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.
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.
- BSB 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.”
- 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.”
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 21:1Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel.
- 1 Chr 27:23–24But David didn’t take the number of them from twenty years old and under, because Yahweh had said he would increase Israel like the stars of the sky.
- Jas 1:13–14Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
- Gen 50:20As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is today, to save many people alive.
- 1 Kgs 22:20–23Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ One said one thing; and another said another.
- Acts 4:28to do whatever your hand and your council foreordained to happen.
- 2 Sam 12:11“This is what Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
- Exod 7:3I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
- Ezek 20:25Moreover also I gave them statutes that were not good, and ordinances in which they should not live;
- 2 Sam 16:10The king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, ‘Curse David;’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”
- 1 Sam 26:19Now therefore, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is so that Yahweh has stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, they are cursed before Yahweh; for they have driven me out today that I shouldn’t cling to Yahweh’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’
- Gen 45:5Now don’t be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
- Ezek 14:9“‘“If the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, Yahweh, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand on him, and will destroy him from among my people Israel.
- 2 Sam 21:1–14There was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the face of Yahweh. Yahweh said, “It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
- 2 Th 2:11Because of this, God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a 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.