2 Samuel 24:1 kjv
And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
2 Samuel 24:1 nkjv
Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah."
2 Samuel 24:1 niv
Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."
2 Samuel 24:1 esv
Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go, number Israel and Judah."
2 Samuel 24:1 nlt
Once again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. "Go and count the people of Israel and Judah," the LORD told him.
2 Samuel 24 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Chron 21:1 | Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. | Satan as the direct inciter, providing complementary perspective. |
| Job 1:12 | And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” | God's sovereign permission even over evil acts of Satan. |
| Jas 1:13 | Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. | God does not tempt to sin directly; highlights human culpability. |
| Deut 8:2 | And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. | God's purpose in testing His people. |
| Exod 4:21 | And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have commanded you. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go." | God's hardening or allowing, leading to an outcome. |
| Rom 9:17-18 | For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. | Divine sovereignty over human hearts and actions. |
| Gen 50:20 | As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. | God's ability to use evil for good, showcasing His providence. |
| Acts 2:23 | this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. | God's definite plan coexisting with human wickedness. |
| Isa 45:7 | I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things. | God's ultimate control over all circumstances. |
| Lam 3:38 | Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? | Divine source of all events, good and bad. |
| Ps 76:10 | For the wrath of man shall praise you; the remainder of wrath you will restrain. | Even human sin or wrath can ultimately serve God's purposes. |
| Hab 1:5 | Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. | God's sovereign, mysterious work that includes judgment. |
| Hos 1:2 | When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry, for the land commits great harlotry by forsaking the Lord.” | God's use of actions to highlight and address national sin. |
| Jer 20:7 | O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. | Jeremiah's expression of feeling influenced by God in a powerful, compelling way. |
| 2 Sam 12:9-11 | Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight?... I will raise up evil against you from your own house. | Previous instances of divine anger and judgment against David's house due to sin. |
| Deut 28:15 | “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you." | Covenantal curses resulting from disobedience, often related to God's anger. |
| Prov 16:33 | The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. | God's sovereign control over seemingly random events. |
| Eph 1:11 | In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. | God working all things according to His will, even difficult circumstances. |
| Rom 8:28 | And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. | God uses all things, including difficult situations and even sin, for His ultimate good purpose. |
| Zech 8:14 | For thus says the Lord of hosts: As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, says the Lord of hosts, and I did not relent. | God's resolved intention to bring judgment for sin. |
| Gen 6:5-7 | The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” | Illustration of God's profound grief and resulting judgment against pervasive human wickedness. |
2 Samuel 24 verses
2 Samuel 24 1 Meaning
Second Samuel 24:1 states that the Lord's anger was once again kindled against Israel, and this divine displeasure led Him to incite King David to take a census of the nation. This action, instigated by the Lord, is presented as the immediate cause of the national sin, triggering the subsequent judgment described in the chapter. The verse thus sets the stage for a period of divine testing and judgment on both David and Israel.
2 Samuel 24 1 Context
Second Samuel chapter 24 is the final chapter of the book and serves as a significant theological conclusion to David's reign. It immediately follows narratives of severe judgment and distress within David's kingdom, including the rebellion of Absalom (2 Sam 15-18) and Sheba's revolt (2 Sam 20), along with a famine of three years caused by Saul's sin against the Gibeonites (2 Sam 21). These events highlight that the kingdom of Israel, despite David's anointing, was still deeply flawed.
The verse is set in a period where God's anger ("again") suggests a simmering discontent with Israel. The reason for this renewed anger is not explicitly stated here but often attributed by scholars to the ongoing corruption and moral decline within the nation, or perhaps the cumulative weight of their previous sins for which judgment had not yet fully fallen. This backdrop sets the stage for David's seemingly impulsive decision to take a census, which ultimately serves as a vehicle for divine judgment upon Israel. The census itself was problematic, perhaps reflecting a reliance on military strength rather than divine providence, or a form of pride and distrust in God's ability to sustain His people without such human accounting.
2 Samuel 24 1 Word analysis
- Again (וַתֹּסֶף - wattesep̄ from yasap̄ meaning "to add," "continue," "do again"): This signifies that God's anger against Israel was not new or isolated, but a continuation or recurrence of previous divine displeasure. It connects this event to prior instances of God's wrath due to national sin or David's own failures, indicating a prevailing state of disfavor.
- The anger of the Lord (אַף־יְהוָה - ʾap̄ YHWH): "Anger" (ʾap̄) literally refers to the "nose" or "nostril" and metaphorically signifies intense, often flaring, righteous indignation or wrath. This is the personal, covenantal God, YHWH, acting according to His holy character. This anger is a holy attribute, reacting justly to sin and rebellion, not an impulsive human emotion. Its kindling implies an active divine decision for judgment.
- Was kindled (חָרָה - ḥārâ - "to be hot," "to burn"): Indicates an intensified and active state of divine wrath. It is a powerful word depicting God's displeasure actively being manifest.
- Against Israel (בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל - bĕyisrāʾēl): The target of God's anger is the nation, not just David individually. This implies that Israel, perhaps collectively through their own sins (though not detailed here) or through their representative David, had provoked God. The judgment on David's action would thus impact the whole nation, reflecting a corporate responsibility.
- He incited (וַיָּסֶת - wayyasset from sūṯ - "to incite," "to instigate," "to entice"): This is the crux of the verse. The direct grammatical subject is YHWH. The verb
sutcan have a negative connotation (e.g., inciting to evil, 1 Sam 26:19), but in broader biblical contexts, it refers to God's sovereign control even over seemingly negative actions for His divine purposes. Reconciling this with 1 Chron 21:1, where "Satan" is the inciter, requires understanding God's ultimate sovereignty and permission. God does not directly tempt to evil (Jas 1:13-14), but He may allow or use the actions of evil entities or human desires to bring about His decreed will or to test/judge His people. Thus, "He incited" can mean God permitted Satan to act, or that God, in His sovereign plan, set circumstances in motion through which David would be prompted to sin, as a means of judgment upon Israel. This highlights God's role as the ultimate, albeit indirect, cause of the events, even when a secondary agent like Satan is involved. - David (אֶת־דָּוִד - ʾeṯ dāwid): The king, God's anointed leader and representative of Israel. His sin, therefore, has national consequences.
- To say (לֵאמֹר - lēʾmōr - "saying"): Connects the divine incitement directly to David's command.
- Go, number Israel and Judah (לֵךְ מְנֵה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת־יְהוּדָה - lēḵ mĕnēh ʾeṯ yisrāʾēl wĕʾeṯ yĕhūḏāh): The command to take a military census. While not inherently evil, a census taken out of pride, reliance on human strength, or distrust in God, rather than for legitimate governmental/military purposes by divine command, could be an offense. This census was likely motivated by David's pride in his military might or a desire for self-reliance rather than faith in God, especially given the backdrop of recent successful military campaigns and David's solidified kingdom. The division of "Israel and Judah" notes the unified kingdom.
2 Samuel 24 1 Bonus section
The seemingly paradoxical notion of God inciting an act that leads to sin yet remaining righteous is a consistent theme in biblical theology. This is not God tempting man to evil (as James 1:13 clarifies that God tempts no one to evil) but rather a sovereign permitting or working through various means, including spiritual adversaries or existing human weaknesses, to bring about His justice or purificatory purposes. This dynamic illustrates the distinction between God's decree and human agency: God ordains or permits what will happen, including acts of sin, while human beings remain fully accountable for their sinful choices. God uses these situations to reveal the sin in human hearts and bring about deserved judgment or further reliance on Him. The very "punishment" in this instance—the census leading to plague—ultimately revealed David's humility and led to the building of an altar that foreshadows the Temple.
2 Samuel 24 1 Commentary
Second Samuel 24:1 presents a profound theological challenge, particularly regarding God's role in "inciting" David. It posits that God's righteous anger was the ultimate catalyst for the chain of events that unfolded. This divine anger was not arbitrary but rooted in some unstated national sin, or perhaps a continuation of divine judgments against a perpetually rebellious Israel. The means by which this anger manifested was through an incitement that led David to perform a forbidden census.
The parallel account in 1 Chronicles 21:1 explicitly attributes the incitement to "Satan." The apparent contradiction highlights distinct theological emphases. 2 Samuel maintains God's ultimate sovereignty, demonstrating that even malicious spiritual forces operate under His supreme authority. God is presented as the primary cause, permitting or orchestrating events, even those carried out by agents of evil, to fulfill His righteous purposes, such as judgment or discipline. Conversely, 1 Chronicles focuses on the proximate cause, the direct spiritual adversary tempting David, while still acknowledging God's overarching permission. Therefore, David's act, while divinely allowed or prompted for sovereign purposes, remained David's responsible sin, rooted in pride, self-reliance, or a lack of faith in God's protection. The census was an act of counting reliance on military strength rather than the power of God, serving as the immediate human cause for the subsequent divine punishment that fell upon the entire nation, emphasizing the interconnectedness of a king's sin and its corporate consequences.