What does 2 Samuel 24:24 mean?
ESV: But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
NIV: But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.
NASB: However, the king said to Araunah, 'No, but I will certainly buy it from you for a price; for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.' So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
CSB: The king answered Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for twenty ounces of silver.
NLT: But the king replied to Araunah, 'No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.' So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.
KJV: And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
NKJV: Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
Verse Commentary:
In punishment for David's sinful census of the fighting men, God has sent a deadly pestilence (2 Samuel 24:1, 15). The angel who has spread the plague is stopped on the mountain above Israel. God tells David to go to the mountain and offer a sacrifice. David and the elders climb to the top and meet Araunah, a Jebusite who owns a threshing floor on the summit. Araunah not only agrees to sell David the land, but he also offers his oxen and grain for the sacrifice and the yoke and threshing sledge for the firewood (2 Samuel 24:18–22; 1 Chronicles 21:18–23).
Because of David's foolishness, God has taken the lives of thousands of Israelites. Their parents, spouses, children, and community are grieving. Yet Jerusalem is untouched. David feels the grief of the mourners. He'd rather lose his own family than wish that on the people of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 24:15–17).
Facing families who have lost so much, David can't offer to God something that cost him nothing. He insists on paying for it all: the threshing floor, the oxen, the yoke, the sledge, and the grain, for fifty shekels of silver. Even more he buys the larger piece of land on the mountaintop for 600 shekels of gold (1 Chronicles 21:25). He sacrifices the oxen and the wheat, and God halts the plague. Within a few years, Solomon will build the temple on the same site (1 Chronicles 22:1).
Almost exactly 1000 years later, just down the hill, men will make the most important sacrifice in the history of the world (John 19:16 – 18). It will cost the men involved a mere thirty pieces of silver (), but it will cost God the Father His Son, and Jesus His life.
A shekel of silver is worth roughly $6 USD in 2026. So, the threshing floor and sacrificial supplies cost David about $300. A shekel of gold is about $480 USD; the temple Mount cost David about $288,000.
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 6/3/2026 11:12:00 AM
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