2 Samuel 24:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David 's seer, saying,

NIV: Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:

NASB: When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to Gad the prophet, David’s seer, saying,

CSB: When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord had come to the prophet Gad, David’s seer:

NLT: The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message:

KJV: For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

NKJV: Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,

David has sinned against God by taking an unnecessary census of the fighting men. In a show of real spiritual growth, in this second of David's major sins, he recognizes what he's done before God sends His messenger. After David sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba, Nathan had to tell David a story, explain to David exactly what he did, and then lay out God's punishments before David repented (2 Samuel 12:1–15). In this case, David repents the moment he receives the fruits of his foolish decision (2 Samuel 24:9–10).

This prompt repentance doesn't deflect punishment, however. With Uriah and Bathsheba, God took the lives of three of David's sons and allowed a civil war to drive David from Jerusalem. This punishment is arguably worse because God sends Gad the seer to give three options, and David must choose how his people will suffer. God gives him the choice between three years of famine, three months of war, or three days of pestilence. David rejects the punishment that is in the hands of men, but doesn't choose between the two that God, alone, controls (2 Samuel 24:12–14).

In the Old Testament, God often sent judges, prophets, and seers to explain His actions to His people. With both of David's major sins, God makes it clear what his sin is and how it's going to be punished. Today, after a believer sins, it can be difficult to distinguish between God's discipline, natural consequences of our actions, or the simple brokenness of the world. Either way, it's important to repent and bear hardship gracefully under the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Commentators suggest that a seer may have been a role handed down from one generation to another, whereas the Lord chose a prophet directly to communicate specific messages to specific audiences.

Second Samuel 24:10–14 (1 Chronicles 21:7–13) records David realizing he's made a terrible mistake. God allowed Satan to tempt David into taking a census. Once it's complete, David recognizes and repents from his sin (2 Samuel 24:1–9). God gives David a choice of punishments; David would rather a famine or pestilence from God than war against men. Thousands of men die in a three-day plague, but God has mercy on Jerusalem (2 Samuel 24:15–17).

Second Samuel 24 (1 Chronicles 21) is the final story in the epilogue to 1 and 2 Samuel. God is angry with Israel and incites David to take a census. When it's finished, David accepts blame, and God punishes Israel with a plague. The plague's progress stops at a threshing floor just short of Jerusalem. David buys the land and offers a sacrifice. The land will later house the temple. In the chiasm—the mirror arrangement—epilogue of 1 and 2 Samuel, this story is partnered with God's punishment of Saul's family for their sin against the Gibeonites (2 Samuel 21:1–14).

Second Samuel 24 (1 Chronicles 21) marks the end of the epilogue of 1 and 2 Samuel. Second Samuel 21—24 is a mirrored pattern showing how God's blessings on Israel are dependent on their obedience. Here, God is angry with Israel and incites David. The nation is disciplined by a deadly plague. In 2 Samuel 24, the story shows that God disciplines Israel's disobedience. In 1 Chronicles 21, the focus is on how David got the land for the temple.