temple.
- The Chronicler's version (Ornan) and Samuel's version (Araunah) likely reflect dialectical or scribal variations, a common phenomenon in ancient texts. Both refer to the same person and event.
- Ornan's Jebusite identity is key. It indicates that the future holiest site for Israel's worship was secured from a non-Israelite with his full and willing cooperation and deference, symbolizing that the sacred space, though dedicated to YHWH, involved harmonious dealings with the broader population.
- The contrast between David's earlier pride-driven sin of taking the census and his subsequent posture of urgent, humble obedience, underscored by Ornan's immediate reverence, is a powerful theological theme emphasizing repentance and the prompt adherence to divine instruction.
1 Chronicles 21 21 Commentary
1 Chronicles 21:21 is a concise yet highly significant verse that transitions from judgment to redemption in the narrative of David's reign. After David's sin and the devastating plague, God directs him to this specific site for atonement. The verse immediately portrays David's obedient arrival at Ornan's threshing floor. Crucially, Ornan, a Jebusite, is shown in a state of active work ("threshing"), which he instantly abandons upon perceiving the King. His act of completely prostrating himself, "face to the ground," is more than a customary greeting; it's a deep expression of humility, absolute respect for the royal authority of David, and perhaps an intuitive understanding of the grave divine matter that has brought the king to his private property. This instantaneous cessation of personal enterprise and profound deference on Ornan’s part facilitates the divine plan without delay or resistance, allowing David to proceed with the essential act of sacrifice that will turn away God’s wrath. It subtly foregrounds the idea that God's purpose overrides all human endeavors and private concerns, establishing the foundation for what would become Israel's most sacred space, the Temple.