2 Samuel 24:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

NIV: David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

NASB: Then David built there an altar to the Lord, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord responded to prayer for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

CSB: He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord was receptive to prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel ended.

NLT: David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

KJV: And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

NKJV: And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

David's second-to-last act as king as recorded in 2 Samuel is offering a sacrifice to protect Jerusalem from punishment. Against God's will, David took a census of the fighting men of Israel (2 Samuel 24:1–9). It's unclear why he took the census. Perhaps to glory in the number of soldiers who could defend the country. Or to calculate how much he could tax the people to pay for the supplies and labor to build the temple.

Whatever David's reason, God considers the act a horrible sin. He sends an angel to spread a plague that kills many thousands of men (2 Samuel 24:12–15). David repents profusely and follows God's instruction to offer a sacrifice where the angel has halted (2 Samuel 24:18–24). The account in 1 Chronicles 22:26–27 is framed in more exciting terms:

"And David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the Lord , and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. Then the Lord commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath."

As with Elijah, God demonstrates His pleasure with David's sacrifice by sending the fire, Himself (1 Kings 18:36–38).

With this act, the angel leaves, Jerusalem is saved from the plague, and the Lord's relationship with David and with Israel is restored.

The story continues in 1 Chronicles 22—29:9 with David organizing supplies and gathering people so Solomon can build the temple. The purpose of 2 Samuel, however, is to contextualize God's covenant with David (2 Samuel 7). God promised David that his son would sit on the throne after him. This seemed unlikely in a time and place where dynasties were rare and kings were often overthrown. In addition, God promised that David's descendant would rule Israel forever. Soon, Solomon will succeed David king (1 Kings 1—2).

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.

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.