2 Samuel 24 21

2 Samuel 24:21 kjv

And 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.

2 Samuel 24:21 nkjv

Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people."

2 Samuel 24:21 niv

Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" "To buy your threshing floor," David answered, "so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped."

2 Samuel 24:21 esv

And Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people."

2 Samuel 24:21 nlt

"Why have you come, my lord the king?" Araunah asked. David replied, "I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the LORD there, so that he will stop the plague."

2 Samuel 24 verses

2 Samuel 24 21 Meaning

In this verse, King David explains to Araunah, the Jebusite owner, his purpose in visiting the threshing floor. David declares his intention to purchase the site to construct an altar dedicated to the LORD, with the ultimate goal of offering sacrifices that will cause the ongoing divine plague, which afflicts the people of Israel due to David's sinful census, to cease.

2 Samuel 24 21 Context

This verse is positioned at a pivotal moment at the close of 2 Samuel, narrating the severe consequences of David's sin in conducting a census without divine authorization, a transgression against the LORD's covenant. This act of national pride or misplaced trust resulted in a devastating plague that afflicted Israel, claiming the lives of 70,000 people. When the destroying angel reached the threshing floor of Araunah, the LORD relented. Prompted by the prophet Gad, David is instructed to build an altar on that specific site to appease God's wrath and bring an end to the devastation. David's direct explanation to Araunah in verse 21 establishes his understanding of the gravity of the situation and his immediate, divinely ordained purpose for the location. This event provides a profound insight into God's righteous judgment and His gracious provision for atonement, establishing the very ground where Israel's most sacred dwelling place for the LORD would eventually be built.

2 Samuel 24 21 Word analysis

• And Araunah said: This signals an immediate, inquisitive response from Araunah to David's unexpected visit. "Araunah" (אֲרַוְנָה, ʼǍrawnâ), a Jebusite and presumably the indigenous owner of the threshing floor, is presented respectfully. The parallel account in 1 Chronicles 21 uses the name "Ornan." His respectful address to David underscores the deference shown to the king.
• "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?": This phrase demonstrates Araunah's humble posture and bewilderment. "My lord the king" (ʾădōnî hammeleḵ) is a form of deep reverence. "His servant" (ʿaḇdəḵā) conveys a deferential humility, showing Araunah's acknowledgment of David's authority and status as God's anointed leader, even though he is a non-Israelite resident of the land. His question highlights the unusual nature of a king personally visiting a subject for an ordinary purpose.
• And David said: A direct and unambiguous reply, indicating David's clarity of purpose and the divine urgency driving his actions.
• "To buy the threshing floor from you,": Buy (לִקְנוֹת, liqnōwt) emphasizes a legitimate, intentional transaction, not merely a taking by royal prerogative. This establishes the value of the sacrifice David is about to make. The threshing floor (הַגֹּרֶן, hagōren) was a common, elevated, and exposed area for processing grain. Its divine selection through the stopping of the plague angel transforms it into hallowed ground, destined for immense sacred significance.
• "to build an altar to the LORD,": Build (לִבְנוֹת, liḇnōwt) signifies the act of establishing a dedicated place of worship. An altar (מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbēaḥ) is the designated structure for presenting offerings and sacrifices, central to Israelite atonement and communion with God. "The LORD" (יהוה, YHWH), Israel's covenant God, specifies the exclusive divine recipient of the worship, underscoring the monotheistic focus of Israelite worship.
• "that the plague may be averted from the people.": The clear objective of David's visit. The plague (מַגֵּפָה, maggēfāh) is understood as the divine judgment from God. Averted (וְתֵעָצַר, wətē‘āṣar), meaning "to be restrained or stopped," conveys the desire for an immediate cessation of God's wrath. This direct linkage shows David's understanding that the plague is a result of sin and that reconciliation requires propitiatory sacrifice on a specially consecrated spot. "From the people" demonstrates David's deep concern for his flock, bearing the consequences of his leadership's sin.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And Araunah said, 'Why has my lord the king come to his servant?'": This phrase captures the interaction dynamic, demonstrating Araunah's respectful and perhaps awe-struck posture before David. It immediately frames the context of a momentous, rather than casual, royal visit to a private citizen.
• "And David said, 'To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD...'": This encapsulates David's direct and divinely inspired mission. It outlines the specific transactional purpose of his visit (to acquire land) and its sacred intent (to build a consecrated structure for exclusive worship of Yahweh). This revelation marks the transformation of an ordinary agricultural site into a place of divine significance.
• "...that the plague may be averted from the people.": This climactic statement clarifies the urgent, compassionate, and redemptive purpose behind David's actions. It explicitly links the building of the altar and the subsequent sacrifices to the immediate cessation of God's judgment and the restoration of well-being for the nation, highlighting the power of divinely mandated acts of propitiation.

2 Samuel 24 21 Bonus section

The site of Araunah's threshing floor, purchased by David for atonement, carries immense eschatological and historical significance. It is precisely where the angel of the LORD, carrying out the plague, was halted (2 Sam 24:16). This divinely appointed halt transformed a mundane location into holy ground. Later, this exact spot becomes the permanent site for Solomon's Temple (2 Chron 3:1), the place where God's presence would dwell among His people. This illustrates a profound biblical pattern: key locations of repentance and reconciliation often become future centers of divine activity and worship. The purchase also highlights David's integrity and his understanding that true sacrifice to God must involve cost, rather than being a mere gratuity, a principle explicitly articulated by David later in this chapter.

2 Samuel 24 21 Commentary

2 Samuel 24:21 encapsulates the essence of the aftermath of David's sin and the path to national reconciliation. David's direct explanation to Araunah underscores the king's acknowledgment of God's severe judgment and his immediate, unreserved obedience to the divine directive delivered by the prophet Gad. The stated purpose—to acquire the threshing floor to build an altar—is not a mere transaction, but a vital step in initiating a ritual act of propitiation that God himself commanded to avert the devastating plague. This demonstrates a core principle of Old Testament theology: sin necessitates divine judgment, but repentance, manifested through proper, costly, and divinely ordained sacrificial atonement, can invoke God's mercy. The selection of Araunah's threshing floor, providentially where the angel's hand was stayed, would also foreseeably become the sacred ground for Israel's permanent Temple.