translation_id: net-engnet

label: NET translator note

text: Or “Satan.” The Hebrew word שָׂטָן ( satan ) can refer to an adversary in general or Satan in particular. There is no article accompanying the term here, which suggests it should be understood generally (cf. NAB “a satan”).


text: Heb “stood against.”


text: Heb “and incited David to count Israel.” As v. 5 indicates, David was not interested in a general census, but in determining how much military strength he had. sn The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:1 says, “The Lord ’s anger again raged against Israel and he incited David against them, saying: ‘Go, count Israel and Judah!’“ The version of the incident in the Book of 2 Samuel gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective. Many interpreters and translations render the Hebrew שָׂטָן as a proper name here, “Satan” (NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). However, the Hebrew term שָׂטָן , which means “adversary,” is used here without the article. Elsewhere when it appears without the article, it refers to a personal or national adversary in the human sphere, the lone exception being Num 22:22, 32 , where the angel of the Lord assumes the role of an adversary to Balaam. When referring elsewhere to the spiritual entity known in the NT as Satan, the noun has the article and is used as a title, “the Adversary” (see Job 1:6-9, 12; 2:1-4, 6-7 ; Zech 3:1-2 ). In light of usage elsewhere the adversary in 1 Chr 21:1 is likely a human enemy, probably a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength. For compelling linguistic and literary arguments against taking the noun as a proper name here, see S. Japhet, I & II Chronicles (OTL), 374-75.


text: Or “people.”


text: Heb “Go, count Israel.” See the note on “had” in v. 1 .


text: Heb “their number.”


text: Heb “Why should it become guilt for Israel?” David’s decision betrays an underlying trust in his own strength rather than in divine provision. See also 1 Chr 27:23-24 .


text: Heb “and the word of the king was stronger than Joab.”


text: For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Heb “and Joab gave to David the number of the numbering of the army [or “people”].”


text: Heb “a thousand thousands and one hundred thousand.”


label: NET textual note

text: The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:9 has variant figures: “In Israel there were eight hundred thousand sword-wielding warriors, and in Judah there were five hundred thousands soldiers.”


text: Heb “he”; the proper name (“Joab”) has been substituted for the pronoun here for stylistic reasons; the proper name occurs at the end of the verse in the Hebrew text, where it has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.


text: Heb “There was displeasure in the eyes of God concerning this thing.”


text: Heb “seer.”


text: Heb “Three I am extending to you; choose for yourself one of them and I will do it to you.”


text: The parallel text in the MT of 2 Sam 24:13 has “seven,” but LXX has “three” there.


text: Heb “or three months being swept away from before your enemies and the sword of your enemies overtaking.” The Hebrew term נִסְפֶּה ( nisppeh , Niphal participle from סָפָה , safah ) should probably be emended to נֻסְכָה ( nusÿkhah , Qal infinitive from נוּס [ nus ] with second masculine singular suffix). See 2 Sam 24:13 .


text: Heb “or three days of the sword of the Lord and plague in the land, and the messenger [or “angel”] of the Lord destroying in all the territory of Israel.”


text: Heb “There is great distress to me; let me fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercy is very great, but into the hand of men let me not fall.”


text: The parallel text of 2 Sam 24:15 reports that God sent a plague, while 24:16-17 attributes this to the instrumentality of an angel.


text: Or “destroy.”


text: Heb “while he was destroying.”


text: Or “saw.”


text: Or “was grieved because of.”


text: Heb “concerning the calamity.”


text: For this nuance of the Hebrew word רַב ( rav ), see BDB 913 s.v. 1 .f.


text: Heb “Now, drop your hand.”


text: In the parallel text in 2 Sam 24:16 this individual is called אֲרַוְנָא (’ aravna ’, “Aravna”), traditionally “Araunah.” The form of the name found here also occurs in vv. 18-28 .


text: Heb “and David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces.”


text: “and doing evil I did evil.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite form of the verb for emphasis.


text: Heb “let your hand be on me and on the house of my father.”


text: Heb “but on your people not for a plague.”


text: Heb “that he should go up to raise up.”


text: Heb “and David went up by the word of Gad which he spoke in the name of the Lord .”


text: Heb “nostrils.”


text: Heb “the place of the threshing floor.”


text: Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav ( ו ) conjunctive here indicates the immediate purpose/result: “so I can build.”


text: Heb “For full silver sell to me.”


text: Following the imperative and first person prefixed verbal form with vav ( ו ) conjunctive, this third person prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive introduces the ultimate purpose/result: “so the plague may be removed.” Another option is subordinate this form to the preceding imperative, but the latter may be taken as a parenthetical expansion of the initial request.


text: Heb “take for yourself.”


text: Heb “what is good in his eyes.”


text: Heb “No, for buying I will buy for full silver.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.


text: The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:24 has the plural “burnt sacrifices.”


text: Or “without [paying] compensation.”


text: The parallel text of 2 Sam 24:24 says David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for “fifty pieces of silver.” This would have been about 20 ounces (568 grams) of silver by weight. tn Heb “six hundred shekels of gold.” This would have been about 15 lbs. (6.8 kg) of gold by weight.


text: Or “tokens of peace.”


text: Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “spoke to the messenger.”


text: Or “high place.”