2 Samuel 24:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, "Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people."

NIV: So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are."

NASB: So the king said to Joab the commander of the army, who was with him, 'Roam about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and conduct a census of the people, so that I may know the number of the people.'

CSB: So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, "Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the troops so I can know their number."

NLT: So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army, 'Take a census of all the tribes of Israel — from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south — so I may know how many people there are.'

KJV: For 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.

NKJV: So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.”

God is angry with Israel. We aren't told why. We also aren't told why God sets up His punishment of Israel by allowing Satan to incite David to count the fighting men (2 Samuel 24:1; 1 Chronicles 21:1). It's possible the nation is proud of its army and has forgotten God, alone, is their Protector. David doesn't seem to resist the temptation to command a census. The census will allow him to know how many fighting men are in the militia. These would be called up to support the regular army, led by Joab, along with personal guard.

But David may have another reason. Counting the people will give him a better idea of how much more he can tax them to accumulate the money and materials Solomon will need to build the temple. In fact, in 1 Chronicles, the purpose of this story is to show how David got the land for the temple. In the next several chapters, we learn how David prepares the temple and state officials (1 Chronicles 22—27) and accumulates the supplies for the temple (1 Chronicles 28:1—29:9) before Solomon becomes king.

Joab and the other generals resist (2 Samuel 24:3–4). "Joab, the commander of the army" is "Joab and the commanders of the army" in both the Greek Septuagint and 1 Chronicles 21:2. David overrules them and doesn't realize his mistake until they return (2 Samuel 24:10).

"Dan to Beersheba" is a common but confusing phrase. Beersheba is the farthest-south significant city in Israel. It sits at the border of the Negev. Dan is a tribe and territory just northwest of Judah. But the "Dan" of the saying isn't the tribe. It's a city far north in Naphtali at the foot of Mt. Hermon. So, the phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" means the entirety of Israel, from north to south. This would be somewhat like saying "from Cairo to Cape Town" when referring to Africa, or "from New York to Los Angeles" about the United States.

The text says David wants to know the number of "the people." It's clear from the context that the term means the fighting men (2 Samuel 24:9). Joab and the generals need nearly ten months to complete the work. When they return, they secretly rebel against David by not including the numbers from Benjamin and Levi (2 Samuel 24:5–9; 1 Chronicles 21:6).

Second Samuel 24:1–9 (1 Chronicles 21:1–9) depicts a time when God was angry with Israel. He allows Satan to incite David to take a census. Though David may be trying to gauge taxes, it's more likely the census is a matter of national military pride. Joab takes nearly ten months to scour the nation. As a small rebellion, Joab's final report doesn't include the men from the tribes of Levi or Benjamin. David immediately realizes his mistake and accepts God's punishment: a plague that kills thousands (2 Samuel 24:10–15).

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.