Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Again Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, “Go, count Israel and Judah.”
- KJV And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
- NKJV Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
- NASB Now the anger of the Lord burned against Israel again, and He incited David against them to say, “Go, count Israel and Judah.”
- NLT Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The LORD's anger burned against Israel, and David was moved to take a census of the people.
Overview
This difficult verse states the LORD's anger as the backdrop, while 1 Chronicles 21:1 says Satan incited David, indicating God sovereignly permitted Satan's temptation as an instrument of judgment, much as in Job. Faithful readers hold both truths: God remains righteous and is never the author of sin, yet He governs all events, including the testing that exposes human pride.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Chr 21:1Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
- 1 Chr 27:23–24David did not count the men aged twenty or under, because the LORD had said that He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.
- Jas 1:13–14When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.
- Gen 50:20As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.
- 1 Kgs 22:20–23And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that.
- Acts 4:28They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.
- 2 Sam 12:11This is what the LORD says: ‘I will raise up adversity against you from your own house. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will lie with them in broad daylight.
- Exod 7:3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
- Ezek 20:25I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.
- 2 Sam 16:10But the king replied, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the LORD told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’”
- 1 Sam 26:19Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
- Gen 45:5And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you.
- Ezek 14:9But if the prophet is enticed to speak a message, then it was I the LORD who enticed him, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.
- 2 Sam 21:1–14During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
- 2 Th 2:11For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 24:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.