What does 2 Samuel 24:23 mean?
ESV: All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the Lord your God accept you."
NIV: Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the Lord your God accept you."
NASB: Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.' And Araunah said to the king, 'May the Lord your God be favorable to you.'
CSB: Your Majesty, Araunah gives everything here to the king." Then he said to the king, "May the Lord your God accept you."
NLT: I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.'
KJV: All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee.
NKJV: All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
Verse Commentary:
Both 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 tell the story of David's census of the fighting men of Israel. Once the census is complete, David realizes he has committed a horrible sin. In judgment, God sends an angel who spreads a supernatural pestilence over the nation, wreaking death as it goes. But the Lord stops the angel on the mountain top above Jerusalem. When David sees the angel and, once more, repents, God tells him to go to the top of the mountain and offer a sacrifice. God will halt the plague when this is complete.
The accounts of this story in two separate books are not identical. The slight variations as well as the following chapters reveal that although this is the same story, the accounts have different purposes.
Second Samuel 24 is part of a chiasm: a mirrored arrangement of themes with a central, main idea. This one is compiled as an epilogue to David's reign. It's the last section, and it's matched with 2 Samuel 21:1–14: Saul and the Gibeonites. This first story tells of how David must hand over seven of Saul's sons and grandsons to atone for Saul's sin against the Gibeonites.
The next layers of the chiasm recount the glories of David's fighting men (2 Samuel 21:15–22; 23:8–39). The center is the point of the chiasm: David is blessed and protected by God's grace when he obeys God (2 Samuel 22:1—23:7).
God's grace is expressed both in the angel's halt at Jerusalem and withdrawal of the plague upon David's sacrifice. This verse, which is not repeated in 1 Chronicles 21, does as well. A Jebusite—a Canaanite—living under an Israelite king, agrees to sell his land, then he offers to give David the firewood and the animals and grain to sacrifice. Finally, he prays that YHWH will accept David. In a hard and tragic situation, God is still gracious when David obeys.
The intended message of 1 Chronicles 21 is different. That passage focuses on the land and the people who own it (1 Chronicles 21:20). It adds that the tabernacle is in Gibeon, and David is too afraid of the angel to travel there (1 Chronicles 21:29–30). In the very next verse, David says, "Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel" (1 Chronicles 22:1). The purpose of the story in 1 Chronicles is the explanation of how David got the land where Solomon would build the temple (1 Chronicles 22:2–19).
Verse Context:
Second Samuel 24:18–25 (1 Chronicles 21:18–28) portrays David's effort to honor God's righteousness and sovereignty. To punish David and Israel for their sins, God has sent a destroying angel who stops right before it reaches Jerusalem (2 Samuel 24:1–17). David buys the threshing floor where the angel stands and offers sacrifices. God accepts the offering and stops the plague. That spot will later house the temple. This is the final story of David's reign. First Kings 1 begins the transition of the kingdom to Solomon.
Chapter Summary:
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).
Chapter Context:
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.
Book Summary:
Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.
Accessed 6/8/2026 11:28:45 AM
© Copyright 2002-2026 Got Questions Ministries. All rights reserved.
Text from ESV, NIV, NASB, CSB, NLT, KJV, NKJV © Copyright respective owners, used by permission.
